Richard Lee Watkins III

Richard Lee Watkins III (born February 19, 1985) is an American scientist, politician, community organizer, academic and entrepreneur. Watkins was born in 1985 in Tyler, Texas and was raised in Greensboro, North Carolina. Watkins graduated from Fayetteville State University in 2007 and began his studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Medicine in 2009. After earning his PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he founded The Science Policy Action Network, Inc. (SPAN), where he serves as the organization's chief executive officer.
Early life and education
Richard Lee Watkins III was born on February 19, 1985, at Mother Francis Hospital in Tyler, Texas to mother, Pamela Payne Watkins, and father, Richard Lee Watkins Jr. Watkins' father worked as a faculty instructor and sports coach at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and his mother, Pamela, worked as a social worker for the Guilford County Department of Social Services. 
Watkins was recruited to play football at Fayetteville State University, where he also earned a full academic scholarship as a Chancellor's Scholar. He majored in psychology and was inducted into the Psychological Honors Society, Psi Chi, where he became the university's chapter vice president. Watkins graduated with honors from Fayetteville State University in 2007, receiving a B.S. degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. While at UNC, he served in the Graduate and Professional Student Federation (GPSF).
Watkins married Charity Watkins at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, North Carolina on October 5, 2014. Watkins and Charity Watkins met during his time in graduate school at UNC-Chapel Hill. Watkins' mother, Pamela Payne Watkins, was diagnosed with cancer in 2011 and passed away in 2016. Two weeks following her death, Watkins' wife gave birth to their daughter, Margeaux.
Research
Watkins' graduate studies at UNC led him into the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Watkins worked under the guidance of Victor Garcia, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases.
Watkins' research earned him the National Institutes of Health's Virology Training Grant. In addition, Watkins was inducted into Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society in 2014. In 2015, Watkins would become president of UNC's chapter of Sigma Xi. As a post-doctoral fellow, Watkins was elected to serve as the associate director of the Doctoral Research Constituency within the Sigma Xi's national governance structure, and then director of the South Eastern Region on Sigma Xi's board of directors.     
Policy
While in graduate school, Watkins played a key role in the development of the university-recognized student organization, The Science Policy Advocacy Group, a group that to this day, provides science students an opportunity to engage in science policy and advocacy.
Watkins founded 501(c)(3), The Science Policy Action Network, Inc. (SPAN) in 2015, an organization in the State of North Carolina, which focuses on strengthening the relationship between science and society through enhancing science education, advocacy and outreach, for the benefit of the people of North Carolina. in Durham, North Carolina. That year, Watkins was also elected to serve on Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honors Society's board of directors.

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