Dr. Lesley-Anne Pittard has been a champion of equity, inclusion, and diversity in higher education for nearly 15 years. In her role as AVP, she will advance the Vice President’s strategic mission by identifying and strengthening key relationships with faculty, staff, and students on campus as well as community organizations, local governments, and civic organizations in ways that make equity, inclusion and diversity commonplace at the UO and beyond. Specifically, she serves as manager for the IDEAL Framework implementation; provides leadership to the Center for Multicultural and Academic Excellence (C.M.A.E.) pipeline and retention programs; supports the Multicultural Center (MCC); and engages with a wide array of community shareholders and civic partners.
Prior to arriving at the UO, Dr. Pittard – a native Virginian – most recently came from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. In her various roles in higher education, she has consistently been poised to align campus efforts and community priorities. Throughout her career, Lesley-Anne has placed a premium on sustainable community engagement and has served on several Boards of Directors to advance research on social problem solving and solicited funding for access and participation initiatives. She is extremely passionate about underserved families, groups, and communities as she believes true diversity, equity, and inclusion can only happen by way of prepared talent pipelines.