NCSE is pleased to announce the addition of Joseph L. Graves Jr. of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University to its board of directors. The first African American to earn a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology in the U.S., Graves studies the genomics of adaptation as well as biological and social concepts of race in humans. He is the author of The Emperor's New Clothes: Biological Theories of Race at the Millennium (2003), The Race Myth: Why We Pretend Race Exists in America (2004), and (with Alan Goodman) Racism, Not Race: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (2021). "I couldn't be more pleased to join NCSE's board," Graves commented, "and I'm looking forward to helping to steer NCSE's future efforts to protect and improve the teaching of science, especially in historically underserved communities."
On NCSE's board of directors Graves joins president Kenneth R. Miller, secretary Benjamin D. Santer, treasurer Michael Haas, Vicki Chandler, Sarah George, Michael B. Lubic, Michael E. Mann, Naomi Oreskes, and Barry Polisky. At the same time that Graves joined the board, Lorne Trottier, the co-founder of the computer hardware company Matrox, departed, having served on the board since 2009, as treasurer from 2013 to 2019, and as vice president since 2013. "Having benefited for so long from Lorne Trottier's wisdom and generosity, we're sorry to bid him adieu," NCSE's executive director Ann Reid commented. "But we are delighted to welcome Joe Graves, with his unparalleled record of effective advocacy and outreach on behalf of science education, to the board."
