Harriot College Alumni Profile: Emily Yeager
ECU 2023 “40 Under Forty” Leadership Recipient
Dr. Emily Pauline Yeager (B.S. Geology ’12; M.S. Sustainable Tourism ’14), who resides in Greenville, NC, is one of ECU’s 2023 “40 Under Forty” Leadership Awardees and a Harriot College alumnus.
“As a double Pirate, I always knew that I wanted to return to Eastern North Carolina to give back to a community that had given so much to me in the early years of adulthood,” Yeager said. “This recognition signals that what I am hoping to give back is valuable to ENC. Everyone in the field is very accomplished and good company to be in.”
Yeager’s #HarriotCollegeMajor is helping her #MakeAMajorDifference in the lives of current ECU Pirates. She is an assistant professor for ECU’s College of Health and Human Performance in the Department of Recreation Sciences.
Yeager conducts research and teaches about sustainable community development, with a focus on tourism and recreation. She said she enjoys helping students realize their full potential and helping equip communities with the tools to build capacity for their own sustainable development.
As a student at ECU, and specifically serving as a resident advisor for three years, Yeager said ECU prepared her for her professional career.
“I accumulated invaluable experiences and knowledge of student challenges and opportunities, particularly for undergraduates,” she said. “This experience inspires my combined teaching approach of compassion and high expectations for my students. In short, I acknowledge their human experience, while also creating a learning environment that challenges them to reach their full potential personally and academically.”
When not inspiring the next generation, Yeager expresses herself creatively. She said that few people know she has produced an album on iTunes – the contract has since expired – but she owns the copyright to the album.
Connect with Yeager on LinkedIn.
Read more about ECU’s “40 Under Forty” awards. The awards will transition to a biennial celebration, with the next iteration honoring the recipients of 2025.