Prelims

Half Title Page

Transformative Leadership in Action

Endorsements

Praise for Transformative Leadership in Action

‘Transformative Leadership in Action offers a deeply reflective and reflexive account of the bravery and vulnerability necessary for substantive social change, meaningful personal transition, and groundbreaking policy initiatives in an increasingly uncertain world. Through brief research accounts, personal stories, and professional cases, the contributing scholars deftly capture the compassion and determination needed to continually refine one’s allyship prowess. The ideas, tactics, and strategies collected here should be considered required reading for all aspiring allies, accomplices, change agents, advocates, and activists.’

Vivechkanand S. Chunoo, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Leadership, Education & Communications, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and co-editor of Changing the Narrative: Socially Just Leadership Education

‘An array of turbulence in the twenty-first century dictates that strong, confident voices rise up and address the matters of the day – dominance, privilege, social justice, activism, allyship – and, without wavering, advocate for social change. The editors and authors in this brilliant collection, masterfully do just that. This is a must have, must read for scholars, practitioners, students, humanitarians, and others whose goal it is to protect our collective humanity by putting transformative leadership into action.’

Donnette J. Noble, Ph.D., Voss Distinguished Professor of Leadership Studies/Director of Civic Learning and Engagement/Associate Professor of Leadership Studies – Fort Hays State University

‘This timely book goes beyond transformational leadership as a conceptual framework to transformative leadership as a call to action that involves taking steps to elevate the human condition toward greater equity and justice. Well-documented, informative, personal, inclusive, and provocative, the authors offer a book aimed at helping students heed a call to action to make the world a better place.’

Barry Z Posner, Michael J. Accolti, S.J. Chair, Professor of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University, and Co-Author, The Leadership Challenge

‘This is an incredible resource for leaders and leadership educators in all contexts looking to engaging in complex conversations about transformative change.’

Kathy L. Guthrie, Associate Professor and Director of Leadership Learning Research Center, Florida State University, and co-editor of Changing the Narrative: Socially Just Leadership Education

‘For those from privileged background who want to be authentic allies to liberation movements, Transformative Leadership in Action provides practical guidelines and examples of authentic allyship. This book adds to our understanding of social change leadership in both the university and the wider community.’

Drick Boyd, Professor Emeritus, Urban Studies, Eastern University

‘Transformative Leadership in Action offers a deeply reflective and reflexive account of the bravery and vulnerability necessary for substantive social change, meaningful personal transition, and groundbreaking policy initiatives in an increasingly uncertain world. Through brief research accounts, personal stories, and professional cases, the contributing scholars deftly capture the compassion and determination needed to continually refine one’s allyship prowess. The ideas, tactics, and strategies collected here should be considered required reading for all aspiring allies, accomplices, change agents, advocates, and activists.’

Vivechkanand S. Chunoo, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Leadership, Education & Communications, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and co-editor of Changing the Narrative: Socially Just Leadership Education

‘An array of turbulence in the twenty-first century dictates that strong, confident voices rise up and address the matters of the day – dominance, privilege, social justice, activism, allyship – and, without wavering, advocate for social change. The editors and authors in this brilliant collection, masterfully do just that. This is a must have, must read for scholars, practitioners, students, humanitarians, and others whose goal it is to protect our collective humanity by putting transformative leadership into action.’

Donnette J. Noble, Ph.D., Voss Distinguished Professor of Leadership Studies/Director of Civic Learning and Engagement/Associate Professor of Leadership Studies – Fort Hays State University

‘This timely book goes beyond transformational leadership as a conceptual framework to transformative leadership as a call to action that involves taking steps to elevate the human condition toward greater equity and justice. Well-documented, informative, personal, inclusive, and provocative, the authors offer a book aimed at helping students heed a call to action to make the world a better place.’

Barry Z Posner, Michael J. Accolti, S.J. Chair, Professor of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University, and Co-Author, The Leadership Challenge

‘This is an incredible resource for leaders and leadership educators in all contexts looking to engaging in complex conversations about transformative change.’

Kathy L. Guthrie, Associate Professor and Director of Leadership Learning Research Center, Florida State University, and co-editor of Changing the Narrative: Socially Just Leadership Education

‘For those from privileged background who want to be authentic allies to liberation movements, Transformative Leadership in Action provide practical guidelines and examples of authentic allyship. This book adds to our understanding of social change leadership in both the university and the wider community.’

Drick Boyd, Professor Emeritus, Urban Studies, Eastern University

‘Transformative Leadership in Action is a book of uncommon courage, depth, and gravity. In the wake of the unfulfilled promises of democratic nations, organizations, and groups of all forms, here we find an antidote, a curative effect helping us become more whole and more capable of answering the most difficult responsibilities of the present day. The leadership and practice involved in liberatory and transformative life comes to the fore, reshaping that which has failed to enliven the best in the human community, Transformative Leadership in Action reaches into the heart of humanity not only to strengthen our collective heart, but to lead us forward and upward into a new dawn in which we more closely embody the prophetic essence Martin Luther King Jr. spoke so deeply of: that the content of our character would make us capable of transcending the chaos of the times.’

Shann Ray Ferch, PhD, Gonzaga University, USA

Title Page

Transformative Leadership in Action

Allyship, Advocacy & Activism

Edited by

Jacklyn A. Bruce

North Carolina State University, USA

Katherine E. McKee

North Carolina State University, USA

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2020

Copyright © 2020 Emerald Publishing Limited

Reprints and permissions service

Contact: permissions@emeraldinsight.com

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters’ suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-83909-523-8 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-83909-520-7 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-83909-522-1 (Epub)

Dedication Page

We dedicate this book to our moms, Donna Allesandro Boitz and Peggy Mahoney McKee for teaching us through their example that justice and equity were everyone’s responsibility and should be everyone’s life work. And to Ainslee Bruce; John, Lydia, and Faith McKee; and Regina Le-McKee in hopes that they won’t need to transform their world.

Contents

About the Editors

Jacklyn A. Bruce is an Associate Professor, the Director of Graduate Programs, and a Co-Director of The Oaks Leadership Scholars at North Carolina State University. When asked who she is, however, she will tell you that she is an Educator. It may only be one word, but there is a lot packed into that word. To her educator = leadership scholar, teacher of organizational behavior, fighter for justice and equity, believer in the power of policy, nurturer of educative environments, advisor of students, colleague of leadership practitioners, mentor of qualitative researchers, editor of a journal, relentless reader, and most importantly Mother of an awesome kid.

Katherine E. McKee is an Assistant Professor in Leadership at North Carolina State University where she is a Co-Director of The Oaks Leadership Scholars, a transformative leadership program. Her passion for leadership education grew out of her involvement in movements for voting rights, health-care access, and LGBTQ+ equality. She believes that a strong understanding of theory can support the essential work of practitioners for justice and equity. She is a tireless advocate for students inside and outside of the classroom and gives a mean motivational speech that includes references to dinosaurs, baseball, and believing in yourself.

About the Contributors

Mac Benavides is a Graduate Research Assistant in the Staley School of Leadership Studies at Kansas State University (KSU). He encourages his undergraduate students to explore topics of power and privilege in leadership activity at the personal and systemic levels. In addition, he coordinates a community-engaged federal work study opportunity connecting current university students with community youth. He has an MA in Educational Administration from the University of Nebraska and is currently a doctoral student in Leadership Communication at KSU. His research and practice centers around intercultural leadership, leadership education, and creating inclusive and equitable learning environments in higher education.

Kathy Bishop is a woman of Scottish and European descent, Academic Supervisor, Associate Professor, and MA Leadership Program Head at Royal Roads University (RRU); living, learning, and working on the traditional lands of the Xwsepsum (Esquimalt) and Lekwungen (Songhees) families. She is a passionate scholar-practitioner who utilizes a variety of experiential, participatory, and transformative learning and leadership methods. She has published on topics such as creativity, collaborative leadership, ethics, and action-oriented research. She holds a PhD from the University of Victoria. She contends that engaging collectively through different ways of doing, being, knowing, and relating can lead to innovative solutions.

Carol Burbank is a scholar, writing coach, researcher, and teacher exploring the narratives and fundamental paradigms that shape our identities, experiences, expectations, performances, and roles. Her work examines healthy change from individual to organizational shifts and social change movements. She currently teaches in the MA in Engaged Humanities at Pacifica Graduate Institute. Her writing includes “Shapeshifter Leadership: Responding Creatively to the Challenges of a Complex World” (Jossey-Bass, 2012), “Malala Yousafzai: The Power and Paradox of Global Celebrity” (Berrett-Koehler, 2014), and “Revolution from Within: Leadership Narratives” (Berret-Koheler, 2015). She is a Leadership Columnist for Science of Mind Magazine.

William Clark is the author of “Introducing Strategic Thinking into a Non-profit Organization to Develop Alternative Income Streams,” which was published in the Journal of Practical Consulting. He teaches leadership and organizational development at the University of Maryland Global Campus. He holds degrees in Leadership Development and Information Technology from Penn State University and a doctorate degree in Strategic Leadership from Regent University. He is the author of Leverage: Taking Advantage of Your Right-Now to Build Your Tomorrow; Grant Writing 101: Developing a Culture of Resource Development for Your Nonprofit; and Sustainable: Developing a Sustainable Faith-Based or Nonprofit Organization.

Erika Cohen Derr, DLS, is the Assistant Vice President in Student Affairs at Georgetown University. Her background in student engagement and leadership focuses on helping college students identify their personal gifts and talents, pursue their passions, and develop skills for lifelong learning.

Aysha Dos (she, her, hers) serves as the Director for the Center for Student Engagement at Georgetown University in Washington, District of Columbia, USA, where she serves as an Educator through leadership development, student governance, transition programs, and student advocacy. She is also a doctoral student in the College of Education of the University of Georgia, earned a Master of Science in Higher Education: Student Affairs from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Florida.

Sharon Gramby-Sobukwe is an Associate Professor, Program Director of Political Science, and Executive Director of the Campolo Institute for Applied Research in Social Justice at Eastern University. She currently teaches undergraduate political science courses but has previously taught and directed Organizational Leadership in master’s and doctoral programs. She continues to advise doctoral candidates completing their dissertations. Her research and publications focus on African politics, leadership, and community development as well as women’s politics, and church and politics.

Josephine Hauer is a Research Fellow at the University of Phoenix. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent views of the federal government or the University of Phoenix. The author currently works for the Administration for Children and Families as a Regional Specialist for Innovation and Strategy. She continues to work on the leadership team of the Whole Family Approach to Jobs initiative.

Tess Hobson is a Graduate Research Assistant in the Staley School of Leadership Studies at Kansas State University (KSU). She teaches a course about inclusive leadership called Culture and Context in Leadership and coordinates the Edgerley-Franklin Leadership Scholarship Program, which seeks to shape the next generation of social justice leaders. She received a master’s degree in College Student Development and a graduate certificate in Social Justice Education from KSU and is now pursuing a PhD in Student Affairs and Higher Education. Her research interests revolve around the power of storytelling as a pedagogy in developing students’ capacity to practice inclusive leadership.

Kristine F. Hoover is an Associate Professor in the Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership program facilitating the Change Leadership concentration and is the Director for the Institute of Hate Studies at Gonzaga University. The Institute of Hate Studies bridges the academy with community engagement, through research, teaching, and partnerships with students, faculty, and community members. She is concerned with questions regarding how organizations and communities shape inclusion and cultures of dignity. Her most recent publication is Countering Hate: Cases of Change. She is a former Chair of the Washington Legislative Ethics Board and former SHRM trainer.

Elizabeth Indermaur is a recent graduate from North Carolina State University. She aspires to establish a career in plant sciences and will soon be attending graduate school to realize this objective. In recognizing the complex present and hopefully moving toward a more forward-thinking future, she intends to apply transformative leadership and change agent-thinking to her own work in agriculture and beyond. She aims to catalyze the recognition that each of us has the capacity to develop ourselves as learners and allies, regardless of career or field. She practices and aims to encourage this in others, particularly through principled action and reflection.

Adanna J. Johnson serves as an Associate Vice President for Student Equity and Inclusion at Georgetown University. She holds a PhD in Counseling Psychology and was a tenured professor of psychology at Loyola Maryland for over 10 years before coming to Georgetown. She is a licensed psychologist and trained to treat children and families of color.

Kyle Jordan is a Graduate of The Ohio State University’s Entomology program and is currently a Global Product Development Manager for BASF’s Professional & Specialty Solutions Division (professional pest control products) for North America, Australia, and Asia. He served as the Chair for the local LGBTQA+ employee resource group at BASF, has been on the Advisory Board for the Cultivating Change Foundation’s annual summit (LGBTQA+ in agriculture), founded a research project to gather national data on minorities in agriculture, and is currently the Chair for the D&I Committee for the Entomological Society of America.

Chance Lee is an Assistant Professor in the Staley School of Leadership Studies at Kansas State University. He directs the Nonprofit Leadership Focus of the Leadership minor, overseeing advising, internships, professional development events, and curriculum for the program. His research interests include cross-cultural and global leadership, nonprofit leadership, and university immersive programs, both abroad and domestic.

Lauryn Mascareñaz has 10+ years experience as an elementary classroom teacher, literacy instructional coach, and culturally responsive trainer. She was formerly a Teaching and Learning Specialist with Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center. She has a master’s of education in culturally responsive teaching from the University of Colorado and is working on her doctorate in Leadership and Organizational Systems at Vanderbilt University. She is particularly interested in educating teachers on engagement strategies and closing the opportunity gap for young males of color. She is the Director of Equity for Wake County Public Schools in North Carolina.

Glenn W. “Max” McGee is recognized as a dynamic leader on critical issues concerning leadership, student mental health, and racial equity. His passions lie in developing the potential of historically underrepresented youth and leading school districts through turbulent times. Since 1972, he has held positions ranging from substitute teacher to the State Superintendent. He has coauthored two books, several articles, and served on numerous boards. His cover story, “Confronting Student Suicide” for School Administrator magazine received wide acclaim as have his “community conversations” series and wellness workshops. He is a monthly contributor to School Administrator’s Ethical Educator column.

Danielle Mitchell is mixed (Indigenous and Settler-roots) Cree and Métis from communities in Treaty 6 Territory. She was born, raised, and continues to be a grateful guest on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-waututh Nations. She is a Senior Director within the health and social services sector working to address anti-Indigenous racism and discrimination and advance Indigenous Cultural Safety. She holds a Master of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads University in Victoria, Canada, and is passionate about Indigenous leadership and the dismantling and creating of equitable, anti-racist organizations and systems.

James Mohr serves as the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at Washington State University Health Sciences Spokane. His work focuses on issues related to hate, othering, leadership, and inclusion. He has interviewed former members of white supremacist organizations to learn about their leave-taking process. He has also served on nonprofit boards related to social justice such as the Gonzaga University Institute of Hate Studies, NAACP Spokane, Spokane County Human Rights Task Force, and many others.

Anna Patton (she/her/hers) serves as the Director of the Impact Leadership Village in Bowen Hall. She completed her PhD in Educational Studies & Cultural Foundations from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and her MEd in College Student Affairs Administration from the University of Georgia. She has published in The Journal of Curriculum Theorizing, The South Atlantic Philosophy of Education Society 2016 Yearbook, and The Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs. As a social justice educator, she is passionate about developing equitable environments where students are encouraged to interrogate hegemonic narratives of college life and education.

Kerry Priest, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Staley School of Leadership Studies Minor Program and Leadership Communication Doctoral Program at Kansas State University. Her interdisciplinary scholarship addresses questions of leadership identity, leadership educator professional development, critical pedagogies for leadership learning and development, and community-engaged research approaches that support the advancement of relational, collective, adaptive, and socially just leadership.

Carmelin Rivera is a law enforcement supervisor, educator, practitioner, and leadership researcher with over 20 years of experience in building and delivering innovative learning programs in leadership, human relations, cultural diversity, and professional development. He is also a doctoral student at the University of San Diego’s PhD in Leadership Studies program. His interest in advocacy and activism is rooted in his Latino upbringing in a strong matriarchal environment, working with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, and his research interest on destructive (toxic) leadership in organizations, intersectionality, and the role (his) toxic masculinity plays in contributing to workplace toxicity.

Rebecca Schisler earned her doctorate in School Psychology in 2008 from The Ohio State University and is now the Founder and Executive Director of The Coalition for Cultural Compassion (The CCC), a Charlotte, NC-based nonprofit. The mother of a biological daughter and an adopted Black son, her vision for The CCC grew out of concern for the lack of support and opportunities available for having open and honest discussions about racial justice and learning about different cultures in her community. She is passionate about dismantling white supremacy and fostering meaningful relationships across racially and culturally diverse groups.

Aliah Mestrovich Seay is a Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist and works as an Instructor at the Staley School of Leadership Studies at Kansas State University, where she is a doctoral candidate. She holds a BS in Clinical Psychology in French from the Université de Caen, France, and an MA in Counseling Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy from Argosy University in California. With over 20 years of experience, her professional and research interests involve intercultural coaching and training techniques that focus on cultural identity development, mindfulness, and finding innovative ways to engage with difference differently.

Carolyn M. Shields taught high school for 19 years before completing her doctorate at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. Since then, at four different universities, she has taught classes and conducted research intended to focus on how leaders can create inclusive, equitable, excellent, and socially just learning environments. Her recent work focuses on the operationalization of the theory of transformative leadership and includes 12 books, over 100 articles and chapters, and numerous keynote addresses in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and North America. An award-winning teacher, she is a Professor of educational leadership at Wayne State University in urban Detroit.

Coleman Simpson is a graduate student in Agricultural Leadership at North Carolina State University. He has a BS in Agricultural Science and a BA in Political Science from NC State. He is the Program Coordinator for the Oaks Leadership Scholars Program at NC State and is an NC State GLBT Center Advocate.

Jennifer Tilghman-Havens is a teacher, writer, speaker, facilitator, and spiritual director who serves as the Director of the Center for Jesuit Education at Seattle University. Her doctoral work in interdisciplinary Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University has inspired her to publish on servant-leadership, diversity and equity, transformative pedagogy, and environmental sustainability. She has a Master’s in Pastoral Ministry and Social Work from Boston College and a Master’s in Business Administration with a focus on social responsibility and organizational change. Previously, she served as the Director of the Women’s Center at Boston College and as an Oncology Social Worker at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Renee Wells serves as the Director of education for equity and inclusion at Middlebury College. She develops and facilitates workshops for faculty, staff, and students on topics such as recognizing and responding to microaggressions, facilitating difficult dialogues, inclusive design for learning, hiring for cultural competence, cross-cultural engagement, power and privilege, and interrupting our role in interpersonal and institutional oppression. In addition, she works with academic departments and campus administrators to advocate for inclusive policies and practices, provides one-on-one and departmental consulting related to classroom and workplace inclusion, and facilitates small- and large-group dialogues in response to campus climate concerns.

Preface

As we put final edits on this text, people around the world are joining the call for transformative change in policing. As we write this preface, 14 of the 15 paperback nonfiction best sellers are about white supremacy, racism, and anti-racism. People are feeling the mandate for deep equitable change and they are heeding the call for moral courage. They are taking to the streets in protest, developing policy asks that call for radical change in policing or defunding of the police, organizing phone banks and email campaigns, reading, listening to, and promoting the work of experts in anti-racism, and calling on their friends and family to join them. For generations, these transformative leadership skills have been taught in ally, advocate, and activist communities – in places of worship, at organizer camps, in field offices, across kitchen tables, and in classrooms.

Transformative Leadership in Action is a text for the teaching of transformative leadership. As such, it incorporates the theoretical framework for transformative leadership, pedagogy for teaching transformative leadership as learner, ally, advocate, and activist identities, tales from the field to serve as examples, and case studies for students to analyze. Leadership educators and students can use this text to explore what it means to be a transformative leader and the necessary competencies and behaviors to enact transformative leadership.

This text begins with Dr Carolyn Shields’ Leading to Transform Our World to explain what transformative leadership is and then proceeds to Dr Jennifer Tilghman-Havens’ Disrupting Dominance: Privilege, Positionality, and Possibilities for Shared Power to position transformative leadership as essential to leadership education. We then delve into a program designed to develop transformative leaders and follow that with pedagogy and activities to support the development of identities within transformative leadership – learners, allies, advocates, and activists.

It is our hope that the readers of this book will find it to be useful in a few ways. First, that the theoretical chapters provide you with solid groundwork from which to start (or continue) your leadership journey. Next, that the pedagogy chapters provide a roadmap to guide your journey. Lastly, that the case studies challenge you and that the tales from the field inspire you, wherever you are, to transform your communities. Finally, know that your commitment to transformative leadership gives us hope. Because of you dear reader, the world is on its way to a better place.

Acknowledgments

To Emerald Publishing, Debra DeRuyer, and the ILA, our deepest gratitude for taking a chance on first time authors/editors who wanted to do something a “little different.” Your patience with our many questions and your guidance throughout the process will be forever appreciated. To our authors/contributors, your work creating a more just and equitable world inspires us!

From Jacklyn

Being able to thank the people who made this book possible brings into stark focus what an embarrassment of riches surrounds me. To our Department Chair Dr Carolyn Dunn, thank you for giving me the space to grow as an educator and practitioner of leadership and justice. Much of my work is possible because of your consistent championing, mentorship, and support. A particular debt of gratitude to Dr Byron Green. Your bravery put me on the very first step of this journey. I will be forever grateful to you. To the Oaks Leadership Scholars past and present, you inspired all of this! You give me hope that a brighter day is coming because you’re working for it! To my husband Danny & daughter Ainslee, I love you so much. Thank you for your patience and grace as deadlines loomed and I asked for “just a few more minutes” at the laptop, for listening to ideas (good and bad) and inspiring me to make change. And finally, to my co-editor/co-author, who knew a terrible diversity training experience would one day lead to this? Grateful for your friendship, your support, your insight, and your wit. Thanks for pushing me to be a better educator. You’re the best!

From Katherine

I am lucky to have so many people to thank for their support on this book and the work that shaped it. To my co-editor/co-author, for inviting me to a coffee/tea chat in the middle of a hurricane and then sponsoring me into a career as a leadership educator. I’m thankful for your friendship, your guidance, your support, and your 1990s sing-along skills. You rock! Speaking of amazing women who lift other women, thank you to our department head and mentor, Dr Carolyn Dunn, for the opportunities and support you provide for me to have and pursue big ideas and for your example of leadership. ‘Tis grand. To our Oaks Leadership Scholars past and present, I’m excited to live in the world you are building.

To my friends, who have taken their time and energy to teach me and others, I know those are acts of love and I promise to keep learning. To my parents, Peggy and Rich, for their lifelong example of standing up for what they believe and for raising me to be brave. And finally, to my husband, Jonathan, for his tireless support of my work and snacking and his endless patience.