Stroud named distinguished alumnus

Sid Stroud was named 2018 Distinguished Alumnus of Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture during the college’s annual scholarship banquet held this month.

Stroud graduated with a Bachelor of Science in forestry from SFA in 1978, and has served in a wide array of research, environmental and regulatory positions in his nearly 44 years with Luminant, a subsidiary of Vistra Energy and the largest coal mining operation in Texas.

Currently, Stroud serves as Luminant’s director of environmental mining. As director, Stroud is responsible for land, air, water and waste permitting, as well as compliance, reporting, regulatory development and risk management in support of the company’s surface coal mining activities that produce over 20 million tons of coal annually.

Stroud works closely with agencies such as the Railroad Commission of Texas, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Federal Office of Surface Mining, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to ensure environmental safety and land reclamation. He is also a member of several industry-related associations such as the Texas Forestry Association, Society of American Foresters and the National Mining Association and has served on various industry and regulatory technical committees regarding mine reclamation, reforestation and coal combustion products.  Stroud has been active in the Texas Mining and Reclamation Association since the 1980s, holding multiple leadership roles in the organization. He is a member of advisory councils for SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture and the University of Texas at Arlington’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

For the last ten years, Stroud has chaired Luminant’s unique Environmental Research Program, which, since 1971, has provided over $5 million in research funding for the completion of 110 graduate student theses and dissertations from various Texas universities, including 25 studies from SFA students. In 2017, SFA's Board of Regents recognized Luminant for the company's contributions to environmental education and the advancement of research, scholarship, and student and faculty member development at SFA for nearly 50 years.

Sid and his wife Jill have three children and live in Allen, Texas.