Biography

Dr. Kathy Littles brings more than twenty years of experience in higher education, including academic administration and leadership, to her current role as Provost of CIIS. Previously, Provost Littles served as Dean of the School of Consciousness and Transformation and Director of the Transformative Inquiry Department at CIIS before leaving for Saint Mary’s College in 2019. Her areas of expertise offer a firm understanding of the CIIS mission and Seven Commitments. 

Her tenure of experience also includes faculty positions at the University of California at Davis, Berkeley City College, and the College of Marin. Prior to her academic career, she served as the arts education coordinator for Monterey County, as well as the Cultural Funding Program coordinator for the City of Oakland. 

She earned a PhD in Cultural Studies from the University of California at Davis, an MA in Anthropology from San Francisco State University, and a BA in Anthropology and Art from Saint Mary’s College of California.

Education

Ph.D./M.A., University of California, Davis

M.A., San Francisco State University

B.A., Saint Mary's College of California

Awards & Fellowships

National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, 2021 Fellowship

African Studies Committee, Summer Research Grant, UC Davis, 2005

UC Davis Graduate Student Representative at 10^th and 11^th Annual Institutes on Teaching and Mentoring honoring minority scholars, 2003 in Miami, FL and 2004 in Atlanta, GA. Sponsored by The Compact for Faculty Diversity. 

UC Davis, Cultural Studies Research and Travel Award Recipient, 2004

UC Davis Washington D.C. Center, Travel Grant, UC Davis, 2002

Smithsonian Institution Fellowship, National Museum of African Art, Washington D.C., 2002

Conferences & Presentations

Littles, K. (2021, Spring). Western Academy of Management: Teaching Excellence. Panelist, Spring Symposium-Online.

Littles, K. (2021, Spring). Lessons Learned: Pandemic, Protests & Pathways Forward. Panelist, Lehigh Valley Women's Summit, Allentown, PA.

Littles, K.  (2018, Fall). Defining and Achieving Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Troubled Times. Panelist, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, CIIS, San Francisco. 

Littles, K. (2018, Fall). A Conversation on America Today with Author Kevin Powell. Book talk for Public Programs, CIIS, San Francisco. 

Littles, K. (2018, Spring). Museums as Contested Spaces. “Big Idea” Presentation for Public Programs, CIIS, San Francisco.

Littles, K. (2017, Spring). Inclusion and Social Justice in Integral Education. Presentation at the 2017 Founders Symposium on Integral Consciousness, San Francisco.

Littles, K. (2015, Spring). Online learning’s high-tech leap. CIIS Today.

Littles, K. (2011). “Representation in American Museums.” Presentation at the Association for Integrative Studies Conference, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Littles, K. (2006, Fall). Transhistorical and Transcultural Spaces in African Fashion. Presentation at the African Studies Association Conference, San Francisco.

Littles, K. (2004, Spring). Building an African Image for Western Audiences: How African Identity is Politicized at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Crossroads.

Littles, K. (2003, Spring). Locating the Hidden Voices at the Smithsonian: How African Identity was Shaped in the Hall of African Cultures. University of California, Davis.

Littles, K. (1999). Connecting Artists and Students: Cultural Council Sparks Creativity. Clarion, 1(1), page 8.