African-American women have earned more degrees percentage-wise than any other group of women (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019). Despite the success in earning degrees, African-American women are underrepresented in executive and senior-level positions across industries. African-American women are unique in that they represent two classes of minorities--gender and race, which impact their ability to climb the proverbial corporate ladder. This research study focuses on the under-representation of African-American women in higher education executive and senior-level administrator positions, offering the best practices to assist African-American women. The best practices are derived from the lived experiences of African-American women in executive and senior-level administrator positions in higher education across the United States of America. The lived experiences describe the challenges and barriers faced, the experiences attributed to success, as well as the recommendations for success from African-American women in executive and senior-level administrator positions in higher education. The data in this study was captured by utilizing semi-structured, open-ended interview questions. The research participants consisted of 15 African-American women who held the position of Dean or above in higher education institutions. The conclusions of this research offer best practices for African-American women which are outlined in The BOLDen Guide to Higher Education Leadership Model. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]