Throughout his career in industry, Eric Lussier (BS/ISE, ’96; MS/EM, ‘03) would return to the University of Tennessee campus to speak with classes in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering.

Lussier would tell students about his work and how he helped transform companies across the globe for more than three decades by building and leading operational excellence systems. Lussier enjoyed figuring out how ways to motivate the students and encouraging them to pursue their goals.

As his career evolved, Lussier became increasingly intentional about ways to give back to his profession and the university. What began as guest lectures and an advisory board service evolved into a calling to teach full time. Lussier’s path at UT has now come full circle as he was recently named a professor of practice in ISE. He believes the role allows him to multiply his impact—preparing students not just to solve problems, but to lead transformation.

“You can define success in different ways,” Lussier said. “For me, success now means having the opportunity to shepherd young minds and help shape engineers who will lead in industry. In this role, I can disseminate knowledge and help train the next generation to be strong problem solvers and practical engineers with rock solid fundamentals.”

Lussier officially joined the UT faculty in January and is teaching two courses in the spring semester—IE 202 (Work Measurement and Introduction to Manufacturing Processes) and IE 405 (Engineering Economic Analysis). While joining the faculty full time, Lussier continues to serve in an advisory capacity to industry partners, maintaining an active engagement with private equity firms and operating companies to help enhance his classroom teaching.

“I have tremendous respect for the research mission of the college of engineering, but the professors who had a major impact on me were the ones who worked in industry, translated it into practical and then helped me with that,” Lussier said. “Research advances the field, but students also need faculty who have lived it–who can translate theory into the messy, practical realities of operations. My goal is to help them connect engineering fundamentals to real-world execution.”

Thirst for knowledge

Lussier, whose wife was an elementary school teacher, has always been a self-described lifelong learner. He tries to read a book a week on various topics and genres, tracking his reading intentionally to identify gaps and challenge his own thinking.

“Engineers should be technically rigorous,” Lussier said, “but also intellectually curious.”

Before joining the ISE faculty, Lussier spent six years as a principal at the consulting company NEXT LEVEL Partners, where he worked with some of the largest companies in the world. Prior to that, he spent 12 years in private equity with the company Steel Partners Holdings and 10 years in the automotive division of Sequa Corporation.

Much of Lussier’s work centered on building durable business systems rooted in Lean principles, emphasizing disciplined problem solving, respect for people, and continuous improvement. He has also written and spoken extensively on leadership, operational excellence, and the responsible integration of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence in modern industry.

Throughout his professional career, Lussier maintained a close affinity with UT. He’s been a member of the ISE Industry Advisor Board for 25 years.

“I was always trying to help be supportive of the department, because I see myself as a Vol for Life and an ambassador for Tennessee engineering everywhere I go. I’ve always embraced that,” Lussier said. “Even in podcasts, interviews, and presentations, I aways kind of jokingly refer to my Tennessee roots. But it’s very meaningful and intentional, because I’m proud of University of Tennessee.”

The launching point of Lussier’s career in industry came while serving a co-op assignment at AlliedSignal during his undergraduate studies.

“I have a huge passion for professional practice. I think it’s critical. Every engineering student I talked to, I tell them, ‘You need to do a co-op, or you need to be an intern’” he said. “I came to UT and recruited interns for my company to put them in different operating companies when I was in private equity.”

Tennessee born and raised

Lussier grew up in Bristol, Tennessee and played basketball for legendary head coach Dickie Warren at Sullivan Central.

“I had tremendous respect for him,” Lussier said. “He still wakes me up in the middle of the night yelling at me sometimes. But I learned teamwork from playing basketball.”

Lussier met his wife at UT, where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. Their oldest son is working on his PhD at UT in biomedical nutrition, and their youngest son is studying business at nearby Carson Newman University.

The family resides in Corryton, Tennessee on a five-acre hobby farm with goats, chickens, and Australian shepherds

“Part of the reason for having a farm is I wanted to teach my sons about work ethic,” Lussier said. “There’s nothing more therapeutic than busting ice on a cold winter day.”

Much like the wisdom he’s passed down to his sons, Lussier views his position at UT with the same sincerity. He enjoys seeing the “light bulb” go off when they understand what they are learning and trust Lussier enough to ask for assistance or advice.

“I want to help shape their thinking, help influence them, and take some of the lessons I learned and help them apply it,” he said. “There’s no mistakes in life. There are only lessons to be learned.”

Contact

Rhiannon Potkey ([email protected])