Dr. Fran Pestello is the first first lady of Saint Louis University. She brings decades of academic experience and a passion for higher education to the role.
Dr. Fran Pestello supports the work of SLU’s Office of the President, often by hosting events for students, staff, faculty, and community constituents at the president’s residence in the Central West End. She serves as a board member of the SLU Women’s Commission. She also is on the board of the International Institute of St. Louis.
As an adjunct professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at SLU, Dr. Fran Pestello teaches introductory courses and an upper-division course related to her research specialization in deviant behavior.
Prior to moving to St. Louis, she served as a professor of sociology at Le Moyne College. She was also department chair and professor of sociology at The University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. Her research interests include deviance, law, crime and delinquency, methods and statistics, social psychology, and family.
Dr. Fran Pestello grew up in a family that placed a high value on education. She received a bachelor's degree in sociology from the College of Wooster. Her experience there ignited a lifelong love of higher learning. She ultimately pursued graduate study at the University of Akron, where she earned her Ph.D.