Academic Leadership
Allyson L. Watson, Ph.D.
Allyson Leggett Watson, Ph.D. became FAMU's provost and vice president of academic affairs on July 1, 2023 after serving in the interim role for a year. Before her appointment, she was serving as the dean of the FAMU College of Education where she holds an academic appointment as a tenured professor and graduate faculty member.
The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs serves as the university's chief academic officer. Provost Watson oversees faculty and academic programs that position the university as a leader in higher education. Her leadership team encompasses student success, faculty affairs, centers and institutes, FAMU Online, graduate and international education, and institutional program quality.
She also oversees 14 colleges and schools located on the main campus in Tallahassee, Florida, at the College of Law in Orlando, and at several satellite campuses throughout the state.
Prior to joining FAMU, Provost Watson served as the interim chief academic officer and dean at USF St. Petersburg and at Northeastern State University as assistant dean and the first named endowed chair. She has served as the assistant director at the University of Oklahoma-Center for Educational & Community Renewal (now K-20 Center). Her educational career and experience also includes teaching 1st-8th grade in urban areas.
Provost Watson's research focuses on STEM education, urban education, faculty of color in higher education, and school and university partnerships. In 2010, Dr. Watson founded the Teaching & Urban Reform Network (TURN), a program that prepares pre-service urban education teachers and encourages effective pedagogical practices. This work has served as a platform for successfully acquiring more than $20 million dollars in federal and private grants combined, research presentations, and numerous research manuscripts and publications.
Her extensive teaching experience includes courses in educational research, advanced educational measurements and statistics, public school relations, and instructional strategies.
In 2024, the FAMU College of Education named Provost Watson Distinguished Educator and Administrator. Girls, Incorporated named her STEM Woman of the Year in 2018. In 2015, she coordinated a team of educators from across the United States to help establish the first-ever robotics lab for girls in north Haiti. This sustainable work has empowered girls and women in STEM to participate in international competitions for the first time like the VEX World Championship Robotics Competition.
Provost Watson is a Pinnacle of Women of the Year awardee (2014) from the Mayor's Commission on the Status of Women, a recipient of the "40 under 40" Most Influential People in Oklahoma award from Oklahoma Magazine, and the recipient of the College of Education Outstanding Faculty in Service award (2012-2013) from Nova Southeastern University.
- University of Oklahoma | Educational Administration, Curriculum, and Supervision (Ph.D. and M.Ed.)
- Bethune-Cookman University | Elementary Education (B.S.)
