Mujeres con Poder: Exploring Latina Presidencies in Community College

• In Event: Power, Politics, and Gender

Abstract

Recent scholarship identifies Latina administrators as a critical entity in the movement towards
creating a more representative leadership structure within community colleges. In light of this,
the purpose of this study is to better understand the racialized and gendered experiences of
Latina Presidents within the California Community Colleges. Grounded in Chicana Feminist
Epistemology (CFE), we utilized platicas as a decolonizing approach to engage in the narratives
of 4 Latina presidents. This study expands on certain themes: equity reform guided by sources of
cultural intuition and concealing identities and intent as a survival tool to provide insight into the
everyday oppression faced by Latinas in these roles as we advocate for pipelines and support to
create, maintain, and sustain these leaders.

Authors

• Cynthia Estrada, University of California - Los Angeles

• Erin Nicole Reyes Vedar, San Diego State University

• Elizabeth Jimenez Perez, University of California - San Diego

• Eric R. Felix, San Diego State University