Contact Us

Desiree Anderson, Ph.D.
She/Her/Hers
Associate Dean, Diversity and Student Affairs
Director, Diversity Engagement Center

Desirée Anderson was born in San Diego, California. The child of Naval personnel, she had the pleasure of living in Belgium for 5 years where she also attended High School. Desiree returned to the United States to live in Louisville, Kentucky where she completed both her Bachelors and Masters Degrees from the University of Louisville. Having worked in higher education for over 12 years, Dr. Desirée Anderson has committed her energy to address issues of bias and hate on college and university campuses. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of New Orleans researching The Use of Campus-Based Restorative Justice Practices to Address Incidents of Bias: Facilitators’ Experiences. Before coming to serve as the Associate Dean of Diversity and Student Affairs at the University of New Orleans she worked as the Director of the Intercultural Center at Saint Mary’s College of California and previously held positions as the Associate Director of Multicultural Affairs at Tulane University and as an Area Residence Director at Texas State University. Desirée also serves as a Restorative Justice National Team Trainer for the Center for Restorative Justice at the University of San Diego and is anticipating the release of a book chapter in Colorizing Restorative Justice by Living Justice Press. In her free time, she enjoys reading, singing, dancing, and watching an unnecessary amount of TV.

Matthew Farley
He/Him/His
Doctoral Candidate, Educational Administration
Graduate Assistant, Diversity Engagement Center

Matthew Farley is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of New Orleans. The bulk of his work, both inside and outside the classroom, has focused on PK-12 pedagogy and research with an aim to address systemic inequities for historically marginalized populations. Having interned and worked in a variety of school types and grade levels, Matt has seen the impact of how equitable resources can promote significant student outcomes. He has also worked in Higher Education and would like to advance research concerning equity in the PK-16+ pipeline and its implications for students with disabilities. Matt received a Master of Science in Education in Childhood Special Education from City University of New York-Hunter College and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Williams College. His current research focuses on school finance and how to create equitable policy initiatives for students with disabilities to improve their educational outcomes.

Kiara Julian
She/her/her
Student Administrative Assistant, Diversity Engagement Center

Peer Equity and Resource Educators (PERE)

Alexander Pertuit
He/Him/His
Psychology B.S.
PERE, Diversity Engagement Center

Alexander Pertuit is an alumnus of Benjamin Franklin High School and wants to continue making campuses inclusive for all. Alexander co-founded the Louisiana Trans Advocates chapter on UNO's campus and is a member of multiple student orgs surrounding social justice. Alex's main goal is to be a friendly face that any student can find in the DEC's office.

Lance Sylvester 
He/Him/His
Studio Art
PERE, Diversity Engagement Center

Lance is an aspiring photographer from New Orleans.  He currently serves in the Louisiana Army National Guard. He loves to binge television, including anime. He enjoys dancing in my free time and his favorite color is pink.