Carolyn Kornfeld Lesorogol, a professor for 20 years at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, died Thursday, May 17, 2023, of cancer. She was 58.
Lesorogol grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Frontenac. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in social studies. She completed master’s degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1991, and Washington University in 2000. In 2002, she earned a doctorate in anthropology from Washington University.
Lesorogol joined the faculty of the Brown School in 2003, concurrently serving as an adjunct in anthropology in Arts & Sciences at WashU. She was named a professor at the Brown School in 2016. From 2014 to 2020, Lesorogol served as associate dean for global strategy and programs, leading the Brown School’s development of global initiatives and educational programs.
“Carolyn was a brilliant, remarkable human being with an unwavering commitment to her students, global research and the communities she lived in and worked with in Kenya. From the first to her last days at the Brown School, she was deeply engaged and incredibly thoughtful. She has made an indelible and lasting impact on the Brown School, her colleagues and former students,” said Tonya Edmond, interim co-dean. “I will miss her terribly, but we will cherish her memory as a champion of international development and an irreplaceable member of the Brown School family.”
In honor of Lesorogol’s remarkable contributions to academia, her colleagues and friends have established The Carolyn Lesorogol Global Student Endowed Scholarship.
Read the full obituary on the Brown School website.