Dr. Ronni Sanlo (M.Ed. '89, Ed.D. '96)
Dr. Ronni Sanlo is the director emeritus of the UCLA Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Center and frequent keynote speaker and consultant on LGBT issues in higher education. Dr. Sanlo earned both her master’s in education in 1989 and her doctorate in education in 1996 from the University of North Florida.
“My career as a professor and student affairs director could not have happened without UNF," Sanlo said. "My masters and doctoral program at UNF fully and professionally prepared me to work first at the University of Michigan and then UCLA.”
While attending UNF for her master’s degree, Sanlo worked full time for the Florida Health Department as an HIV epidemiologist. She moved from Jacksonville in 1995 to the University of Michigan, where she worked as the Director of the LGBT Center. It was at UM that Sanlo designed the first Lavender Graduation, a celebration of the lives and achievements of graduating LGBT college students, which had three graduates that year. Now, more than 200 colleges and universities offer Lavender Graduation ceremonies for their students, including UNF.
“UNF to me means outstanding education, courageous faculty and progressive courses," Sanlo said. "It is truly an honor to be a UNF alumna.”
Sanlo retired from UCLA in 2010. Now, she spends her time writing plays and novels, some of which are on LGBTQ+ history. Some of her post-retirement publications include "The Purple Golf Cart: The Misadventures of a Lesbian Grandma" and "The Soldier, the Avatar, and the Holocaust." Sanlo still stays connected to UNF through the LGBT Center offering mentorships and donating monthly.