Heather Maiirhe Caruso
Anderson School of Management
Associate Dean, Inclusive Excellence
Point of Contact
Heather Maiirhe Caruso
Associate Dean, Inclusive Excellence; Faculty Co-Director, Inclusive Ethics Initiative; Adjunct Associate Professor of Management and Organizations and Behavioral Decision Making
Pronouns: she/her
heather.caruso@anderson.ucla.edu
Bio:
Heather Maiirhe Caruso (HEH-thur MY-ee-ray kah-ROO-soh) joined UCLA Anderson in 2018 and serves as a faculty member, Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence, and Faculty Co-Director of the Inclusive Ethics Initiative. A scholar of organizational behavior, her work centers on how equity, diversity, and inclusion enhance individual and organizational well-being, informed by her early research in cross-cultural negotiation and her experience in Silicon Valley. Through research, teaching, and consulting, she aims to “build bridges between science and practice” and help people engage difference in “more effective and enjoyable ways,” advancing what she describes as UCLA’s distinctive opportunity to foster inclusive excellence.
Dialogue Experience/Expertise:
Heather Maiirhe Caruso advances dialogue at UCLA Anderson through her leadership of the Inclusive Ethics Initiative (IEI) and Ethical Commitment to Organizational Leadership (ECHO). IEI bridges behavioral science and practice to help individuals and organizations engage ethical tension, difference, and disagreement with rigor and care, while ECHO equips students with reflective and dialogue-based tools to translate values into ethical action. Together, these initiatives foster inclusive dialogue, ethical decision-making, and collaborative leadership across academic, organizational, and civic contexts.
