Bettye Washington Greene (1935-1995)

Many consider Dr. Bettye Washington Greene the first African-American female chemist employed to work in a professional position. She was born in Texas in 1935, earned her Bachelor’s degree from the Tuskegee Institute in 1955, and earned her Ph.D. at Wayne State University in 1962. She started her working career at the Dow Chemical Company in 1865. Greene worked with latex products. She served as a consultant on polymer issues in the Saran Research Laboratory. The Styrene Butadiene Latex group utilized her expertise, leading to Dr. Greene’s promotion to Senior Research chemist, then in 1975 promoted to Senior Research specialist position. Besides her work in chemistry, she was active in community service and was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., a national service group for African-American women.