Dr. Ronni Sanlo is the Director Emeritus of the UCLA Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Center and a frequent keynote speaker and consultant on LGBT issues in Higher Education. Now retired, Dr. Sanlo was the Senior Associate Dean of Students and professor/director of the UCLA Masters of Education in Student Affairs and on the higher education faculty at California State University Fullerton. Prior to being recruited by UCLA, Ronni served as the director of the University of Michigan LGBT Center. Prior to a career in higher education, Ronni served as an HIV/AIDS epidemiologist in Florida. She earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Florida, and a masters and doctorate in education from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.
Her consultation, research, and many publications focus on sexual orientation issues in education and higher education. Dr. Sanlo is the founding chair of the Consortium of Higher Education Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Professional, and is the originator of the award-winning Lavender Graduation, a commencement event that celebrates the lives and achievements of graduating LGBT college students.
Ronni lives in Southern California where she continues to research and write and is the owner of Purple Distinctions Writing Retreats and Self-Publishing. Her focus on LGBT history is the foundation for her 2014 documentary Letter to Anita. Ronni’s memoir is The Purple Golf Cart: The Misadventures of a Lesbian Grandma. Ronni is currently working on an historical novel about the last five months of WWII.
http://www.ronnisanlo.com/