Theses and Dissertations

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8107-4164

Advisor

Coats, Linda

Committee Member

White, Carol C.

Committee Member

Labat, Myron

Committee Member

Xu, Jianzhou

Date of Degree

5-16-2025

Original embargo terms

Immediate Worldwide Access

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

Major

Community College Leadership

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Education

Department

Department of Industrial Technology, Instructional Design, and Community College Leadership

Abstract

There are several gaps in research related to the fields of study of community college leadership and its influence on shared governance discussions and decision-making. The purpose of the current study is to address the gap in the study of community college leadership and its influence on shared governance discussions and decision-making through a critical, intersectional investigation of authentic critical leadership and its potential to influence shared governance group discussions and decision-making in distinctively different ways than those advocated by mainstream leadership theories. Participants participated in semi-structured interviews and were observed in a shared governance group meeting to identify evidence of how a community college president from a historically marginalized social group utilizes their lived experiences as a former community college student to influence governance group discussions and decisions on matters related to educational justice. Findings from this study validate the hybrid authentic critical leadership theory, emphasizing that leaders shaped by oppressive, racist educational systems are well-equipped to advance educational justice. In a climate where educational justice efforts face political backlash, leaders in the study are not retreating but embedding educational justice deeper into their leadership practices. Additionally, the findings critique symbolic or performative leadership, instead highlighting authenticity and action as essential for meaningful, structural change. Additionally, the study’s findings reveal that leadership identity as political capital, shows how intersectional identity and strategic storytelling enhance trust, credibility, and effectiveness in shared governance. It challenges traditional views of governance as neutral, presenting authentic critical leaders as strategic agents who use relationships and identity to influence policy and advance educational justice. Amid the current landscape of federal threats to the country’s education systems, the study reveals that relationship-building often holds more power than formal authority. These findings extend current leadership scholarship by positioning relational and identity-driven leadership as a necessary, strategic response to political pressures and as a key driver of institutional transformation in community colleges. Limitations to this study, as well as recommendations for future research in this area, are discussed.

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