Date of Award
4-9-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Educational Leadership
First Advisor
Suzanne Buglione
Committee Members
Felice D. Billups; Christina Royal
Keywords
Black women; Higher education leadership; Leadership sustainability; Mentorship; Organizational climate; Phenomenology; Educational leadership; Educational administration; Womens studies; Black studies
Abstract
The persistent underrepresentation of Black women in higher education leadership raises important questions about how institutional environments shape leadership advancement, belonging, and sustainability. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the role of mentorship in the lived experiences of Black women leaders in higher education in shaping leadership trajectories, professional development, and institutional engagement. Participants included senior leaders serving in roles such as president, vice president, chief officer, and other executive administrative positions across higher education institutions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants (N=17), generating narrative data reflecting their experiences navigating leadership environments and mentorship relationships. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis consistent with phenomenological inquiry. Findings revealed six interconnected themes that illuminate how mentorship, leadership climate, and institutional structures interact to influence leader sustainability. Across the themes, the findings suggest that leader sustainability emerges through a progression of institutional and relational experiences involving identity formation, relational mentorship support, performance expectations, structural containment, and psychological safety. Leaders described environments characterized by conditional inclusion, uneven access to sponsorship, and cultural taxation influencing long-term engagement and persistence. The findings indicate that mentorship operates not only as a developmental resource but also as a relational mechanism through which legitimacy and opportunity are negotiated. These findings contribute to scholarship on educational leadership by illustrating how mentorship, institutional culture, and leadership norms shape leader sustainability, offering implications for institutions seeking to redesign mentorship structures, strengthen leadership development, and cultivate climates that sustain diverse leaders.
Recommended Citation
Fahrney, Joseph, "The Role of Mentorship: The Lived Experience of Black Women in Higher Education Leadership" (2026). JWU Dissertations & Theses. 40.
https://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/jwu_etd/40
Included in
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Higher Education Commons, Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons
