Fairfield University is pleased to announce the following leadership appointments for Fairfield Bellarmine, opening in the Fall of 2023 in Bridgeport, Conn.

Additional appointments will be forthcoming.

• Rev. Kevin O'Brien, S.J., serves as vice-provost and executive director of Fairfield Bellarmine. In addition to his work in Jesuit higher education, Fr. O’Brien has enjoyed a long association with the Jesuit Refugee Service, which assists migrants and refugees across the world. He currently serves on the board of Catholic Charities of Fairfield County.
• Nakia Letang is the Fairfield Bellarmine director of admission. Letang has been with Fairfield University for 17 years, most recently in the Office of Admission as leader of the University’s multicultural affairs recruitment initiatives. She serves the Bridgeport community through her family's extensive church involvement, rooted in the East End for more than 60 years.
• Pejay Lucky has been appointed assistant dean of student success for Fairfield Bellarmine. A former associate director of residence life, Lucky most recently served as Fairfield’s director of student diversity and multicultural affairs. He is a Bridgeport native and has been a key contributor to the University’s inclusive excellence initiatives.
• Anissa DeMatteo '90, serves as director of development for Fairfield Bellarmine. DeMatteo has led fundraising efforts for the Fairfield Awards Dinner, an annual benefit for the Alumni Multicultural Scholarship Fund, since 2017.
• Wendy Mendes is Fairfield Bellarmine’s director of student well-being. A Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), she joined Fairfield University in October 2022. Mendes is a nationally board-certified counselor with a certificate in clinical anxiety treatment. 

Bellarmine Campus will be located in the East End of Bridgeport, Conn. on the site of the former St. Ambrose Parish. The Fairfield Bellarmine program is a part of the University’s partnership with the Diocese of Bridgeport, “Pathways to Higher Learning,” and will serve students in the Greater Bridgeport community. 

Fairfield Bellarmine's two-year associate's degree program will be grounded in the liberal arts and in the Jesuit tradition of caring for the whole person, with focus on professional preparation and enhanced academic support for talented, traditionally under-represented students. 

Fairfield University is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), and the Bellarmine program is currently under accreditation review by NECHE. NECHE is an institutional accreditor and promotes educational excellence and quality assurance to its member institutions. The Commission is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a reliable authority on the quality of education for the institutions it accredits.

For more information about Fairfield Bellarmine, visit fairfield.edu/bellarmine.