Advice from a Seat at the Table: Exploring the Leadership Resilience Development of Black Women University Deans

In recent years, black women have begun to take more prominent university leadership roles at predominantly white institutions. Unfortunately, their progress is relatively slow, and their experiences have not garnered much historical attention in the university leadership literature. Hence, this study described the leadership resilience experiences of black women before becoming a university dean. The conceptual framework includes Black Feminist Thought and Constructivist Self-Development Theory which guide the two central research questions, how do black women describe their leadership resilience experiences before becoming a dean? And how do black women describe their leadership resilience experiences after becoming a dean? A qualitative methodology with a narrative study design encouraged eight black women university deans in the Southern United States to describe their experiences. Two data collection techniques, semi structured individual interviews and focus groups increased the validity of the results. The study found that most participants described their leadership resilience experiences as opportunities to engage in introspection, speak up, strive for personal growth, and utilize feedback. Participants also shared their definitions of leadership resilience.