Tiffany Puett, President
Tiffany Puett founded the Institute for Diversity and Civic Life in 2015. She currently serves as Board President and Director. She has been writing, teaching, researching, developing curriculum, and leading workshops on religious diversity, inclusion and equity, and social justice for the past 15 years. She holds a PhD in North American Religions from the University of Waterloo and a master’s degree in Ethics from Boston University. She also teaches at St. Edward’s University. She previously directed educational programs on lived religions, peace-building, and social change at a New York-based NGO.
Mindy Gulati, Vice President
Mindy Gulati is the Founder and President of Fundamental Advisory, a consulting firm focused on advising businesses, organizations and educational institutions on issues related to Diversity, Inclusion, and Implicit Bias. Mindy started her career as a trial lawyer fighting injustice with humanity for indigent defendants, and later ran a successful law firm. Her years of work in these fields has given her both a unique perspective on societal bias and a passionate, relatable speaking style. Motherhood reignited Mindy’s long-standing passion for using education to identify and reduce bias in the various areas of our lives. As a mother of two amazing multi-ethnic children, she has experienced how bias affects everyone, including our youngest and most impressionable members of society.
Martha Smith Roberts, Secretary
Martha Smith Roberts is Assistant Professor of Religion at Denison University . She holds a Ph.D. in American Religions from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her current research and teaching interests include American religious diversity and pluralism, race and ethnicity studies, diversity and social justice, embodiment studies, and material culture. In addition, she is working on a research project with Dr. Jenna Gray-Hildenbrand that analyzes the various spiritualities emerging within the hula hooping subculture.
Lucianne Nelson
Lucianne Nelson is a Program Associate at Generation Citizen, where she works directly with college student volunteers, teachers, and youth to support action civics programming across classrooms in Texas. Prior to joining the organization, she was a doctoral candidate in political science. Her research focused on the intersection of identity and political behavior in the contemporary American context. Lucianne is motivated by her commitment to learning, collaboration, and innovation to have an active role in improving her community at both a systemic and individual level. In addition to her passion for citizen engagement and community outreach, Lucianne enjoys hiking (especially with her dogs), traveling on food-themed road trips, and making triple-word plays in Scrabble.
Noelle Salerno
Noelle is a Consultant at Avalanche Consulting, an economic development strategic planning firm based in Austin, Texas whose mission is to help communities become more vibrant and prosperous for all citizens. Her specialties include marketing, branding, and strategy development. Noelle was a 2012 graduate of Leadership Austin’s Emerge program and has served on the Boards of Directors for the Young Women’s Alliance from 2012-2014 and Women Communicators of Austin from 2012-2013. Noelle holds a M.A. in International Business and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Florida.
