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JoAnn Silverstein Is a professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. She is a professional engineer, and her work focuses on water and wastewater treatment process analysis.

Silverstein has received numerous awards throughout her career including the Distinguished Engineering Educators award from the Society of Women Engineers and recognitions from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists.

Highlights

• Inspired by parents who worked as civil servants
• Earned BA in psychology from Stanford, engineering degrees from UC Davis
• Started at CU Boulder in 1982
• First female department chair in CEAE
• Advocates for the advancement and equity of women in engineering

She has a unique interdisciplinary education. She received her BA in psychology from Stanford University in 1967. She then went on to receive her BS, MS and PhD degrees in civil engineering from the University of California, Davis in 1977, 1980 and 1982, respectively.

Silverstein has a heart for serving others that was instilled in her by her parents. Her father and mother both worked for the federal government in Washington, D.C., throughout World War II and afterwards. Her father was also the mayor of Falls Town, Virginia. The backdrop of civil rights and community activism led her to pursue a career path in which she could make a positive impact and improve the quality of life at a community scale.

After receiving her psychology degree from Stanford, she worked as a consultant in community development in the San Francisco area for a number of years before returning to school to pursue a career in engineering. While she said she enjoyed working as a consultant, she felt that she could do more to make change. She decided to take a risk and return to school for a second bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.

She found that she had an aptitude for engineering in her classes and her internship at the Department of Water Resources in California. Her colleagues, friends and professors encouraged her to continue studying until she ultimately finished her PhD through a Chancellor’s Fellowship at the University of California, Davis.

Silverstein started a position at CU Boulder in 1982. At the time she was only the fourth female tenure-track faculty member in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at CU Boulder, she said. She has been an advocate for women faculty since she arrived.

“Part of my commitment to diversity is my background,” she said. “Growing up in a family of public servants in the backdrop of the civil and women’s rights movements led me to get involved in equity issues across campus.”  

She served on the Boulder Faculty Assembly women faculty committee and was part of the first campuswide pay equity survey.

Silverstein’s career path has taken her into leadership. After becoming the first female full professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, she was elected as the first female department chair. She now serves as the associate dean for faculty advancement for the college, where she leads the faculty hiring, mentoring, promotion and tenure processes.

Silverstein has broken down many barriers for women in the college through her actions, mentoring and leadership. In reflecting on the changes in the college, she said she is thrilled to see the rise of women students and faculty.

When asked if she could have imagined seeing 45% female students in our first-year class as we are nearing in 2021, she said, “Yes, I could imagine it. We must imagine things before they happen, and it has always been my goal to see it happen. What perhaps surprises me more is the fact that we have grown to 25% female faculty over the course of my career, and they are participating in meaningful leadership positions.”  

Given this much change over Silverstein’s career, she said she is excited about what the future holds for our current class of extraordinary women engineering students.

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