Women at the Top: What Women University and College Presidents Say About Effective
Leadership
By Mimi Wolverton, Beverly L. Bower, and Adrienne E. Hyle
Although much has been written about leaders and leadership, we know little about
women who fill this role. This book remedies this gap by presenting the reflections
of nine women community college, college, and university presidents on what they see
as key tenets of leadership, illuminated by pivotal events in their careers. These
presidents know the power of words and, in telling their stories through interviews
with the authors, they let us know who they are, what their visions are, and what
they value. While they express some differences in their emphases on particular leadership
characteristics, they show remarkable unanimity in their beliefs as to which are the
most important. The participants discuss the growing opportunities for women in higher
education administration, without minimizing the barriers that still exist, nor the
potential for backlash against powerful and assertive women. They stress the need
for women to exercise particular care about making the correct choices for themselves;
to balance personal life and work; and to appropriately prepare for leadership. This
book both breaks new ground, and offers guidance for women who aspire to positions
of leadership—in any field of endeavor.
The Presidents: Gretchen M. Bataille, Barbara Douglass, Mildred García, Carol C. Harter,
Mamie Howard-Golladay, Martha T. Nesbitt, Pamela Sue Shockley-Zalabak, Betty L. Siegel,
and Karen Gayton Swisher.
Preview this Book
