AI² Summit 2026: Shaping the Future of AI in Higher Education

Talitha Washington, Ph.D., a distinguished mathematician, serves as the Executive Director of the Center for Applied Data Science & Analytics (CADSA) at Howard University. A transformational leader, Dr. Washington guides CADSA’s direction in harnessing the power of data to address society’s most pressing challenges through groundbreaking research, expanded educational opportunities, and innovative advancements on a global scale. She holds the Sean McCleese Endowed Chair, is a Professor of Mathematics, and is the co-Chair of the President’s AI Advisory Council, which guides the university’s AI strategy across research, academic, and enterprise initiatives.

Dr. Washington serves as Principal Investigator of the U.S. National Science Foundation–funded Research Coordination Network on Assessing and Predicting Job Outcomes in AI, a national initiative focused on building a coordinated understanding of AI jobs, skills, and credentials to strengthen the nation’s AI workforce ecosystem. She also serves as the Past-President of the Association for Women in Mathematics and a former member of the Census Scientific Advisory Committee of the U.S. Census Bureau. Her research interests include applied mathematics, dynamical systems, nonstandard finite difference schemes, data science, artificial intelligence, and education.

An accomplished scholar and advocate for excellence, Dr. Washington has been recognized with numerous honors. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi, as well as mathematics honor societies Kappa Mu Epsilon and Pi Mu Epsilon. Her accolades include the 2019 BEYA STEM Innovator Award, the 2019 Outstanding Faculty Award from Howard University, and the 2020 NSF Director’s Award for Superior Accomplishment. She is a Fellow of the African Scientific Institute (ASI), the American Mathematical Society (AMS), the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Dr. Washington’s professional journey reflects her commitment to advancing knowledge and equity in STEM. She was a VIGRE Research Associate in the Department of Mathematics at Duke University and served as the inaugural Director of the Atlanta University Center (AUC) Data Science Initiative and the NSF National Data Science Alliance. Her academic appointments include assistant professorships at The College of New Rochelle and the University of Evansville, and a full professorship at Clark Atlanta University. As a former Program Director at the National Science Foundation (NSF), she worked in the Convergence Accelerator within the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) and in the Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE), where she led the development of NSF’s first Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program, coauthoring solicitations that awarded $85 million.

Dr. Washington’s educational foundation is as impressive as her professional achievements. After graduating early from Benjamin Bosse High School in Evansville, Indiana, she studied abroad in Juan Viñas, Costa Rica. She earned her undergraduate degree in mathematics from Spelman College, which included a semester abroad at the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in Mexico. She later completed her master’s and doctoral degrees in mathematics at the University of Connecticut, which recently awarded her an honorary Doctorate of Science.

Dr. Washington shares a unique connection with Dr. Elbert Frank Cox, as both are mathematicians from Evansville, Indiana. Dr. Cox, the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics, was a faculty member at Howard University. Dr. Washington looks forward to honoring Dr. Cox’s legacy through her dedication to excellence, truth, and service.