Leslie Watland currently serves as the Dean of Students and Deputy Title IX Coordinator in the Division of Student Affairs. She previously served as Associate Dean of Students and has been with DePaul University since 2018. As Dean of Students, She supervises the professional staff within the Dean of Students Office, also providing leadership in institutional advocacy and retention initiatives for students, managing the Student Conduct Process and Code of Student Responsibility, and overseeing crises management and emergency protocols involving students.
Leslie has extensive experience in Title IX and Title VI, student involvement, conduct and conflict resolution, case management, crisis management and threat assessment. Leslie’s professional interests include mental health, behavioral intervention, equity and compliance and speech and expression.
Leslie holds a bachelor’s degree in Theatre from Columbia College Chicago, two master’s degrees from DePaul University in Counseling and Education, and a doctorate in Sociology from Loyola University Chicago. In addition to her work in higher education, Leslie is a National Board Certified Counselor holding counseling licensure in the state of Illinois, is a trained mediator through the Center for Conflict Resolution in Chicago and is a nationally recognized scholar practitioner and has served as a Fellow at the National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement.