Rhode Island MESA

Dr. Christopher D. Hunter

Director, Rhode Island MESA
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Dr. Christopher D. Hunter is an award-winning STEM educator, who has over 25 years of experience in academia, serving primarily as faculty in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Rhode Island. He has also enjoyed experiences serving as Associate Director of the Honors Program, Interim Associate Dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies, and as an Interim Dean of University College for Academic Success. He also had short stints in industry working for the Georgia Department of Transportation and with the Harding Lawson Consulting Engineering Firm in their Bellevue, WA office. He recently served on the Board of Directors for five years for the Rhode Island Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers, serving as president during his last year.

He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics from Morehouse College and his Master’s and Ph.D. Degrees from the University of Washington, where he focused on Transportation Engineering, while studying in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering. He has been a committed transportation engineering specialist bringing forth knowledge from a transportation planning, traffic engineering, traffic systems operations, and public transportation systems background.  He teaches courses on transportation engineering, intelligent transportation systems, traffic systems operations, and foundations in engineering. His research interests have been associated with traffic system operations, traffic safety, transportation sustainability, and engineering education.

He has been adept in creating and modifying curriculum and working with students as an advisor and mentor to prepare them for personal and professional success in a competitive society. Since his days in graduate school, he has been dedicated to outreach in exposing and encouraging students of color to STEM opportunities through various work with the National Society of Black Engineers and the AASHTO-based Transportation Careers in Civil Engineering (TRAC) program, which was dedicated to going into high schools with science and math-based investigations that linked to engineering activities associated with department of transportation work. He also serves on the Board as President of Global Science and Envirotech in Rhode Island, which is dedicated to exposing middle and high school students to STEM field through scientific and engineering investigations in the Cranston, RI area. This has also linked into mentoring activities associated with his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, where he still does mentoring work through the local alumni chapter.

He defines himself as a compassionate inclusionist, and he is excited about coming on board as Executive Director of the Rhode Island MESA program, RIMESA. During his stint as Dean of University College, one of his most gratifying hires was that of an Assistant Dean for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Initiatives, and this continues his drive as he looks to work toward the MESA mission, “to provide students underrepresented in STEM fields with the skills, knowledge, and opportunities to develop their talents, explore technology-based careers, enter college, and compete successfully in the workforce”.