An attorney with more than a decade of experience with gender discrimination and violence is the new full-time Title IX Coordinator at Emporia State University. Jennifer Ananda, currently deputy Title IX coordinator and policy specialist at The University of Kansas assumes her new role on Nov. 5.
“We took advantage of our vacancy to determine the most important attributes for this position,” said Kevin Johnson, ESU’s general counsel. “We recognized, first of all, that we wanted a full-time position so that Title IX work would not compete with other priorities.”
Also important, Johnson said, was a legal background and thorough knowledge of Title IX.
“We are very pleased that we were able to find all of that in Jennifer Ananda,” Johnson concluded.
Ananda earned three degrees from KU — a bachelor’s in film and English creative writing and both a master’s in social work and her law degree in May 2010. Before her current job as deputy Title IX coordinator, Ananda worked for the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence.
Her new role at ESU, which will be housed in the Office of the General Counsel, includes overseeing the university’s Title IX policies; educating and training faculty, staff and students about Title IX, mandatory reporting and discrimination; and investigating Title IX allegations.
“My work in the field of sexual and domestic violence has involved doing direct representation and litigation to training on and investigating allegations of discrimination and harassment on campus,” Ananda said. “I have a consistent professional track record of listening and collaborating with others to reach equitable and satisfactory solutions to individualized issues and systems or policy change. I’m excited to bring my knowledge and skills to Emporia State.”