Cindi Mk Gilliland

Biography

Dr. Cindi Gilliland received her Ph.D. in social psychology at Michigan State University in 1992. She is a Professor of Practice in the Management and Organizations Department of The Eller College of Management at The University of Arizona (UA), as well as Director of the Eller Social Innovation (ESI) program.  She has taught over 15,000 undergraduate, graduate, and executive students in her thirty year university career. 

 

She is Founder and Director of ESI, which offers business/entrepreneurship education to students and to social impact professionals to solve complex social problems.  In addition, she has served as a University of Arizona Faculty Fellow, Co-Chair of the UA President’s LGBTQ Advisory Council, UA Campus Community Relations Committee member, Eller College Diversity Committee member, Business Advisory Board member for MBA Net Impact and Enactus, Board of Directors member for Child and Family Resources and the Tucson Women’s Business Center; and Faculty Advisor for Wildcats CARE.  Dr. Gilliland has published numerous articles and chapters, popular and scholarly, on topics including global healthy workplaces, integrative leadership, work/life balance, resilience and well-being, and leveraging diversity and inclusion. 

 

Awards she has won include the 2002 and 2003 Department of Management and Policy Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher, the Eller College Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence in 2006, the 2010 Multicultural Business Student Association Faculty Excellence Award, the 2010 Don Wells Faculty Mentor Award, the 2011 Tom Moses Award for Outstanding Student Organization Advisor, the 2011 University of Arizona Sherrill Creative Teaching Award, Eller Hispanic Honorary 2012 Esteemed Faculty Award, 2014 Eller Integrative Leadership Award, 2014 Cramer Award for Ethics, 2014 Eller Large Course Instructor of the Year, 2014 Outstanding Faculty Member by Professional Women in Business Association, and 2017 Eller College Dean’s Service Award, and 2017 Eller College Students’ Choice Award.   Dr. Gilliland has been married to Dr. Stephen Gilliland for 25 years, and they have two children, Austin, 24, a Senior Associate for CBRE Manhattan, and Caitlin, 22, a student in Tokyo, Japan. 

Degrees

• Ph.D. social psychology
• Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
• The Role of Esteem Needs in Intergroup Process

Awards

• Dean's Award for Service
• The Eller College of Management, Spring 2017
• Cranmer Fellowship Award for Leadership and Integrity
• Center for Leadership Ethics, Spring 2014
• Eller College Large Section Instructor of the Year
• The Eller College of Management, Spring 2014
• Faculty of the Year
• Professional Women in Business Association, Spring 2014