Three African American Women Are Rewarded for Inspiring Their Students

Fifteen professors across the nation have received $25,000 awards from the Gail McKnight Beckman Trust for inspiring their students to make a difference in their communities. The Trust was established in 2008 by the estate of Gail McKnight Beckman in honor of her mother, Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman, who was one of the first women professors of psychology at Columbia University.

Winners of the awards must be current or former faculty members at U.S. institutions of higher education. Preference is given to those who teach in the fields of psychology, medicine, or law.

Of the 15 winners this year, three are African American women.

Jessica Henderson Daniel is an associate professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and adjunct associate professor of clinical psychology at Boston University. She also serves as director of training in psychology at Boston Children’s Hospital. She holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Illinois.

Layli Phillips Maparyan is an associate professor and graduate director of Women’s Studies and African American Studies at Georgia State University. Dr. Maparyan is a graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta. She holds a master’s degree from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in psychology from Temple University.

Janet E. Helms is the Augustus Long Professor of Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology at Boston College. She has been on the faculty there since 2000. Previously, she taught at the University of Maryland. Dr. Helms holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. She earned a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Iowa State University.