Women of Color in Community Colleges: Leadership Development

Abstract

This quantitative study assessed the impact of the Kaleidoscope Leadership Institute (KLI) model of professional development on KLI on 140 participants’ personal and professional lives. The model was designed for community college women of color and led by female presidents/chancellors. Participants report gains in career and educational advancements, new networks, and mentorships across races/ethnicities and higher education positions. Researchers conclude that cross-cultural networking, mentoring, and identity development are beneficial and recommend that professional associations and institutions expand the KLI model to increase institutional leadership diversity. Keywords: Community college, leadership development, women of color, identity-based leadership development, female college presidents, female leaders, mentoring, networking, identity development, institutional racism