William (Bill) Hawkins

Dr. William Anthony Hawkins, Jr. was born in Washington, D.C. After receiving his B.S. in mathematics from Howard University, he taught at Cardozo High School in Washington, D.C., where he discovered his passion for teaching. After receiving his M.S. in physics from Howard University and M.A. in mathematics from the University of Michigan, Dr. Hawkins was appointed as an instructor at Federal City College (University of the District of Columbia). After several years at the College, he returned to graduate school at the University of Michigan to obtain his Ph.D. in mathematics.

Dr. Hawkins has dedicated his career to educating minority students in mathematics. After working as an associate professor at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), he went on to direct the nascent Strengthening Underrepresented Minority Mathematics Achievement (SUMMA) Program at the Mathematical Association of America. SUMMA was established to increase the representation of minorities in the fields of mathematics, science and engineering and improve the mathematics education of minorities. In later years, Dr. Hawkins has assumed roles as both SUMMA director and mathematics professor at UDC. His work has been recognized with multiple awards, including the 2006 Benjamin Banneker Legacy Award from the Banneker Institute of Science & Technology and the 2013 Gung and Hu Award for Distinguished Service to Mathematics from the Mathematical Association of America.