Yvette E. Pearson is recognized globally for 25 years of contributions to engineering education and research. A fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), her mission is to inspire, impel, and institutionalize change towards ubiquitous inclusion (UI) so that it becomes a universal standard of engineering education and practice. Founder and Lead Consultant of The Pearson Evaluation and Education Research Group (The PEER Group) and an Associate Dean in the Brown School of Engineering at Rice University, Dr. Pearson has led teams to acquire and administer roughly $6.4M in funding to support projects designed to ensure full participation of persons from traditionally marginalized identities in engineering education. Through workshops and personal consulting, Dr. Pearson's clients and workshop attendees have secured over $10M in funding to support their initiatives.
Dr. Pearson is the Inaugural Chair of Members of Society Advancing an Inclusive Culture (MOSAIC), ASCE's Board-level advisory council on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). In her previous role as Vice Chair of ASCE's Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, she was part of the team that led initial efforts to include DEI in ASCE's Code of Ethics. Among her numerous awards and honors are ABET's Claire L. Felbinger Award for Diversity and Inclusion, ASCE's Professional Practice Ethics and Leadership Award, and the University of Texas Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award. Dr. Pearson hosts Engineering Change Podcast, which is focused on overcoming barriers to DEI in engineering education. She is a registered Professional Engineer, has served seven years as a Program Evaluator for the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET and was appointed to join the EAC as a Commissioner, effective July 2020.
