Dr. Lesia L. Crumpton-Young is the 13th President of Texas Southern University (TSU). During the span of her three-decade career in academia, President Dr. Crumpton-Young has been recognized for her transformational leadership skills and excellent record of working with teams to achieve unprecedented success at an accelerated pace. She is passionate about advancing research as well as economic and community development, and ensuring student academic, professional, and personal success.
President Dr. Crumpton-Young’s academic career began at Texas A&M University, where she earned B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Industrial Engineering. President Dr. Crumpton-Young holds the distinction of being the first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in Engineering from Texas A&M and is and one of the first African-American women in the United States to reach the rank of Full Professor in Engineering. President Dr. Crumpton-Young also earned an M.B.A. from Tennessee State University.
Before rising to President of TSU, Dr. Crumpton-Young excelled in several leadership capacities, most recently as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs for Morgan State University. Dr. Crumpton-Young’s tenure at Morgan State was highlighted by significant increases in research funding as well as the development of new, forward-thinking degree programs. Dr. Crumpton-Young also served as Vice President for Research and Institutional Advancement at Tennessee State University, where her service resulted in over $225M in research awards over a four-year period, as well as meaningful improvements in Tennessee State’s national research ranking.
Additionally, Dr. Crumpton-Young orchestrated a $450M initiative at Tennessee State to create a 90-acre research and innovation mixed-use district. As Program Director at the National Science Foundation, Dr. Crumpton-Young managed an annual portfolio of $90M in research funding and diversified the portfolios of supported universities. Dr. Crumpton-Young also served as Associate Provost at Texas A&M University, Associate Dean of Engineering at Mississippi State University, and Professor and Chair of the Industrial Engineering and Management Systems Department at the University of Central Florida, prioritizing research excellence at every step.
A lifelong learner, President Dr. Crumpton-Young continues to study, research, and publish in her areas of expertise. President Dr. Crumpton-Young has published over 100 scholarly articles, exploring topics such as human-factors engineering, human systems modeling, and production engineering. President Dr. Crumpton-Young has served as Principal Investigator on numerous innovative research initiatives supported by agencies including the National Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research, NASA, and Department of Education.
President Dr. Crumpton-Young’s achievements have been well-recognized by her peers, as evidenced by her myriad awards and honors. Dr. Crumpton-Young is the recipient of the US Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring from President Obama, the Janice A. Lumpkin, Educator of the Year Golden Torch Award from the National Society of Black Engineers, the CAREER Development Award from the National Science Foundation, and the Black Engineer of the Year Education Award, to name a few. President Dr. Crumpton-Young also serves on several national advisory boards focused on increasing the number of underrepresented students successfully completing STEM degrees. President Dr. Crumpton-Young is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Beta Gamma Sigma, Alpha Kappa Mu, and Golden Key International honor societies.
President Dr. Crumpton-Young has enjoyed over 30 years of marriage to Mr. Reginald Young, and is the mother of two beautiful daughters, Mattlyn, age 23, a Biology/Pre-Med graduate from Hampton University currently pursuing a master’s degree in Integrated Science at Morgan State University, and Ashlee, age 21, a senior Psychology major at Prairie View A&M University.