Beronda Montgomery

Last updated
Beronda Montgomery
Alma mater Washington University in St. Louis
University of Central Arkansas
University of California, Davis (2001)
AwardsNSF CAREER Award
Scientific career
Fields Molecular biology, microbiology, plant biology, mentoring, leadership
Institutions Grinnell College
Michigan State University
Indiana University
Thesis Regulation of distinct aspects of photomorphogenesis in transgenic plants  (2001)
Website Research website Personal website

Beronda Montgomery is a writer, science communicator, and researcher. She has spent more than 20 years as a professor and academic administrator at Michigan State University and Grinnell College. [1] Her research has centered on how photosynthetic organisms adapt to changes in their environment. [2] She has also studied mentorship and faculty development to develop evidence-based strategies to foster equity and inclusion in academia. [3] Together with Tanisha Williams and other members of the Black Botanists Week organizing committee, Montgomery co-founded and co-organizes Black Botanists Week. [4]

Contents

Education and early career

Montgomery received her bachelor's degree in biology from Washington University in St. Louis and her master's degree in biology from University of Central Arkansas. She then went on to complete her PhD in Plant Biology in 2001 at the University of California, Davis. [5] She later became a postdoctoral fellow in Microbial Biology at Indiana University with the support of a National Science Foundation (NSF) award. [6] In 2004, she joined the faculty at Michigan State University where she remained through spring semester of 2022.

Academic leadership

Montgomery served as assistant provost for faculty development from 2016 to 2020 at MSU with responsibility for supporting all faculty and academic staff in the areas of research, scholarship, and creative activities. She was appointed as interim assistant vice president for research and innovation at MSU in 2020. [7] [8] From 2021 - 2022, she served as assistant vice president for research and innovation. Montgomery was named associate vice president for strategic initiatives and operations at MSU and served in that capacity until her departure from MSU at the end of the spring semester in 2022.

From July 2022 through July 2024, Montgomery served as vice president for Academic Affairs and Dean of the college at Grinnell College.

Research

Montgomery's research centers on the dynamic molecular mechanisms that allow photosynthetic organisms—from cyanobacteria to plant species—to adapt and respond to changes in their photoenvironment. These organisms must respond to changes in light sources in order to continue photosynthesis, so they've developed finely tuned growth and developmental responses.

Her research contributions have been recognized by the American Academy of Microbiology when she was elected as a fellow in 2018, [9] [10] the American Association for the Advancement of Science when she was elected as a fellow in 2020, [11] the American Society of Plant Biologists when she was elected as a fellow in 2021, [12] and the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology when she was elected as fellow in 2022. [13]

Mentorship

Montgomery also conducts scholarship and training initiatives on mentoring. She has published extensively on evidence-based strategies to nurture and retain talent in academia, developing strategies for effective mentorship that center on the individual and their specific needs and goals. [14] [15] [16]

Books

Lessons from Plants, Harvard University Press, April 2021 [17]

When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy, Henry Holt and Company, January 20, 2026 [18]

Awards and honors

References

  1. ↑ "Grinnell College Appoints Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College" . Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  2. ↑ Montgomery, Beronda. "Beronda Montgomery MSU Foundation Professor". Archived from the original on 2015-08-10.
  3. ↑ Edwards, Mélise; Johnson, Michael D.L.; Fernandez, Robert W.; Montgomery, Beronda L.; Adelaja, Adewunmi; Akingbade, Tomi (October 2020). "Mentoring to Foster a Diverse Future". Cell. 183 (3): 561–563. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.10.010 . PMID   33125880. S2CID   225982960.
  4. ↑ "#BLACKBOTANISTSWEEK" . Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  5. ↑ Montgomery BL (2001). Regulation of Distinct Aspects of Photomorphogenesis in Transgenic Plants (Ph.D. thesis). University of California, Davis.
  6. ↑ "NSF Award Search: Award#0102084 - Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Microbial Biology for FY2001". www.nsf.gov. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  7. ↑ "Beronda Montgomery named MSU Office of Research & Innovation interim assistant vice president". www.natsci.msu.edu. Archived from the original on 2020-10-21. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  8. ↑ "Beronda Montgomery Takes Academic Advancement to the Next Level". aan.msu.edu. Archived from the original on 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  9. ↑ University, Michigan State. "MSU professors elected fellows of the American Academy of Microbiology". MSUToday. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  10. 1 2 Communications, ASM. "96 Fellows Elected into the American Academy of Microbiology". Archived from the original on 2018-06-15. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  11. ↑ "Beronda Montgomery Awarded Prestigious AAAS Fellowship". bmb.natsci.msu.edu. Archived from the original on 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  12. 1 2 "MSU Biologist Beronda Montgomery Named ASPB Fellow". Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  13. ↑ "Beronda Montgomery Named an ASBMB Fellow". bmb.natsci.msu.edu. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  14. ↑ Montgomery B (2016). "Evidence-based Training and Mentoring Practices: Practical Implications for Improving Diversity in STEM Education and Training". www.asbmb.org. Archived from the original on 2019-12-24. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  15. ↑ Montgomery BL (April 2017). "Mapping a Mentoring Roadmap and Developing a Supportive Network for Strategic Career Advancement". SAGE Open. 7 (2) 2158244017710288: 215824401771028. doi: 10.1177/2158244017710288 .
  16. ↑ Whittaker JA, Montgomery BL (2012). "Cultivating Diversity and Competency in STEM: Challenges and Remedies for Removing Virtual Barriers to Constructing Diverse Higher Education Communities of Success". Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education. 11 (1): A44-51. PMC   3592737 . PMID   23493445.
  17. ↑ "Lessons from Plants — Beronda L. Montgomery". Harvard University Press . Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  18. ↑ Montgomery, Beronda L. When Trees Testify — Beronda L. Montgomery. Henry Holt and Company. ISBN   978-1-250-33516-6.
  19. ↑ "NSF Award Search: Award#0643516 - CAREER: Molecular Genetic and Biochemical Analysis of Biliprotein-Regulated Photomorphogenesis in Cyanobacteria". www.nsf.gov. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  20. ↑ Richard A. "Michigan State University Foundation – MSU Foundation Professorships". www.msufoundation.org. Archived from the original on 2018-07-16. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  21. ↑ Dempsey A. "Beronda L. Montgomery". www.asm.org. Archived from the original on 2018-07-17. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  22. ↑ "John Wiley Jones Distinguished Speaker: Dr. Beronda Montgomery". Democrat and Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2020-02-17.
  23. ↑ Hinton, Antentor O. Jr. "100 inspiring black scientists in America". crosstalk.cell.com. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
  24. ↑ "Announcing the 2020 UCS Science Defenders" . Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  25. ↑ "AAAS Announces Leading Scientists Elected as 2020 Fellows". American Association for the Advancement of Science . Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  26. ↑ "Seminars and Events".
  27. ↑ "NSF BIO Distinguished Lecture Series". 26 February 2021.
  28. ↑ "Charles Edwin Bessey Teaching Award" . Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  29. ↑ "GardenComm Honors" . Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  30. ↑ "Beronda Montgomery to Present Mentoring Keynote". 25 October 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  31. ↑ "2022 ASBMB fellows named". American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology . Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  32. ↑ "2022 ASM Award & Prize Recipients" . Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  33. ↑ "Congratulations to ASPB's 2022 Award Recipients". 7 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  34. ↑ "Beronda Montgomery Receives 2024 Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award from American Society of Plant Biologists". 10 April 2024. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  35. ↑ "Pioneer Beronda Montgomery" . Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  36. ↑ "Four scientists honored for their Excellence in Supporting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) in the Arabidopsis Community". 9 April 2024. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  37. ↑ "Planting Equity: Lessons from Plants on Cultivating Equitable Ecosystems | Vassar College" . Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  38. ↑ "President Biden Honors More Than 300 Americans with Nation's Highest Award for Science and Mathematics Teachers and Mentors". 13 January 2025. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  39. ↑ "Beronda L. Montgomery" . Retrieved 2025-10-18.
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