DSU President José-Marie Griffiths is South Dakota’s Woman of the Year by USA Today

Story by Morgan Matzen, Sioux Falls Argus Leader. Picture of Dr. José-Marie Griffiths by © Samantha Laurey / Argus Leader.

Griffiths, 71, was born and raised in the county of Middlesex just outside London, which is now part of the Royal London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. She became DSU’s president in 2015 after serving five years as the vice president for academic affairs and professor at Bryant University.

She was recently honored as one of 10 champions of the state in the South Dakota Hall of Fame for “literally transforming the state university into a nationally recognized institution for cyber security,” CEO Laurie Becvar said.

Griffiths has led major DSU initiatives, like the upcoming construction of a DSU applied research lab in Sioux Falls, an educational partnership with ArmyCyber, pending legislation for a $6 million Center for Quantum Information Science and Technology and a partnership for a STEAM exhibit at the Washington Pavilion.

Throughout the years, she’s made headlines in South Dakota as a finalist for the DSU president position, for attending the first-of-its-kind State-Federal STEM Education Summit hosted by The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, joining the White House Cyber Workforce and Education Summit and more.

She’s held leadership positions at four universities, including Vice Chancellor, University of Tennessee; Chief Information Officer, the University of Michigan; Director, Sara Fine Institute, University of Pittsburgh; and Dean, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

She has previously served in presidential appointments to the National Science Board, the U.S. President’s Information Technology Advisory Committee, and the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science.

She has led projects for more than 28 U.S. federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Department of Energy, and various intelligence and military agencies; more than 20 major corporations such as AT&T Bell Laboratories and IBM, in more than 35 countries; and has worked with seven major international organizations, including NATO and the United Nations. She has received more than 20 significant awards in science, technology, teaching and the advancement of women in these fields.

The Argus Leader sat down with Griffiths for a special question and answer session. Read full article here regarding the Argus Leader Q &A. Here is the full listing of the 2024 Women of the Year – USA TODAY.