Isaura Pulido
Dr. Isaura B. Pulido, Ph.D., is a dedicated educator and leader with over a decade of experience in higher education. Her role as a Professor at Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) is significant, where she contributes to the EducaDonal FoundaDons, Community and Teacher Leaders, and Latine and Latin American Studies programs.
For the 2024-2025 academic year, Dr. Pulido also serves as the Special Assistant to the President for Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Affairs, a role she previously held.
Throughout her career at NEIU, Dr. Pulido has held several key positions, including Chair of the Department of EducaDonal Inquiry and Curriculum Studies and Presidential Fellow. Her leadership has been instrumental in centering NEIU’s federal designation as an HSI, building institutional capacity to serve Latine students, and leading efforts to pursue the Seal of Excellencies credential. Additionally, she has organized the NEIU Student and Community Forum, a platform that fosters collaboration between educators and community stakeholders.
Dr. Pulido’s research focuses on the intersection of race, ethnicity, education, and policy, particularly emphasizing how these dynamics affect Latine students in urban settings. Her significant recent publication, the co-edited volume Latina/o/x Education in Chicago: Roots, Resistance, and Transformation (University of Illinois Press), compiles narratives and empirical data to explore the educational history of Mexican American and Puerto Rican communities within the Chicago Public Schools system. Another recent work, “Harnessing Demographic Shifts for Racial Justice in Higher Education,” analyzes a decade of enrollment data across Illinois’ public universities, challenging institutions to better support minority and Hispanic-serving institutions.
Growing up on Chicago’s south side as a first-generation college graduate from a Mexican immigrant family and an alumna of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Dr. Pulido brings a personal and empirical understanding of the challenges and opportunities in Chicago's education system. This background informs her asset-based teaching and leadership approach, which intentionally validates and honors the knowledge that students, parents, teachers, and local communities bring to educational spaces.
Outside of her professional life, Dr. Pulido enjoys hiking, running, and taking her dog, Bruce, to the beach. She is currently training for her first marathon, a long-held goal she plans to achieve in October. Dr. Pulido is the proud mother of her son Jaime, a twenty-seven-year-old college graduate, and is closely involved with her six nieces and nephews. She resides on Chicago's southwest side.
