Over the course of his distinguished career, John Brooks Slaughter achieved many impressive firsts – the first African American chancellor of the University of Maryland, the first African American president of Occidental College and the first African American director of the U.S. National Science Foundation.
Slaughter filled each role with distinction while personally mentoring and advocating for many young scientists and engineers. In 2015, he was honored at the White House with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.