Dr. John Porter, president of Lindenwood University, announced today that Mrs. Emily Pitts will join the community as Chief Diversity Officer.

Pitts brings more than 35 years of corporate experience to Lindenwood and has experience developing and influencing leadership teams at all levels. She understands the importance of having a growth mindset, and the value of leveraging emotional intelligence to develop meaningful relationships.

She became the first African American woman General Partner at Edward Jones a Fortune 500 financial services firm. During her 25-year career with Edward Jones, she served as a Financial Advisor for 9 years helping clients reach their personal financial goals and objectives. Her most recent role at Edward Jones was General Partner over Inclusion and Diversity. In her role, Emily created and oversaw the firm’s Inclusion & Diversity strategy. She established the firms first Courageous Conversation Program to support the CEO Diversity Action Plan. 

She also created the firm’s first Cross-Cultural Development Program (CCDP), which helps diverse financial advisors serve more clients, by demonstrating more Confidence, Competence and Credibility. Additionally, Pitts developed the firm’s first Women’s Leadership Forum, Minority Leadership Forum and Inclusion Mentoring Program, and she oversaw the firm’s Inclusion Council and Business Resource Groups. She has a proven track record of identifying individual and corporate blind spots and opportunities and creating new and innovative approaches to address them. Before Edward Jones, Emily held leadership roles at Charles Schwab, Dean Witter, and Merrill Lynch.

Pitts is no stranger to Lindenwood. She was the closing speaker for the inaugural Day of Dialogue in March, and her words had a profound impact on many in the Lindenwood community. She will be integral in guiding the diversity and inclusion efforts on campus and be a vital resource for all.