Bernadette Gailliard

Bernadette Gailliard leads school-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in support of a commitment to pursue inclusive excellence for faculty, staff, and students at SC&I. With over 12 years of experience in organizational development, Gailliard has implemented programs that help foster a vibrant community where diverse ideas and perspectives are shared, cultivating a culture where everyone feels safe, respected, and able to bring their full selves to SC&I. Prior to this role, Gailliard served as director of racial equity, leading the Program for Early Career Excellence (PECE) within the Faculty Diversity Collaborative at Rutgers. She was also an assistant professor in the Department of Communication.

Gailliard’s passion for her work began with academic scholarship that examined the experiences of women and racial/ethnic minority groups in organizations, specifically focused on how individuals navigated organizational assimilation and identification processes. Some of her published research can be found in Management Communication Quarterly, The Annals of the International Communication Association, and Human Relations.

In addition, Gailliard is a consultant and coach who partners with C-suite executives and department leaders to align people, strategy, and culture to create sustainable change. She specializes in assessing organizational readiness, identifying process inefficiencies, and designing structured implementation frameworks that help businesses navigate complex transitions, ensuring seamless adoption and measurable success.

Ph.D., Communication, University of California Santa Barbara
M.A., Communication, University of California Santa Barbara
B.S., Business Administration, American University