HFES Titan: Tonya L. Smith-Jackson; From Isolation to Innovation to Inclusion: My Human Factors Journey from 1994 to 2021

Tonya Smith-Jackson, PhD, CPE is a research engineer with extensive academic leadership experience, including a stint as a program director at the National Science Foundation. She has worked for North Carolina A&T State University since 2013, originally as a professor and chair of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, as well as the founder/director of the Human Factors Analytics Laboratory. She is currently serving as  Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. She presently serves on a variety of committees and boards.

Dr. Smith-Jackson earned an interdisciplinary MS in Psychology and Industrial Engineering from NC State University and a PhD in Psychology/Ergonomics from NC State University. She earned a BA in psychology from UNC-Chapel Hill, and graduated from the inaugural class of the NC School of Science and Mathematics. She is a Fellow in two professional societies: The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. She is a professional development fellow of the AASC&U/AALI Becoming a Provost Academy, the Center for Advancement of STEM leadership, and the HERS Leadership Institute. Her faculty positions in academia include universities and community colleges in New York, North Carolina, Virginia and Germany.

Dr. Smith-Jackson has worked in the industry and government sectors as well, serving as a usability engineer for IBM and Ericsson Mobile Communications (now Sony-Ericsson), and as an expert witness in systems safety, usability and accident analysis litigation. She has served as a manager in county, state and federal government agencies, including the European Command (Germany), county public health and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

She has earned department, college, university, civil and community service awards for excellence and innovation in teaching, research, advising, diversity and inclusion, and outreach to communities. She has been awarded a university women’s leadership award; interdisciplinary collaboration awards; and a Command General’s Award for advancing women in the U.S. Army Command. Gov. Roy Cooper appointed her to the NC Board of Science, Technology and Innovation in 2020 and the Performance Management Advisory Committee in 2021.  She continues to champion HBCU-excellence, inclusion, equity, diversity and belonging.