Luster-Teasley Named N.C. A&T Interim Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Sept. 2, 2020) – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University announced Stephanie Luster-Teasley ‘ 96, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, has been chosen to serve as the university’s interim vice provost for undergraduate education.

“Dr. Luster-Teasley has demonstrated excellence in teaching, research and service,” said Tonya Smith-Jackson, senior vice provost for academic affairs. “Over the last 15 years, she has been driven by a deep commitment and care for her students and lauded for bringing the excitement of real-world, hands-on experience into all of her engineering courses and mentoring activities.”

Luster-Teasley’s research accomplishments include receiving patents from the United States, Great Britain and Canada for development of a controlled-release chemical oxidation polymer system for remediation of water and wastewater. She is the first African-American woman and first faculty member at A&T to receive international patents. Her technology was licensed in 2017 by a company to market nationally as an emerging remediation method for groundwater and soil contamination.

Luster-Teasley’s research has been funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and others. Overall, her research and professional development grants have yielded more than $7.5 million in funding.

Honors bestowed upon Luster-Teasley include the 2005 National Women of Color in Technology Educational Leadership Award, the 2013 UNC Board of Governors Teaching Excellence Award, the DuPont Minorities in Engineering Award at the National American Society for Engineering Education in 2014 and the Black Engineer of the Year Innovation Award in 2018. This year alone, she received the ASEE Environmental Service Award and Michigan State University Civil and Environmental Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award.

After earning her B.S. in chemical engineering at A&T, she earned an M.S. in chemical engineering and Ph.D. in environmental engineering, both from Michigan State. She returned to A&T in 2004 after working in private industry as an environmental engineer. Her research interests include environmental remediation, water sustainability and engineering education.

Luster-Teasley’s connection to the university continues through her two sons: Edward Teasley II, who recently completed his B.S. in computer science degree at A&T, and William Teasley, who is studying industrial engineering at A&T.

Her appointment as interim vice provost is effective immediately.