Dear Student,
The members of the Division of Student Diversity and Inclusion are excited to introduce and welcome Dr. Grace Caldara as the new director of the Center for STEM Diversity. Dr. Caldara arrives on August 15. Her office will be located in the Center for STEM Diversity at 20 Professors Row, Medford.
Dr. Caldara's passion for STEM began in high school when she toured her uncle’s biology research lab. She later pursued an undergraduate education in chemistry, and quickly realized that as a Black woman in STEM, she was often one of the few people of color to occupy the space. She credits her success in completing her degree program and her pursuit of a STEM career to the exposure and mentoring she received through the Ronald E. McNair Program. With this background and perspective, she looks forward to helping the next generation of STEM students thrive at Tufts University.
Prior to joining Tufts, Dr. Caldara was the senior manager of learning and development at Supermajority, a non-profit organization working to advance gender equity through education, training, storytelling, and activism. During her time at Supermajority, she developed and facilitated an annual nationwide leadership program in which she taught values-based leadership to thousands of young women of color. Additionally, she managed the 2.9-million-member Pantsuit Nation community focused on elevating lived experiences from women from across the country. Prior to its merger with Supermajority, Dr. Caldara was the director of community engagement for the Pantsuit Nation Foundation, where she developed diversity, equity, and inclusion training materials to support her team of online moderators in facilitating difficult discussions around race, gender, and other systemically marginalized groups. She also authored content for the book Pantsuit Nation.
Dr. Caldara holds a master’s and PhD in chemistry from the University of California, Irvine, and a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Boston College. Prior to joining the non-profit sector, she taught biochemistry labs at Chapman University.
Dr. Caldara will be the fourth director of the Center for STEM Diversity. She brings her STEM knowledge and diversity, equity, and inclusion expertise to the CSD and Tufts’ Division of Student Diversity and Inclusion.
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