Publication Date

Spring 2026

Document Type

Capstone Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Interdisciplinary Leadership

First Advisor

Dr. Quincy Martin III

Second Advisor

Dr. Deborah Baness King

Abstract

African American women hold only 7% of community college presidencies nationally, a disparity rooted not in deficits of preparation or qualification but in structural conditions shaped by the intersection of race and gender bias. This phenomenological qualitative study explored the lived experiences of six African American women currently service as community college presidents, examining how race, gender, and mentorship influence their pathways, challenges, and success strategies. Guided by the theoretical frameworks of Black Feminist Through (Collins, 2000) and Intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989), the study collected data through semi-structured interviews, reflective narratives, and document analysis. Five themes emerged: Pathways and Access to the Presidency; Structural and Interpersonal Barriers to Leadership; Costs of Leadership and Survival Strategies; Sources of Resilience and Sustaining Forces; and Leadership Identity and Collective Responsibility. A defining cross-cutting finding was that the barriers participants navigated were structural rather than interpersonal, and the resources that sustained them were relation and self-constructed rather than institutionally provided. Findings offer implications for presidential search practices, pipeline development, and presidential well-being, affirming the the underrepresentation of African American women in the community college presidency is not a talent pipeline but a structural one.

Download

Share

COinS