Lesia L. Crumpton-Young facts for kids

Lesia L. Crumpton-Young is an American engineer and a leader in education. She served as the 13th president of Texas Southern University from 2021 to 2023. Before that, she was a top academic officer at Morgan State University.

Education and Early Career

Lesia Crumpton-Young earned her Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Master of Science (M.S.) degrees from Texas A&M University. She made history there as the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. from the TAMU College of Engineering. Her special skills include using virtual reality and computer simulations to study how people work. She also focused on designing controls and workplaces, and preventing injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome.

Awards and Recognition

Her amazing work led to many honors. U.S. President Bill Clinton nominated her for a special fellowship from the National Science Foundation. She won the Black Engineer of the Year Educational Award in 1997. In 1999, she received the Janice A. Lumpkin Educator of the Year Golden Torch Award from the National Society of Black Engineers. Later, U.S. President Barack Obama gave her the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. This award recognized her efforts to guide and inspire young people in science and engineering.

Leadership in Universities

Lesia Crumpton-Young has held many important roles at different universities.

Mississippi State University

In 2000, she became the associate dean of research outreach at the Mississippi State University (MSU) College of Engineering. While at MSU, she helped create a program focused on ergonomics and human factors. This program studied how to make tools and environments fit people better.

Roles at Other Universities

She also worked at Texas A&M University as an associate provost. A provost is a senior leader who helps manage academic programs. She also served as a program director at the National Science Foundation, which supports scientific research. Later, she was a department head and professor of industrial engineering at the University of Central Florida. She then became the vice president of research at Tennessee State University.

Morgan State and Texas Southern

Before becoming a university president, Crumpton-Young was the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Morgan State University. In 2019, she became the chief academic officer there. In June 2021, she was chosen to be the 13th president of Texas Southern University. She retired from this role in June 2023.

Personal Life

Lesia Crumpton-Young is married to Reginald R. Young. They have two daughters.