Marcus Huggans

Dr. Marcus A. Huggans is a proud native of St. Louis, Missouri, where he was educated in the University City and Lutheran Parochial school systems.

He earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, along with M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri University of Science & Technology). Notably, Dr. Huggans was among the first African American males to receive a Ph.D. in Engineering Management from the university. His dissertation, titled “The Impact of Learning Styles Using Web-based Asynchronous Distance Learning to Enhance Instruction by Electrical Engineering Students,” explored the effectiveness of Internet-based study aids for students with different learning styles. He conducted this research under the mentorship of Dr. Halvard E. Nystrom, Dr. Harvest L. Collier, and Dr. Steve E. Watkins. Dr. Huggans is also an alumnus of the prestigious GEM Fellowship Program.

With over 25 years of experience in the STEM field, Dr. Huggans has worked with several major organizations, including 3M Company, AT&T Bell Laboratories, the U.S. Department of Justice – Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Texas Instruments Inc.

Dr. Huggans also served as the Director of the Student Diversity and Academic Support Program at his alma mater, where he led transformational growth in the recruitment of underrepresented minority students in science and engineering. In 2006, he joined the National GEM Consortium, initially as a Senior Recruiter and Programs Specialist. Today, he serves as GEM’s Executive Director of Client Relations, where he leads national recruitment efforts and designs graduate-level programming to inspire students to pursue advanced degrees in STEM. He is also the primary author of the publications that support GEM’s student programming.

Dr. Huggans has played an instrumental role in securing more than $20 million in grant funding from organizations such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), 3M, Intel, Motorola, and the Simons Foundation to support GEM students and program initiatives. He has served as Finance Chair for IEEE-ITSC and has been appointed to the IEEE-HKN Editorial Committee and Board of Governors as Secretary.

An accomplished speaker, Dr. Huggans is regularly invited to share his insights at conferences, universities, corporations, and national laboratories, often highlighting the critical role of graduate education in STEM.

He currently resides in Dallas, Texas with his wife, Melanie, and their two children, Hannah and Ellis. In his free time, Dr. Huggans is active in his church and enjoys mentoring students at the elementary, high school, and college levels. He is also passionate about financial literacy, particularly in real estate, stock options, and entrepreneurship. He believes strongly in the importance of financial independence, stating: “It’s not the vehicle that makes you financially free — it’s your dedication to it.”

His Motto:
“If there is light in the soul, there will be beauty in the person.
If there is beauty in the person, there will be harmony in the house.
If there is harmony in the house, there will be order in the nation.
If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.”