Black women remain underrepresented in higher education leadership roles, especially in the college presidency. Since the middle of the 20th century, women have emerged as leaders throughout every field of human endeavor; however, their rise to the college presidency remains slow and steady. The number of women college presidents has increased…

Black community college presidents are not exempt from racialized experiences as they promote equitable student success. This study explores the unique experiences of Black leaders who advocate for policies, practices, and procedures that promote equity and social justice at their institutions and in their communities. Together, applied critical…

The purpose of this study was to examine, understand, and interpret the lived experiences of four African American male university presidents. Through phenomenological interviewing (Seidman, 2006), and grounded in critical race methodology (Peoples, 2020), the participants detailed their lived experiences through their respective journeys in…

The topic of this study was Black female higher education executive leaders' cultural capital mentorship experiences and their social learning journey to senior positions. While Black females earn academic credentials at an increasing rate, the leadership ranks at higher education institutions are not proportionally representative of them. There…

Since their early days, community colleges have maintained a pivotal role as a provider of education to the diverse populations they serve. Over the years, these institutions of higher learning have been tasked with expanding access to education to those who had been denied even the possibility on the basis of race, economic stability, and a host…

Through the lens of Black feminist thought (BFT), this qualitative study explored the positive and negative influences on the career progression of African American women presidents who took a nontraditional pathway to the college presidency. Nontraditional pathways included, but were not limited to, student services/student affairs, legal…

There is a looming crisis in California community colleges due to an unprecedented number college presidents retiring. African American women presidents have played a vital role in supporting the success of students of color, particularly African American students. It will be critically important that a new generation of talented African American…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to reflect upon one vitally important, but widely unexamined, aspect of Historically Black Theological Institutions (HBTIs): the experiences of its Black presidents and their use of critical spirituality (Dantley, 2005) to overcome personal and professional obstacles, challenge assumptions of…

Research on leadership is historically biased, with little consideration for different experiences of leaders of color. In this study, we applied the integrated race and leadership framework (Ospina & Foldy, 2009) and utilized a case study approach focused on the context of institutional communication to analyze the experiences of six Black…

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Black community college administrators who have transitioned to upper-level management, while maintaining their own race consciousness. A race conscious mindset is defined as: (a) acknowledgement of racialized self as Black; (b) normative emphasis on racial group membership as part of…

Colleges and universities across the nation are seeking a president with unique qualities to transform their institution. Notwithstanding, surprisingly, few studies have examined how African American presidents confront race while also successfully ascending into the presidency. The purpose of this study was to explore and interpret the…

The discriminatory practices against African Americans during the Jim Crow era in St. Louis, Missouri did not deter Dr. Ruth Harris, the first African American female president of Stowe Teachers College (STC) in St. Louis, from accepting the challenge of leading the African American teachers' college from 1940 to 1954. Her appointment to President…

At the close of the Civil War the United States was forced to grapple with the tremendous challenge of what to do with the millions of newly freed men, women, and children who, for more than three centuries, had been denied basic human rights, including learning how to read and write. During Reconstruction, several educational institutions were…

In an age of increasing pressures on the future workforce, the Presidents' Round Table, a network of African-American community college presidents and chief executives, seeks to meet the demand for supplying and training the next generation of educated employees for the evolving job picture. Among its varied goals, the Round Table works to empower…

Ruth Simmons made a big news splash a decade ago when she was named president of Brown University, making her the first Black president of an Ivy League institution. She made another splash three years later by naming a committee to investigate Brown's role in the slave trade and make recommendations on possible reparations. Reflecting on her…