Dr. Michele DiPietro
Dr. Michele DiPietro is the Executive Director for Faculty Development, Recognition,
and the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and a Professor in the School
of Data Science and Analytics at Kennesaw State University. With their former Carnegie
Mellon colleagues, Dr. DiPietro is a co-author of “How Learning Works: 8 Research-Based
Principles for Smart Teaching,” now in its second edition. Upon encountering Ashtanga
Yoga in Hawaii in 2002, they became an avid yoga practitioner, and have been a certified
yoga teacher at the 200-hour level since 2010. Since joining KSU in 2010, they have
led Faculty Learning Communities on Yoga and Contemplative Pedagogy. They have published
and presented several workshops on using yoga philosophy, and in particular the Chakra
system, for personal growth, organizational development, professional renewal, and
LGBTQ liberation. Their scholarship has been translated into several languages (Chinese,
Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Arabic). Dr. DiPietro is the 2015
recipient of the Bob Pierleoni Spirit of POD award, the highest honor bestowed in
the field of educational development for professional achievement and legacy to the
field.