Suri Duitch

Suri Duitch was dean of the Tulane University School of Professional Advancement until January, 2024. Dr. Duitch also held the additional title of vice president for academic innovation, and played a leadership role in the development and deployment of new digital courseware and learning platforms for the university as a whole. Under her leadership, the school took a fresh look at how it (and Tulane University) can best meet the needs of working adults and employers in New Orleans and beyond, through both classroom-based and online courses and degree programs.

She joined Tulane from the City University of New York, the nation’s largest urban public university system, where she was an administrator from 2004 to 2016. At CUNY, she was University Dean for Continuing Education and Workforce Development, as well as the deputy to the senior university dean for academic affairs. Her portfolio there included continuing education, workforce development, adult literacy and language courses, programs for students on public assistance, several student employment initiatives and special projects, such as CUNY’s Early Childhood Professional Development Institute as well as its Creative Arts Team. The total annual enrollment in all these endeavors was over 250,000 students.

Prior to joining CUNY, she held policy and program oversight positions in New York City government agencies, and worked with nonprofits and private foundations to conduct research in areas such as the arts and economic development, children’s health services and nonprofit advocacy.

Her passions relate to opening up higher education, and the life-transforming benefits of the knowledge, skills and credentials gained from college, to people who wouldn’t otherwise have that access. She is also deeply committed to helping adult students gain knowledge and skills to advance in their careers and to further develop as members of their families and communities.
 
Dr. Duitch holds a B.A. in English literature from Columbia College, Columbia University, an M.S.W. in community organizing from Hunter College–CUNY, and a Ph.D. in urban education from the CUNY Graduate Center.

She lives in New Orleans with her husband, Neil Kleiman, a political scientist and urban policy expert on the faculty at the New York University - Wagner School of Public Service, and their two children.
 
What are your favorite activities when you are not working?
Cooking, reading, bicycling, and hanging out with friends.
 
What is your favorite thing about SoPA?
That we have such incredible opportunities to help our students transform their lives.
 
What is your favorite app and why?
Google Maps has been transformative for me. I use it even when I know exactly where I'm going so I can see what is the fastest route.