Dr. Dèsa Karye Daniel is an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Denver and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in New Mexico. Her research examines racial and ethnic dynamics in academic spaces, focusing on the experiences of Black and Brown college students. Dr. Daniel highlights the challenges faced by Black womxn in leadership and investigates the effects of stress and racial battle fatigue on BIPOC womxn professionals, emphasizing the psychological impacts of systemic racism. She advocates for a more inclusive multicultural counseling curriculum and critically analyzes college campus responses to protests and the dismantling of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Additionally, she explores student and faculty attitudes toward pro-Palestinian advocacy to understand activism complexities. Dr. Daniel earned her doctorate in counselor education from the University of New Mexico and holds dual master’s degrees from New Mexico State University.
Highlighted Achievements
2023 NBCC Dissertation Award Finalist
2023 National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity’s (NCFDD) CU Denver Faculty Success Program Grant
2022 Center for Social Policy Graduate Fellow
2022 CEE Teaching Conference Sponsorship ($1,000), Palo Alto University
2020 – 2021 Critical Race Scholar Award, University of New Mexico
2020 Helen and Wilson Howard Ivins Memorial Scholarship, University of New Mexico
2020 NBCC Minority Fellow ($20,000) NBCC Minority Fellowship Program for Mental Health Counselors (Doctoral Level). National Board of Certified Counselors.