Date of Award

Spring 5-10-2025

Level of Access Assigned by Author

Open-Access Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Higher Education Leadership

First Committee Advisor

Elizabeth Allan

Second Committee Member

Pamela Eddy

Third Committee Member

Ashley Gray

Additional Committee Members

Kathleen Gillon

Leah Hakkola

Abstract

Women make up a majority of the U.S. population, earn more bachelor’s degrees than men, and hold a majority of professional roles in higher education. Yet, women represent less than one-third of college presidents, with women of color comprising only one-third of that group. The traditional pathway to the presidency—progressing from tenured professor up through academic administrative leadership—remains less accessible to women, who still bear a disproportionate share of caregiving responsibilities in society today. While recent years have seen a rise in women and people of color assuming presidencies, along with more presidents with nonacademic backgrounds, little research exists on the experiences and identities of women presidents who followed nonacademic career paths. With over half of current presidents planning to step down in the next five years (Melidona et al., 2023), deliberately expanding recruitment beyond the traditional academic pipeline could increase gender and racial diversity in leadership. Understanding the experiences of women presidents from nontraditional backgrounds can reveal key skills and leadership attributes that contribute to success in the role. This phenomenological study examines the career pathways of women college presidents from nonacademic backgrounds, focusing on the skills and experiences they draw upon in leadership and their evolving identities as presidents. Grounded in a modified version of Miner and Estler’s (1985) concept of accrual mobility, the study explores three key areas: perceptions of career pathways, critical skills gained from nontraditional trajectories and shifts in leadership identity. Data were collected through two interviews with seven current or recently former women presidents from nontraditional career backgrounds, plus one interview with an eighth president. Thematic analysis using inductive and deductive coding provided insights into their journeys. Findings shed light on identity development, skill accrual, and leadership perceptions among nontraditional women presidents, offering practical insights for presidential search committees and aspiring leaders. This study aims to add legitimacy to the nontraditional career paths to the presidency for women, accelerating the diversification of higher education leadership by encouraging broader candidate pools and expanding leadership aspirations for women in business, government, education, and nonprofit sectors.

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