Didem Ekici

Dr. Didem Ekici has 20 years of teaching experience in the United States and overseas. She is an alumna of the International and Multicultural Education program at the University of San Francisco where she earned her doctoral degree in 2018. She has been teaching graduate classes in Migration Studies and General Education programs at USF. Besides her adjunct faculty role at Golden Gate University, she is also a faculty member and department co-chair in the ESOL and World Languages Department at the College of Alameda. She currently serves on the leadership team of the non-profit peacebuilding organization- Pax Populi in addition to her service on the Executive Team of the World Council on Intercultural and Global Competence. 

Dr. Ekici is dedicated to advancing equitable and inclusive practices for community college students as a Guided Pathways Faculty Coordinator. She is also working with refugees and immigrants in the community college context and serves in the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) Advisory Board to support marginalized students in their higher education journey. Dr. Ekici has contributed various peacebuilding projects including the UNESCO Expert Consultation on Intercultural Competencies for Peacebuilding which was published as a report in 2023.

• Peacebuilding
• Intercultural competence
• Equity and digital divide
• Inclusive practices for refugees and immigrants
• Online language teaching
• Teacher training

• University of San Francisco, EdD in International and Multicultural Education, 2018
• Salem State University, MA in TESOL, 2014

• Humanizing Education Award, Mellon Foundation, University of San Francisco, 2023
• Distinguished Service Award, Salem State University (MA), 2014

• Ekici, D. (Under Review). Building Allyship in the Workplace through Intercultural Competence Skills for Successful Implementation of DEI. In V. Ramos (Ed.), Building Capacities 
• Ekici, D. (In Press). Bridging Cultures and Closing Equity Gaps: Leveraging Collaborative Online International Learning for Achieving SDG4: Quality Edu. In K. A. Tzoum & E. Douvlou (Eds.), Intercultural Competance through Virtual Exchange as a tool in Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals 
• Ekici, D., Kelly, K., & Stark, I. (2024). Closing the Gaps with Online Equity Rubric. In B. Wuetherick (Ed.), Online Learning, Open Education and Equity in the Age of COVID-19 (pp. xx-xx)
• Dietrich, S. E., & Ekici, D. (2023). E-Service Learning for Transformational Change. Taking eService-Learning to the Next Level: Models and Tools for Next Generation Implementation, (pp.123-147)
• Minett, A. J., Dietrich, S., & Ekici, D. (2022). Person to Person Peacebuilding and Intercultural Competence: Lessons and Voices from an Online Service-Learning Project. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters
• Deardorff, D., & Ekici, D. (2022). Peacebuilding and the crucial role of intercultural competence. Intercultural Connector, 7
• Minett, A. J., Dietrich, S., & Ekici, D. (2021). Discourse Analysis of an Online Intercultural Service Learning Project. In I. Chiluwa (Ed.), Discourse and Conflict: Analyzing Text and Talk of Conflict, Hate and Peacebuilding (pp. 355-380). Palgrave Macmillan
• Ekici, D. (2018). Developing intercultural competence through online English language teaching (Doctoral Dissertation). University of San Francisco, San Francisco