Beronda Montgomery

Professor

Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College

Offices, Departments, or Centers: Academic Affairs and Dean of the College , Sexual Respect - Title IX ,

Beronda L. Montgomery joined Grinnell College as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College in July of 2022.

Her scholarly efforts focus on how photosynthetic organisms, plants and bacteria, adapt to changes in their external light environment. Her scholarship extends beyond biology and into studying mentorship and faculty development to develop evidence-based strategies to foster equity and inclusion across higher education.

Montgomery is also a writer (author of Lessons from Plants published in 2021 by Harvard University Press) and science communicator.

Education and Degrees

Montgomery holds a bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis (1994), a M.S. from the University of Central Arkansas (1996), and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis (2001). She completed a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Microbial Biology at Indiana University, Bloomington (2001-2004).