4D Experience Team

Laura Perille, PhD

Executive Director

Dr. Perille provides strategic leadership for the development and operationalization of the university-wide 4D model and experience centered on holistic learning and development. In this work she draws upon her experience designing and overseeing high-impact, co-curricular programs. 

Previously, she served as associate director of the Center for Research and Fellowships at Georgetown University, where she guided undergraduate students, graduate students and alumni in reflecting on and integrating their learning, deepening their expertise and telling their stories. Prior to Georgetown, she worked as an associate with the Office of National Fellowships and the Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research at the University of New Hampshire. She holds a PhD and AM in history from Brown University, where she was a Peter Green Doctoral Scholar and Brown/Wheaton Faculty Fellow. She has participated in special institutes through the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Folger Shakespeare Library.

Erin K. Anderson-Camenzind, PhD

Director of Faculty Innovation and Professor of Communication Studies

I am the 4D Director of Faculty Innovation and a Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Denver. In my work as an artist/researcher/teacher/leader, I hold space for questions such as: 

How can we cultivate creativity, compassion, community, and well-being in the face of illness, death, and loss? How can art and other embodied practices allow us to resist oppressive structures in the name of moving toward/in freedom? How can we create academic spaces where students, staff, faculty, and administrators experience belonging, courage, trust, purpose, and love?

I take great pride in my academic publications and the awards I’ve received for my research and teaching, but I am proudest of the ways that I have vulnerably shared my life’s greatest losses, and in so doing, inspired my students to do the same in their own scholarship and classrooms. My greatest failures in the academy include, over-committing myself to the point of burnout (several times) and stepping out of my own light out of fear of burning others. Though my work blurs the bounds between my professional and personal life, in my “free time” you can often find me in search of awe—running mountain trails, making art out of words and memories, and serving as a witness to the stories of those suffering the calamities of life—all in the name of answering my life’s call to question “are you alive?” 

Melanie Kasparian

Director of Assessment and Planning

Melanie is a higher education professional whose work centers on building a culture of meaningful assessment to support the learner experience. Her expertise spans assessment strategy, analytics, instructional design, and institutional effectiveness, with a particular focus on helping staff and faculty celebrate their collective impact. 

As part of University of Denver’s signature 4D experience and student affairs, she leads collaborative efforts that strengthens capacity for evidence‑based planning, guiding teams in designing assessment frameworks, aligning outcomes across program, divisional, and institutional levels, and working with students as partners in assessment. With a strong background in Mathematics, Melanie brings advanced analytical skill to evaluating student learning and success. Her work also extends to optimizing systems and infrastructures that enable holistic evaluation of the student experience. She is deeply committed to building sustainable assessment practices, strengthening strategic decision‑making, and enhancing the student experience through intentional, data‑informed improvement. Her hobbies include spending time with her children, gardening, enjoying the snowfall, and musing on purpose in her daily work. 

Sam Anderson-Lehman

Assistant Director, Systems and Reporting

Sam Anderson-Lehman has diverse experiences across a variety of higher education fields, including campus activities, housing, orientation, career/academic advising, and student leadership. These experiences help him to bring a holistic approach to building an engaging campus environment. 

He has worked across a variety of institutions in the Front Range area as well, spanning private, public, four-year, and community college. Across all his experiences, he has sought to empower students with the skills, knowledge, and abilities to be able to chart their own path through higher education and beyond. He received his BA in Gender and Women’s Studies and MA in Higher Education with a focus on diversity in higher learning at the University of Denver. 

Krystoff Kissoon, DA

Assistant Director of Co-Curricular Innovation

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Dr. Krystoff Kissoon earned his Bachelor of Science in Political Science and International Studies in 2017, and his Master of Public Administration and Doctor of Arts in Political Science in 2022, at Idaho State University (ISU). 

Throughout his time at ISU, he served in leadership positions including President of the International Students Association, President of the Political Science Club, and Senator in the Associated Students of Idaho State University Student Government for three terms. He worked in the Office of Marketing and Communications, the Office of Alumni Relations, and the Department of Political Science as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. He also hosted and produced his own award-winning public affairs program, Navigating Diversity, at KISU-FM, ISU’s NPR-affiliated public radio station. His research interests include identity politics and international relations, looking particularly at the intersection of race, gender and sexuality and their combined impact on government policies. He presented research at the Midwest Political Science Association Conference and Intermountain Gender & Sexuality Conference. His hobbies include writing poetry, taking walks in nature, analyzing media and pop culture, cooking, and spending time with his cat, Selene. He is a proud national of Trinidad & Tobago, a twin-island country in the Southern Caribbean. 

Cris Tietsort, PhD

Senior Scholar of Compassion and Assistant Professor of Communication Studies

The heart of Dr. Tietsort’s research centers on how we can strengthen human connection. For him, this has led to research on empathy and compassion in personal and organizational contexts. 

Much of his research has examined the contextual factors that limit or constrain compassion, such as how organizational discourses impact whether or not people receive compassion at work. He is also very interested in how it is that we can cultivate empathic and compassionate abilities as well, such as pedagogical theories that help people *become* more empathic as opposed to just understanding what empathy is. In his role as 4D Faculty Fellow of Character, he hopes to partner with other faculty to think critically about the ways we are equipping our students with enduring qualities and commitments—like empathy and compassion—that will support their ability to live lives of purpose and work for the public good. 

Kateri McRae, PhD

Senior Scholar of Resilience and Professor of Psychology

For the last 25 years, Dr. McRae’s research has focused upon the body and brain bases of multiple emotion regulation strategies. Much of this work has focused upon cognitive reappraisal, a powerful, internal way to change the way someone feels by changing the way they are thinking.

Specifically, she has been a leader in identifying reappraisal tactics and separating generation of reappraisal tactics from their implementation. Her research has been supported by multiple federal agencies and private foundations, and she had the honor of serving as president of the Social and Affective Neuroscience Society. In recent years, she has been putting her knowledge of emotion regulation to work in leadership roles focused on faculty development and academic advising. She is also a lifelong theatre lover, collaborating with acting professor Anne Penner on a podcast and a book called “The Actor’s Mind,” exploring the psychology of acting.