Dr. Leslie Hafer is the Provost of the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus, Bay Pines STEM Center, Allstate Center, and the Fire Training Center of St. Petersburg College.  She provides leadership and is accountable for essential aspects of campus operations, including efforts to ensure the full range of support programs and services is optimal in helping all students succeed in their academic goals.  Dr. Hafer earned her Ed.D. in Leadership from Valdosta State University and her M.S. in Biology from Georgia College and State University.  Before coming to St. Petersburg College, Dr. Hafer served as a campus executive director with Georgia Military College, where she provided leadership for academic affairs, student affairs, enrollment management, and facility operations.  Dr. Hafer has served as Campus Academic Dean, Department Chairperson for Natural Sciences, and Assistant Professor of Biology during her career in higher education.  Dr. Hafer has extensive experience serving active duty and veteran students, international students, and at-risk students.  Her areas of educational interest include student engagement, student retention, and Leadership.

Her addition to her work at St. Petersburg College, Dr. Hafer is the chair-elect for the Leadership St. Pete Class of 2024 through the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce.  Dr. Hafer serves on several community boards and is a regular conference presenter on the topic of leadership and higher education practices.