RISE 2019 Conference

Olivia A. Scriven, PhD, is a published and externally-funded scholar, educational entrepreneur, and executive-level administrator who brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in designing, managing, and evaulating research and programs across diverse organizational contexts. Dr. Scriven’s area of specialty includes evidence-based curricular and co-curricular efforts to increase the participation and performance of under-represented minorities and women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (“STEM”). Serving as Academia Advisor for FEMA’s National Disaster Recovery Support (“NDRS”) cadre, Dr. Scriven has leveraged her background and experience to launch an initiative to link communities impacted by Hurricane Michael – a Category 5 storm which devastated the Florida Panhandle -- with technical expertise from colleges and universities to support long-term recovery. These efforts range from dual-use resiliency centers designed to support large-scale community gatherings during “blue skies” and serve as hardened shelters able to withstand catastrophic winds in times of disaster. The projects also include a stormwater study which integrates green space to mitigate chronic flooding in a low-lying, rural county, as well as the design of affordable, sustainable housing for low-income residents in the area. All projects are being undertaken by university faculty and/or faculty-mentored teams of undergraduate and/or graduate students. Prior to her work with FEMA, Dr. Scriven served in several leadership positions at Spelman College, where she worked with faculty in the Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Fine Arts and Education to design research and programs which resulted in over $70 million in grant and contract funding. Dr. Scriven continues to consult nationally, is regularly invited to serve on peer-review panels for the NSF, and her research exploring historically Black colleges and universities and pioneering African American women in the U.S. scientific enterprise has appeared in books published by Oxford University Press and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Dr. Scriven earned the master’s and doctoral degree in the history and sociological studies of science and technology from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She also holds a master’s in Educational Communication and Technology from New York University, where she also earned the bachelor’s degree. Dr. Scriven makes her home in metro-Atlanta, Georgia.