Dr. Marie V. McDemmond
Dr. Marie V. McDemmond was a true trailblazer who achieved many firsts during her lifetime. As 3rd president of Norfolk State University, she was the first African American woman to lead a four-year public higher education institution within the Commonwealth of Virginia and also the first woman to lead Norfolk State University. Dr. McDemmond served as president from 1997 to 2005.
Dr. McDemmond believed that the strength and the future of Norfolk State lay within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). One of her highest goals was the building of the Research Innovations to Support Empowerment Center (RISE), enabling NSU to become a technological powerhouse. She envisioned a research hub spanning 25 acres at the intersection of Brambleton and Park Avenues, which would include a cleanroom, anchor graduate research and spark innovation. The Class 100/Class 1 000(ISO Class 5/Class 6) user facility has become one of the more advanced and influential HBCU nanofabrication facilities in the country.
She was also selected for the Dominion Strong Men and Women Series in 2004; in addition, she served as a senior fellow of the Institute for Public Policy and Executive Leadership in Higher Education and was the first college president to be named as Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army of Virginia. McDemmond's outreach and influence were beyond just the university, and she deeply believed in the goals and values of the university. She was also the visionary who brought the institution its website and internet access. In addition, she secured funding for the construction of what was initially known as the RISE (Research Innovations to Support Empowerment) Center and envisioned a research hub spanning 25 acres at the intersection of Brambleton and Park Avenues. The Marie V. McDemmond Center for Applied Research is a fitting moniker for the research hub, which has a clean room among other research labs. Additionally, Dr. McDemmond became the first individual in university history to donate $1 million.