Our Advisory Board


Phillip J. Bowman, Ph.D.

Director of the National Center for Institutional Diversity (NCID)

Phillip J. Bowman is founding Director of the National Center for Institutional Diversity (NCID) and Professor of Higher Education and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan; he is also a Faculty Affiliate in the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, Institute for Social Research, Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture and Health, Center for Global Health and National Poverty Center. Professor Bowman is a theoretical and applied social psychologist with strong interests in research on complex diversity issues in higher education, inequality, and multilevel policy challenges (e.g. achievement gaps, health disparities, joblessness, family distress, and urban poverty). A new research program combines multilevel strengths-based theory and multi-method research to guide innovation and improve efficacy in exemplary STEM interventions to reduce achievement gaps across the PK-20 pipeline and beyond.

Bowman received his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan, where he directed a postdoctoral training program in survey research methodology and helped to develop a series of landmark national studies at the Institute for Social Research on African American life. He held prior faculty appointments at the University of Michigan and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Psychology, African American Studies, and Educational Policy, as well as at Northwestern University in Human Development and Social Policy. Throughout his career, he has conducted both theory-driven and policy-relevant research and collaborated on innovative pipeline efforts to provide quantitative research training and mentoring for post-doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate scholars. A former Rockefeller Foundation Fellow and Senior Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, Bowman has received research funding from numerous state agencies, federal agencies such as NIGMS, NIMH, NIA, NSF, and HHS, and the Spencer Foundation. He serves on several national advisory boards including the Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention, Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, Program for Research on Black Americans, Center for Public Policy in Diverse Societies. Professor Bowman is also an active national and international lecturer and consultant on diversity and public policy issues.

George W. Roberts, Ph.D.

Senior Advisor for Health Equity, Office of the Associate Director for Program, Office of the Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

George W. Roberts is Senior Advisor for Health Equity in the Office of the Associate Director for Program, Office of the Director, CDC. He is responsible for monitoring and coordinating efforts to address the impact of health disparities across disease areas. He serves as major advisor to the Associate Director for Program on ways to improve programmatic strategies to promote equitable health outcomes for vulnerable populations.

Prior to assuming this position, Dr. Roberts served as Associate Director for Health Equity in the National Center for Health Marketing. He previously served as Director of the Division of Partnerships and Strategic Alliances in the same National Center, where he led activities to strengthen public-private partnerships in support of CDC’s health protection and health promotion goals. He has also served as Associate Director for Prevention Partnerships in CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, where he was also a Special Assistant for Communities of Color. Prior to his work in HIV prevention, Dr. Roberts was a Senior Behavioral Scientist in the Office of the Director, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. He has also served as Research Psychologist for Minority Health in the Office of the Director at the CDC.

Throughout his CDC career, Dr. Roberts has worked with researchers, public health professionals, community-based organizations, and non-traditional partners to strengthen disease prevention and health promotion activities for vulnerable populations. He has worked collaboratively to build stronger linkages between government and diverse partners and communities.

Dr. Roberts received his undergraduate training at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He later earned the doctorate of philosophy in Psychology, specializing in Social Psychology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Before joining the CDC, he was a professor of African American Studies and Psychology at the State University of New York at New Paltz.

Dr. Roberts has published and maintained research interests in the areas of HIV/AIDS prevention, gender and cultural issues, and minority health. He holds professional memberships in associations of public health and psychology, and is a past president of the Atlanta Chapter of the Association of Black Psychologists.