Volume 1: Presidential Pathways for Black Women Executive Leaders

• In Event: Black Women’s Leadership: Building the Academy to Advance Justice for All

Abstract

Despite the prolific production of leadership literature, there is little that focuses on the leadership experiences of Black women (Bower & Wolverton, 2009). This edited volume follows a tradition in which Black women recount their own experiences, while providing readers opportunities to reflect on their personal leadership and professional aspirations (see, e.g., Sisters of the Academy: Emergent Black Women Scholars in Higher Education [2001, Stylus], Black Women in the Academy: Promises and Perils [1997, University Press of Florida], and Journeys of Social Justice: Women of Color Presidents in the Academy [2019, Peter Lang]), while using an inquiry based approach like Pathways to Higher Education Administration for African American Women (2012, Stylus).

This volume focuses on presidential pathways. The first chapter written by the editor explores traditional and non-traditional presidential pathways and includes leadership competencies and professional development opportunities. Additional authors in this volume are leaders in their own right who through their scholarship shed light on the career paths taken by Black women senior academic executives at historically Black and White, two year and four- institutions. Utilizing narrative research designs (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Grant & Simmons, 2008; Thomas, 2012; Webster & Mertova, 2007), the authors interviewed Black women leaders, analyzing the challenges they women faced because as the first or the only in their leadership circles, how they overcame these challenges, and how institutions can systematically remove roadblocks in leadership pathways that impact not only Black women. While design specifications varied across each study (e.g., semi-structured versus unstructured protocols [Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Patton, 2002], utilizing the narrative approach allowed for spaces where “a speaker connects events into a sequence that is consequential for later action,” most often occurring when “there has been a breach between ideal and real, self and society.” (Reissman, 2007, p. 3). In addition to telling their stories, participants across the studies share insights on negotiating salary and other contractual terms, orienting to campus - the first 100 days, the role of media, professional development opportunities and learning communities, knowing when to step down, among other insights. The authors also explore frameworks such as the glass ceiling and the glass cliff, lenses through which they analyze participant narratives.
The aim of the volume is to help the next generation prepare for leadership but also intentionally and broadly develop a diverse pool of leaders ready to lead in the next era of American higher education. Each section is pointed with African proverbs on leadership, each chapter provides questions for reflection, and the appendix includes resources, all to assist in building individual leadership capacity.

Author

• Crystal Renee Chambers, East Carolina University