Latina Community College Leadership

• In Event: Interactive Roundtable Discussions & Member Community Information Tables
  In Interactive Roundtable: Leadership Education Interactive Roundtable Discussions

Short Description

Latinas have made strides in obtaining executive leadership roles at community colleges, but have not achieved equity. Research on their leadership pathways and experiences is scarce. This roundtable will discuss the role of community college boards in supporting or obstructing the leadership advancement of Latinas.

Detailed Abstract

Community colleges are the gateway to higher education for approximately 47% of Latina/o students in the United States (Digest of Education Statistics, Table 241, 2012). Despite Latina/os being the largest ethnic group in California and the fastest growing population in the country, community college leaders continue to overwhelmingly be white males (Hernandez, 2013). While there is some research on Latino community colleges leadership, the experiences of women within this cultural group are generally overlooked. Latinas have not achieved equity in community colleges executive leadership roles (i.e. chancellors, presidents), and research on their leadership pathways and experiences is scarce. With an ever-increasing diverse student population in community colleges, it is critical that educational leaders reflect and are responsive to the demographics they are serving on their campuses. The current political climate framing Mexicans as “rapists,” the racially-charged claims made by President Trump against an Illinois judge due to his Mexican heritage, and the call for mass deportation and building a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border are all indicators that in these turbulent times, xenophobia and discrimination continue to plague our society. The need to address leadership disparities and identify opportunities for Latinas across all sectors has never been as important as it is today.

While there are various factors impacting Latina aspirations and rise to executive leadership roles in community colleges, a relatively unexamined area is the role of the college boards and their hiring practices. Glazer-Raymo (1999) calls the group of search committees and boards of trustees “gatekeepers” who mediate the appointment process and tend to select white males. In a similar vein, Montoya (2011) asserts that the community college governing boards must establish diversity policies to hold themselves accountable for generating inclusive leadership. Thus, the role of the community college’s board and hiring committees are perceived to be critical in regards to Latina leadership support and advancement (Glazer-Raymo, 1999; Hernandez, 2013; Montoya, 2011; Munoz, 2009; Petterson, 2003; Vaughan, 2006).

The roundtable discussion will be framed with an overview of the preliminary results from a review of Latinas and the composition of college boards in southern California community college districts. Key discussion questions will be:

•From the preliminary findings, do the composition of the college boards reflect the diversity found in Southern California (similarly, do the number of Latinas in executive leadership roles reflect the local demographics)?
•What are some of the best practices by boards in terms of hiring and equity (and would a succession plan from the outgoing president to promote the leadership development of people of color be beneficial?)
•How does the preliminary data complicate and/or broaden the scholarly discourse on administrative leadership in community colleges?
•Does the intersection of gender and culture impact leadership opportunities for Latinas?
•How can the data findings be incorporated into new directions for executive/education leadership programs and research?
•What does current literature/theory say about Latinas and women in executive leadership roles?

Participants

• Briseida Elenes, University of San Diego

• Cristina Padilla, University of San Diego