North Lenoir grad made her mark in environmental health

Dr. Sheila Pressley. Submitted photo.

I first met Sheila Davidson when she was asked to return to North Lenoir High School to be the keynote speaker for an awards ceremony. The 1985 North Lenoir graduate had distinguished herself in her field – Environmental Studies.

Her interest in the field was doubtless sparked by her involvement with the Health Occupations Students of America. She served as vice president of the statewide HOSA organization. At the national convention, she was elected to serve as a high-school member-at-large of the national board.

In 1989 she earned her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sciences from Western Carolina University. Her outstanding collegiate work drew the attention of the graduate faculty at Tufts University. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences named her as the Tufts Environmental Science and Management Fellow. Later, she studied at the University of Kentucky, earning her Doctorate in Public Health.

Sheila, now Dr. Pressley after she married Mark Pressley on May 25, 1996, joined the faculty of Eastern Kentucky University in 2004. She was named Dean of the College of Health Sciences at EKU in August 2014, a post she held until her untimely passing at age 52 on Jan. 24 of this year.

Pressley had a profound impact on the students she taught and mentored. One spoke about Dr. Pressley’s encouragement and mentoring. Marcella Rocha, 26, from Recife, Brazil, graduated with a sports marketing degree and went back to earn a master’s degree in physical education.

“When I graduated with my undergrad, I was in a situation where I didn’t know what to do, and she sat down with me and told me not to worry. She was always there for me when I felt lost.”

Pressley was always concerned about her students and never stayed out of touch. Rocha said Pressley always reached out to her to make sure everything was going well.

“After I graduated, she didn’t need to help me do anything, but she made sure that I could make connections. She just kept in touch with me and made sure that I was okay.” 

Pressley, an associate professor in EKU’s Department of Environmental Health Science, served as chair of the University’s Faculty Senate, the first African-American to hold that position.

“I found her to be tremendously energetic, always positive, always had a smile, and she had this infectious laugh too,” said Michael Benson, former president of EKU.  He spoke at her memorial service about how their friendship started and grew.

“It really started when she was chair of the faculty senate. We had some difficult issues that we were grappling with, and she and I would meet on a regular basis just like I did with all the chairs of the faculty senate.” Benson said that Pressley was always there for him and they would talk to each other about anything.

Based on her reputation as a mentor, the Summer 2018 edition of the Florida Journal of Environmental Health featured her article on effective mentoring. In 2017 the University of Kentucky honored her with the Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Award. She was an active member of both the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) and the American Academy of Sanitarians. In 2015 the NEHA honored her with the past president award for her leadership in the organization.

“Sheila was a most persuasive and delightful person, full of enthusiasm and verve for the education of students,” said Prof. James J. Balsamo Jr., another NEHA past-president. “I enjoyed her providing real-world discussions of how these students could find their way into the environmental health profession.”

Sheila Davidson Pressley touched the lives of multiplied thousands of people through her service in the health sciences profession.  Perhaps Brian Collins, another NEHA past-president, best captured her contributions when he said:

“Dr. Pressley’s exuberance and commitment to environmental health created a nexus between theory and practice that transcended two generations. Her character, vision, leadership, and participation as a role model and mentor will influence generations to come.”

Mike Parker is a columnist for Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.