Oral history interview with Margaret E.M. Tolbert
- 2009-Aug-13
Margaret E. M. Tolbert was born in Suffolk, Virginia at a time when rural Virginia was still very segregated. She and her siblings were raised by their grandmother within a large extended family. Growing up, Tolbert took cleaning jobs in her community to make money. In this way, she met Mr. and Mrs. Cook, who, as educated and relatively well-off African Americans, encouraged her to get a good education. Her high school had limited resources, but she found excellent mentors and graduated class valedictorian. She decided to attend Tuskegee University for her undergraduate degree, with the intention of entering medicine. At Tuskegee, she was drawn to chemistry and research, a career path she had not been exposed to before. Though she was the only female student in her class, Tolbert found a community of supportive professors and students with an interest in her well-being. She went on to complete her master's degree in chemistry at Wayne State University, but immediately returned to Tuskegee as a technician to be with her husband. She was interested in becoming a chemistry professor, so at the Cooks' urging she applied to a PhD program at Brown University, which was recruiting minority students. By this time, Tolbert's first marriage had ended, and the Cooks cared for Tolbert's son while she earned her degree. At Brown, she met her second husband, Henry Hudson Tolbert. After completing her doctorate, Tolbert returned to Tuskegee as a faculty member, but soon took guest research and management positions at the University of Texas, Florida A&M University, and Brown University. She also completed a postdoctorate in Brussels, Belgium, where her Congolese colleagues were fascinated by her African-American heritage. While Tolbert had intended to stay in research, she found herself drawn to management positions. In 1979, she took the opportunity to become the first woman director of the Carver Research Foundation at Tuskegee University. In this position, she oversaw institutional development in the university's research programs, but she also traveled to affiliated institutions as far away as Liberia and Libya. After almost a decade at the Carver Research Foundation, she went to Standard Oil of Ohio on sabbatical. From that point onward, she transitioned permanently to science management positions, working for BP America, the National Science Foundation, Argonne National Laboratory, and the New Brunswick Laboratory. In these positions, her responsibilities included overseeing development, funding, and diversity-based initiatives. Tolbert is currently at the National Science Foundation, funding programs and developing policy focused on increasing diversity in science and technology. During the interview she spoke repeatedly about the importance of mentoring, and the opportunities networking provides to develop mentors, colleagues, and future opportunities. She concludes the interview by giving young women the advice to get a strong math/science background, and to make informed decisions. She also speaks to the unique ability of minority-serving institutions to provide an education while still cultivating the whole student.
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About the Interviewer
Jeannette E. Brown has a research MS degree from the University of Minnesota and a BS degree in the Field of Chemistry from Hunter College. She started her industrial career at CIBA Pharmaceutical Co. as a junior chemist, working there for eleven years, and she held the position of Research Chemist at Merck & Co. Inc. for 25 years. Brown is a former Faculty Associate in the department of Pre-College Programs at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, holding the title of New Jersey Statewide Systemic Initiative (NJSSI) Regional Director. She was appointed to the National Science Foundation Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women Minorities and Persons with Disabilities (CEOSE) and served on that committee for six years. She is the 2005 recipient of the American Chemical Society Dreyfus Award for mentoring minorities in science and she is currently working on a book about the history of African-American women chemists.
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| Oral history number | 0648 |
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Interviewee biographical information
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Education
| Year | Institution | Degree | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Tuskegee University | BS | Chemistry |
| 1968 | Wayne State University | MS | Analytical Chemistry |
| 1974 | Brown University | PhD | Biochemistry |
Professional Experience
Tuskegee University
- 1969 Biomedical Research Technician
- 1969 to 1970 Instructor of Mathematics
- 1973 to 1976 Assistant Professor of Chemistry; Associate Professor of Chemistry; Professor of Chemistry
- 1980 to 1988 Professor of Chemistry
Opportunities Industrialization Center (Philadelphia, Pa.)
- 1971 to 1972 Instructor of Mathematics and Science (Providence, Rhode Island campus)
Brown University
- 1973 Instructor of Chemistry for Transitional Program
- 1978 to 1979 Associate Professor of Medical Science & MARC Faculty Fellow in Research
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- 1974 Research Associate in the Biomedical Institute
Southern Vocational College
- 1974 Instructor of Biology and Mathematics
University of Texas Medical School at Houston
- 1977 Visiting Scientist
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
- 1977 Researcher
- 1977 to 1979 Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences
- 1977 to 1979 Associate Dean of the School of Pharmacy
International Institute of Cellular & Molecular Pathology
- 1977 to 1978 Guest Research Scientist & MARC Faculty Fellow
Tuskegee Institute. Carver Research Foundation
- 1979 to 1988 Director and Associate Provost for Research and Outreach (Development)
University of Alabama at Birmingham
- 1982 to 1983 Member of the Board of Trustees
Federal Reserve Bank
- 1985 to 1987 Director of the Birmingham Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; Chair of the Birmingham Bank
BP America (Firm)
- 1988 to 1990 Senior Budgets and Control Analyst, Research Center
- 1988 to 1990 Senior Planner, Research Center
National Science Foundation (U.S.)
- 1990 to 1993 Program Director; Special Assistant to the Vice Chair of the Committee on Education and Training of the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology
- 2002 to 2010 Senior Advisor (Senior Executive Service)
- 2002 to 2010 Director, Science and Technology Centers Integrative Partnerships Program
- 2002 to 2010 Executive Liaison, Committee on equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- 1994 Program Officer for International Programs
Argonne National Laboratory
- 1994 to 1996 Director of the Division of Educational Programs
United States. Department of Energy
- 1996 to 2002 Director, New Brunswick Laboratory
- 2001 Acting Associate Director, Office of Laboratory Operations and Environment, Safety and Health in the Office of Science
Honors
| Year(s) | Award |
|---|---|
| 1970 to 1971 | Brown University Fellowship |
| 1971 to 1973 | Southern Fund Fellowship for Graduate Study at Brown University |
| 1975 | Outstanding Teacher, College of Arts and Sciences, Tuskegee Institute |
| 1975 | Plaque awarded by MBS Trainees for outstanding service to student trainees at Tuskegee Institute |
| 1976 | Personalities of the South Award in recognition of achievements and outstanding service to the community and state |
| 1978 | Plaque awarded by undergraduate and graduate students in the Career Outreach Awareness Program in appreciation of the outstanding work in student preparation |
| 1978 to 1979 | NIH/NIGMS-MARC Faculty Research Fellowship Award—Served as Guest Scientist, International Institute for Cellular and Molecular Pathology in Brussels, Belgium and Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island |
| 1981 | Alabama Democratic Conference Award in Science and Medicine |
| 1981 to 2010 | Presidential Associate, Tuskegee Institute |
| 1982 | Plaque for service to Tuskegee Public Schools |
| 1983 | Faculty Achievement Award, Tuskegee Institute |
| 1983 | Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Award for Outstanding Service and Contributions to Education |
| 1983 | Tuskegee Lions Club Award |
| 1983 | Certificate of Service for Outstanding Service in Lionism and the Tuskegee Eye Bank |
| 1984 | Certificate of Service for Outstanding Service in Lionism and the Tuskegee Eye Bank |
| 1984 | The Woman of the Year Award received from the Alpha Xi Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority |
| 1985 | Certificate of Service for Outstanding Service in Lionism and the Tuskegee Eye Bank |
| 1985 | Academic Tenure awarded by Tuskegee University |
| 1985 | Certificate of Appreciation and Recognition awarded for Eminent Volunteer Service and Sincere Dedication in the District Court of Macon County-Juvenile and Outreach Service |
| 1985 | Plaque awarded by the East Tennessee Chapter of the National Contractor Management Association |
| 1987 | Certificate of Distinguished Service to the Federal Reserve System and Excellent Contributions to the Federal Reserve Bank and to Economic Progress of the Sixth Federal Reserve District |
| 1988 | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow |
| 1996 | Women's History Month Award Certificate of Appreciation from Women in Science Technology/Argonne National Laboratory |
| 1996 | Among the women honored with a luncheon and program at the White House during the “Women Making History” celebration |
| 1997 to 2001 | The Chicago Operations Office/US Department of Energy Performance Award |
| 1998 | Secretary of Energy Pride Award for Community Service |
| 1999 | Chicago-Tuskegee Alumni Club President's Merit Award |
| 2000 | Honoree in the Museum of Science and Industry's Black Creativity Exhibit: African-American Women in Science and Technology" |
| 2000 | Honored by the US Department of Energy as it focused on advancing the status of women in the program titled "Women in Science" |
| 2001 | Women of Color in Government and Defense Technology Award in Managerial Leadership |
| 2001 | Appreciation Plaque from the Albuquerque Operations Office/US Department of Energy |
| 2005 | Performance Award from the National Science Foundation |
| 2007 | The Dr. George Washington Carver Distinguished Service Award from Tuskegee University |
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