Before entering administration she worked as a mechanical engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

Boyd was one of the first five black students to attend Jefferson Davis High School, where she excelled in science and mathematics.

[citation needed] In 1980, Boyd joined the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland.

[4] Her new contract contained a clause granting her right of residency in the president's house, but only if she did not "cohabitate with any person with whom she has a romantic relation", which attracted some public attention.

[5] In November 2016, Boyd's presidency was suspended by the ASU board of trustees, at a meeting which had initially been called to discuss the university's budget.