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’s currently Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX. 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.
Nancy Mims
Nancy Mims is an artist/designer, activist and mother living in Austin, Texas. She has recently exhibited her art at the Elisabet Ney Museum, Photo Méthode Gallery, AgavePrint, and the East Austin Studio Tour. Prior to that, she designed and manufactured textiles and later worked as a consultant in the industry, focusing on issues of environmental sustainability. She has served on several boards, including NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, Forklift Danceworks, and the KLRU Community Advisory Board, and currently sits on the Campus Advisory Council at Russell Lee Elementary. She holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Duke University.
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.
Azra Siddiqi
Azra Siddiqi is an attorney who is passionate about politics and is currently working on legislative policy for the great state of Texas. She attained a degree in Political Science from the University of Texas at Austin and a law degree from South Texas College of Law Houston. She has a political blog called WiseUp TX catering to the South Asian community to inform them about National and Texas politics. WiseUp TX recently won an award from the Austin Chronicle for the Best New Voice of 2016. Azra also works on asylum legal cases, is an ambassador for Popinjay-a company that focuses on ethical fashion, a board member of the Institute of Diversity and Civic Life and contributes to various South Asian American media outlets.
