Ruthmae Sears, Ph.D. is Associate Professor, and Associate Director for the Coalition for Science Literacy in the College of Education; and lead faculty facilitator for the Inclusive and Equitable Pedagogy program at USF. Her research focuses on curriculum issues and systemic change initiatives in K-20 environments, the development of reasoning and proof skills, clinical experiences in secondary mathematics, and the integration of technology in mathematics teaching and learning. She is the principal investigator for the City of St. Petersburg funded grant, "Examination of the historical and modern-day impact of structural racism on the lives of Black people in the City of St. Petersburg, Florida"; the NSF-IUSE funded collaborative grant, "Attaining Excellence in Secondary Mathematics Clinical Experiences with a Lens on Equity"; and co-principal investigator for the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program and key personnel for the NSF-funded grant, Systemic Transformation of Education through Evidence-Based Reforms (STEER)." Dr. Sears also provides extensive service to the profession and to the community. She is co-chair of the Network of STEM Education Centers (NSEC) Annual Meeting; and the Accelerating Systemic Change Network (ASCN) in STEM Higher Education Working group for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She is also a University of South Florida representative for the Bay View Alliance. Dr. Sears' awards include the 2021 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow, Florida Association of Mathematics Teacher Educator-Mathematics Teacher Educator of the Year; USF Chapter of National Council of Negro Women " Katherine Johnson Mathematics Award; Ronald McDonald House Charities of Mid-Missouri Heroes award; and Organization of American States Fellowship Award, among many others. Additionally, Dr. Sears was selected as an NSF-funded IAspire Leadership Academy Fellow in 2020. She holds undergraduate degrees (A.A. and B.Ed.) from the College of the Bahamas, a master's degree (M.Sc.) from Indiana University, and a doctoral degree (Ph.D.) from University of Missouri- Columbia.