Gauri A. Pitale she/her

Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

• Email: gauripitale@augustana.edu

An accomplished educator with more than a decade of teaching experience, Dr. Gauri A. Pitale (she/her) has extensive experience in DEI programming and advising student clubs and organizations. Previously she served as associate dean of students for diversity, equity and inclusion at Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, Va., and as an assistant professor in the department of life sciences for Ivy Tech Community College, teaching biology and physiology courses.

Dr. Pitale holds a doctorate in medical anthropology from Southern Illinois University (SIU), Carbondale, Ill. She holds two master's degrees — one in biological anthropology from SIU and one in ancient Indian culture, history and archaeology from Deccan College (Deemed University), Pune, India. She earned her bachelor's in ancient Indian culture at St. Xavier’s College (University of Mumbai), Mumbai, India.

She chaired Bridgewater College's Intercultural Advisory Council and serves as a member of the Teacher Education Program DEI Committee. As part of the Student Success and Retention Team at SIU, she helped increase the retention of underrepresented students by 30% over two-years.

Her professional memberships include Society of South Asian Archaeology and the Asiastic Society of Mumbai.

Specializations: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion