Abstract:
Community colleges are in a strategic position to meet the growing demands
for educating a population that is in a dynamic state of change, a population that is
becoming more diverse with each passing year. A diverse population and other
critical issues have created a new challenge for community colleges. These
challenges require extraordinary educational leaders. Leaders of the 21st century
must be change agents with a moral purpose and commitment to educating the
citizenry.
This exploratory study contributes to our understanding of motivating and
constraining factors that influenced a Black woman leader in academia. By
examining the historical antecedents of slavery, racism, and sexism through the
lenses of the lived experiences of an African American woman chief executive
officer in a community college setting, aspiring young Black women will gain insight
into factors that may enhance their ability to achieve the CEO status.
Black feminist thought and critical social theory offered a framework for
interpreting the perceptions of this phenomenal Black woman. The researcher
employed the art of listening and the in-depth interview for data collection. These
tools allowed the informant to use her own voice to tell her story. Relationships, the
value of education, construction of a positive self-identity, leadership, and the ability
to adapt to adversity/resiliency were the five major themes that emerged through
thoughtful analysis. This woman embodies moral leadership, a leadership model that
includes the ethics of caring and personal accountability. The findings illuminate a
model of leadership for the 21st century.
