Danushi Fernando

Danushi Fernando is the Chief Diversity Officer at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry located in Syracuse, New York. ESF. 
Fernando has over a decade of experience in DEI management in higher education settings, with a passion for human resources and student development through immersive experiential learning, training, hiring and retention programs. Her focus areas are; ally training, antiracism training, BIPOC & LGBTQ+ talent development, Title IX, change management, conflict resolution, and crisis management. As a mental health clinician working predominantly with marginalized communities, her DEI and management work use an intersectional mental health lens centered on social justice.
Fernando is an expert in diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education. She has led DEI programs at Vassar College, Clarkson University and Farley Dickinson University. She holds master's degrees in Clinical and Mental Health Counseling, Creative Writing and Literature for Educators, and Corporate and Organizational Communication.