Dr. Sumun Pendakur

Educator, Consultant, Speaker

Dr. Sumun L. Pendakur is a scholar-practitioner, an activist-educator, a skilled facilitator, and a mom.  With nearly 20 years in the field of higher education, Sumi's work and research focuses on helping campuses, non-profits, and other organizations build capacity for social justice and racial equity by empowering individuals at all levels to be transformational agents of change in their spheres of influence. Most recently, Sumi was the Chief Learning Officer at the USC Race and Equity Center, dedicated to advancing racial justice in higher education and other sectors. Prior to that position, Sumi held roles as the Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at Harvey Mudd College, serving on the President’s Cabinet and directing the Office of Institutional Diversity, and as the Director for USC Asian Pacific American Student Services. Pendakur is a graduate of Northwestern University with a double major in Women’s Studies and History and a Minor in Spanish. She holds an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Michigan. She received her doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from the USC Rossier School of Education.  Sumi also serves on the Board of Directors for NADOHE, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education.  In 2019, she was named one of the top 35 women in higher education by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine.

Day One: Keynote

October 22, 2020 | 9:30am - 11:00am