There is a great woman behind the Women’s Center whose story hasn’t been told yet.
Dr. LaFleur is a history professor at the University of Tennessee at Martin and runs the Center for Women and Gender Equality. She knew that she wanted to become a history teacher at a young age because of a popular show called Little House on the Prairie. After seeing the show, she discovered that there was a book series based on real-life experiences and picked them up.
Upon reading the book series, she said that she felt what it was like to be sucked into the past and her love for history only grew from there. When she began college, she already knew that she was going to major in history and planned to take law.
When she took a history class, she saw what being a history professor entailed and knew that it would be the job for her. LaFleur said, “When I saw it, I knew it was what I needed to do.”
When asked what her favorite thing about her job is, she replied, “I like that I have the opportunity to innovate and bring programs to campus that weren’t here before. I developed safe zone training because I saw that faculty and staff needed education about the realm of LGBTQ.”
She aimed to include LGBTQ students in the Women’s Center as well and had the name changed to The Center for Women and Gender Equality to include them.
She has always been passionate about women’s issues and she already knew about the Women’s Center when she was doing her interview with the Dean of the humanities college. LaFleur said, “My goal is to one day be the director of the center. When Dr. Collard is done with it, I want it.”
When the opportunity came, she took it. She has been the director of the Women’s Center for seven years.
When asked about her favorite part of running the center, her answer was short and sweet. She loves the students that she has the chance to interact with. The entire time she spoke about her love for the students, her smile lit up her entire face.
She said, “I like that I actually get to help students. Teaching is one thing, but here, I get to help students in a different way. It’s far more personal.”
Dr. Lafleur is a major part of student life as the director of the Women’s Center. Not only do the students that attend enjoy her company and events but also her student workers.
Tori Hales, a student worker for the center, said, “Dr. Lafleur is an icon. She’s definitely a role model for me. She runs the center, is a history professor, she’s super smart and a raging feminist which I love. I also see her as a mom figure in a way to everyone. She’s the community mom.”
In addition to her time with the university, she spends her time outside of it engaged in hobbies. She loves building things with Legos and reading when she can. She also tends a vegetable and flower garden. Along with her love for Legos, she took to hosting an event every year called the Everyone is Awesome Banquet.
Dr. Lafleur has made a positive impact on the students around her and is continuing to bring big ideas to not only the center but the campus around her. She made an environment for students to feel safe and wanted.
She said, “I want people to remember that I care. That I created a place where students know that they matter and belong. That’s what I want to be remembered for.”
