In the year 2020, at least 12 percent of the community colleges in the United States will be led by African-African women. These women will range in age from 30 to 70. They will come from all walks of life. They will be liberals and conservatives. They will lead rural, suburban and urban campuses. They will be experts in board relations, budgeting, conflict management, crisis management, fundraising, human resources and public relations. They will be savvy in navigating politics – local, regional and national. They will be embraced and respected by their stakeholders, including community college students, employees, board members, donors, alumni and the media.
They will convene every year at a conference called “Sisters for Community College Leadership.” During these events, they will candidly and openly discuss lessons they have learned in their professional and personal lives, mishaps and mistakes as well as successes and achievements. They will commit to mentoring and developing future African-American female community college presidents so that when they retire, no one can say there are no qualified African-American females to take their places.
Greeting each “Sisters for Community College Leadership” conference attendee will be Dr. Linnie Carter, a former Vision 2020 delegate from Virginia. Though no longer an active delegate, Dr. Carter remains committed to the cause she first embraced in spring 2011. In 2020, Dr. Carter will celebrate both her 50th birthday and the milestone of increasing the number of African-American female community college presidents in the United States.
This is my vision for my Vision 2020 plan of action, “Enriching Education: Sisters for Community College Leadership.” I will make history as the person who rallied stakeholders throughout our country to work towards increasing the number of African-American female community college presidents in the United States. This project will be a huge step toward achieving the Vision 2020 goal to “increase the number of women in senior leadership positions in American life to reflect the workforce talent pool and demographics.”
If you’d like to help achieve this vision, please visit About Enriching Education: Sisters for Community College Leadership; share this information with current, former and prospective African-American female community college presidents; and/or contact me at [email protected].
We can – and we will!
What do you believe 2020 will hold for African-American female leaders?
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