Director
Sachelle Ford (she/her) is the founding director of DukeLIFE, where she leads office’s initiatives and partners with colleagues across Duke to support first-generation and lower-income students in thriving both academically and personally as they pursue their most ambitious goals. In DukeLIFE's early years, she established many of the office's core programs, including the loaner laptop program, STEM Tutoring, course materials assistance, emergency funding, ASCEND, and the peer mentor program, which are now sustained and strengthened by an incredible team of colleagues.
Prior to her current role, Ford served as a Lecturing Fellow in the Thompson Writing Program, where she taught scholarly writing to first-year students and led interdisciplinary research seminars for sophomores. Her commitment to student development led her to NC State, where she served as Assistant Director and later Interim Director of a major student resource center, the African American Cultural Center. During her tenure, she developed academic programs that connected students with faculty scholarship.
Ford earned her Ph.D. in English from Brown University and holds a B.A. in English from Emory University. A proud first-generation college graduate, she brings a deep personal commitment to the work of DukeLIFE.
Raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Ford now lives in Durham with her family. Outside of work, she enjoys photography, gardening, and beach getaways.