March 2024

On February 29, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced the appointment of Kay Husbands Fealing to serve as assistant director of the NSF Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate. She will begin her position on April 22.

Husbands Fealing currently serves as dean of the Georgia Institute of Technology Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. Her research interests include the science of science and innovation policy, the public value of research expenditures, and the underrepresentation of women and minorities in STEM fields and the STEM workforce.

Husbands Fealing has served in advisory NSF appointments as a member of the STEM Education Directorate (EDU) Advisory Committee since 2018 and is current chair of the Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering, which advises NSF on activities to encourage the full participation of women, underrepresented racial/ethnic populations, and persons with disabilities in STEM. She had several prior roles with NSF, including as a member of the SBE Advisory Committee, program director in the Economics program within SBE, and inaugural program director for the Science of Science and Innovation Policy program.

“Congratulations to Dr. Husbands Fealing for a highly deserved appointment,” said AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine. “Her contributions to NSF, her commitment to equity in STEM education, and her leadership in multiple federal and institutional roles make her the perfect choice at this moment to lead the SBE Directorate. We look forward to working with Dr. Husbands Fealing in her new role.”