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CLS Fellows

Center for Louisiana Studies Fellows are recognized scholars of Louisiana Studies who serve five-year terms working in close affiliation with the Center. During their five-year tenure, fellows deliver one invited lecture on their scholarship at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. They also serve in an advisory capacity with respect to the Center's operations and strategic direction, and as ambassadors for the Center's work. Every five years, current fellows serve as the programming committee for a Louisiana Studies conference held in Lafayette, La., and explore an emerging topic in the field.  

In January 2026, CLS Director Dr. Joshua Caffery announced the appointment of 5 new fellows, who will serve until Winter 2030: 

  • Hali Dardar is an artist, archivist, and researcher whose work engages Indigenous Gulf South culture, language reclamation, and community-centered archival practice. She works at the intersection of archives, new media, and public humanities.


     
  • Dr. Boisy Gene Pitre is a computer scientist whose research focuses on embedded systems and software engineering, with a growing emphasis on applying computational methods to the study and preservation of Louisiana culture and archives.


     
  • Dr. Mark Rees is a professor of anthropology and a leading archaeologist of Louisiana and the Lower Mississippi Valley. His research has played a central role in shaping archaeological scholarship, public archaeology, and cultural resource work in the state.


     
  • Dr. Deborah Clifton is a linguist and scholar who has contributed to the preservation and documentation of the Louisiana Creole language. She currently serves as the Collections Manager for the UL Lafayette Science Museum, where she oversees the stewardship of institutional holdings. Her professional identity as an Archives Librarian includes specialized expertise in medical, scientific, and ethnographic museum collections.

  • Dr. Sara Le Menestrel is a cultural anthropologist whose internationally recognized research has examined music, disasters, and cultural circulation in Louisianaa and the Francophone world.

RECENT FELLOWS

Outgoing class of 2021-2020 CLS Fellows:

  • Dr. Andy Horowitz, Department of History, University of Connecticut
  • Dr. Nathan Rabalais, Department of Modern Language, UL Lafayette
  • Dr. Clint Bruce, Université Sainte Anne
  • Dr. Jeffery Darensbourg, Independent scholar
  • Dr. Phebe Hayes, UL Lafayette (emeritus)

Other Recent Fellows:

  • Dr. Mark DeWitt, Dr. Tommy Comeaux Endowed Chair (emeritus) in Traditional Music, UL Lafayette
  • Dr. Liz Skilton, Blanco Center, UL Lafayette
  • Dr. Shane Bernard, McIlhenny Company & Avery Island, Inc. Archives
  • Dr. C. Ray Brassieur, Dept. of Anthropology and Sociology, UL Lafayette
  • Dr. Pearson Cross, Dept. of Political Science, UL Lafayette
  • Dr. JoAnne DeRouen, Dept. of Anthropology and Sociology, UL Lafayette
  • Dr. Mark Rees, Dept. of Anthropology and Sociology, UL Lafayette

Lifetime CLS Fellows

CLS Emeritus Fellows

  • Dr. Mathé Allain
  • Dr. Barry Ancelet
  • Dr. Vaughan Baker
  • Dr. David Barry
  • Dr. Carl Brasseaux
  • Dr. Marcia Gaudet

If you would like to contact any of the Lifetime CLS Fellows, email us at cls@louisiana.edu.