Suggested Introduction for Chancellor Gary S. May
Long Speech Intro
Chancellor May is a highly engaged leader passionate about helping others succeed. He believes success is best judged by how we enhance the lives of others.
Throughout his career, he’s championed diversity, equity and inclusion in both higher education and the workplace. He’s developed nationally recognized programs that attract, mentor and retain underrepresented groups in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math.
Chancellor May believes in the positive impact of academia and industry when they partner for the common good. He launched Aggie Square in April 2018 to spur economic growth in Sacramento and help create jobs at a variety of education levels. In November 2019, May and Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg were recognized with a Leadership Award from the Association of University Research Parks for creating a unique partnership for Aggie Square. In 2024, he was named to the Sacramento Business Journal’s Power 100 for his education leadership. He serves as the chair of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council.
In 2015, President Obama honored him with the Presidential Award for Excellence in STEM Mentoring. In 2021, he received the prestigious Lifetime Mentor Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science for demonstrating extraordinary leadership to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in the fields of science and engineering. May was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in September 2018 for his successful diversity efforts and innovations in semiconductor manufacturing. In April 2020, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for “educational and academic leadership.”
In 2021, May was awarded a Lifetime Mentor Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and an honorary doctorate from the Georgia Institute of Technology. In 2023, he won the IEEE Electron Devices Society Education Award. In 2024, he was named to the Georgia Tech College of Engineering Alumni Hall of Fame.
A prominent voice in higher education, May is a Commissioner of the National Council on Competitiveness. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of American Universities, and as a member of the Task Force on Higher Education and Opportunity, the Fulbright Scholar Advisory Board, the board of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and the National Society of Black Engineers National Advisory Board.
His vision as UC Davis’ seventh chancellor is to lead the university to new heights in academic excellence, inclusion, public service and upward mobility for students from all backgrounds.
He previously served as dean of Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering, the largest and most diverse school of its kind in the nation.
Chancellor May earned his master’s and Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science at UC Berkeley. He’s won numerous awards for his research in computer-aided manufacturing of integrated circuits.
He traces his interest in engineering back to his childhood Lego and Erector sets, along with Star Trek and science fiction heroes like Iron Man. He lives in Davis with his wife, LeShelle, a software engineer for CNN.
Quick Speech Intro
Chancellor Gary S. May is a highly engaged leader passionate about helping others succeed. He believes success is best judged by how we enhance the lives of others.
Throughout his career, he’s championed diversity, equity and inclusion in both higher education and the workplace. He developed nationally recognized programs that attract, mentor and retain underrepresented groups in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math. In 2015, President Obama honored him with the Presidential Award for Excellence in STEM Mentoring.
May earned his master’s and Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science at UC Berkeley. He was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2018. In 2020, May was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for “educational and academic leadership.” In 2021, May was awarded a Lifetime Mentor Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and an honorary doctorate from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
A prominent voice in higher education, May is a Commissioner of the Council on Competitiveness and other national committees.
His vision as UC Davis’ seventh chancellor is to lead the university to new heights in academic excellence, inclusion, public service and upward mobility for students from all backgrounds.