Voices of Women of Color Community College CEOs - by Charmaine Hines (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book highlights the perspectives of 17 women, including current and former community college chancellors and presidents from diverse backgrounds, .

Book Synopsis

Centering the voices and experiences of women of color in community college leadership is a mandate for meaningful institutional change. In doing so, we not only deepen our understanding but also empower a more inclusive and effective leadership model.

This book highlights the perspectives of 17 leaders from diverse backgrounds including African American, Asian Pacific Islander, and Latino/Hispanic communities. By sharing the reflections of current and former community college chancellors and presidents the book enriches our understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities faced by these women leaders. By revealing how they perceive themselves, as well as how they are perceived by their peers, women of color illuminate their experiences as community college leaders, including navigating the intersections of race, ethnicity, and gender.

The book is divided into four parts, with chapters examining the unique pressures faced by women of color leaders in their roles in academia and emphasizing the importance of having a "voice at the table." It considers the dynamics of the proverbial glass ceiling as bent, cracked, broken, or shattered and offers valuable insights from this diverse group of women leaders while crystalizing the "hidden curriculum" that leaders of color must navigate within higher education.

Review Quotes

Voices of Women of Color Community College CEOsis an inspiring and essential read for higher education leaders at every level. CharMaine Y. Hines captures the strength, wisdom, and resilience of women of color who have crossed barriers and led community colleges through transformations. Their stories illuminate challenges overcome and futures envisioned, offering guidance not only for community college leaders but also for women in four-year institutions who will find in these narratives practical strategies, encouragement, and roadmaps for equity-minded leadership.
Professor of Practice, John E. Roueche Center for Community College Leadership, Kansas State University

In the epilogue to this important book, author Dr. CharMaine Hines reminds us to think of the millions of children of color growing up in America, whose "dreams, rooted in education and intellect, are often dashed when confronted with the harsh reality that society still renders women, particularly women of color, invisible." By uplifting the voices, experiences, and perspectives of women of color in the community college presidency, Dr. Hines not only offers a counter-narrative to predominantly White, male experiences in that role, but illuminates the hard-fought victories, daily struggles, unique pressures, and physical and emotional tolls levied on the women of color helming our most critical institutions of higher education. In illuminating their stories, Dr. Hines offers guidance for creating structures and policies to better support these exceptional and trailblazing leaders, as well as the next generation of talented female leaders of color.
President, Kisker Education Consulting, and Director, Center for the Study of Community Colleges

In this book, Dr. Hines provides a valuable and unique view into the lives of an increasingly important group of leaders, including the challenges they face, the sacrifices they make, and why they do the work. These are timely topics, given the national attention on diversity and the increasingly political nature of diversity, equity, and inclusion in American higher education, including community colleges. Dr. Hines has opened the door to insights that can help us create the necessary climate to promote and support women of color leaders.
President and CEO Emeritus, American Association of Community Colleges, and President Emeritus, Palomar College

About the Author

CharMaine Y. Hines is Vice Chancellor of Academic Accountability and Policy at the Wayne County Community College District.