Medium to Long Term Impacts on Former Participants of the Shoulder to Shoulder Global Brigades to Ecuador. International service learning and voluntourism programs in global health evoke benefits for both community and the intervener. While it is clear that the Shoulder to Shoulder Global program at the University of Kentucky provides a service to an economically resource poor community in Santo Domingo, Ecuador, what is unclear is the impact these interprofessional experiences have on the participants that travel with the four times a year health brigades. This study proposes to answer the question of what are the educational, personal and professional impacts that brigade participants experience. Alumni of the Shoulder to Shoulder Global health brigades from 2007 – 2017 were sent a twenty-three question survey to better understand the impact of this program. Seventy-five responses to the quantitative and qualitative questions were received and a chi square analysis was performed of subgroups within the seventy-five respondents. The findings indicate that this program has positively impacted participants in all three areas, with strong evidence to show that the impacts are related to the initial and intermediate outcomes, with more data needed to better assess the long-term program outcomes.

As U.S. higher education institutions strive to educate students to meet the needs of an increasingly complex world, there is great importance in studying the interplay between leadership and culture to enhance preparation of global-ready graduates. This inquiry examines the relationship between intercultural competence and leadership styles. The construct of intercultural competence focuses on effectiveness in engaging people across cultural differences, while the construct of leadership style or "connective leadership" focuses on the achieving styles employed to engage diverse followers. The Fulbright International Student Program offers an unparalleled opportunity to examine the dynamic interplay of intercultural and leadership development. More than 100 participants were surveyed using the Intercultural Effectiveness Scale and Achieving Styles Inventory psychometric instruments. Statistically significant correlations emerged between intercultural competence and connective leadership across four critical themes: individual development, the Fulbright Program, international education, and higher education. Overall, multiple leadership styles can be achieved through curiosity and continuous learning about cultural differences. Implications for individual learning and organizational development are discussed.

The Black community and the gay community have historically experienced marginalization from society, public and private institutions, federal government agencies, and law enforcement. Black gay male leadership is not a conversation within leadership academia. This phenomenological study focuses on understanding the lived experiences and leadership among Black gay men who are leaders in Los Angeles County. This study found that the lived experiences such as oppression, mentorship, community involvement, and advocacy have influenced their leadership development and leadership identity. This study identifies how Black gay men define leadership, based off their lived experiences. It also identifies themes of leadership development for Black gay men. The results have implications for future research and leadership development among Black gay men. Understanding lived experiences of Black gay male leaders and their leadership development can help identify what core foundations/topics could be included in professional development aimed at building leadership development among young Black gay men.

This senior thesis is an examination of the major complexities and considerations encountered in developing an e-learning program. In light of the changing landscape of higher education resulting from technological advancement, combined with changing pedagogies and financial pressures, traditional institutions are under heightened scrutiny and most in need of innovation. Online learning as been proposed as a solution to many of these issues, but creating a successful program is no small feat. Furthermore, experimental research on specific course designs and delivery often fails upon real-world implementation. Looking through the lens of Design-Base-Implementation Research (DBIR), an emerging research model that seeks to rectify this inefficiency, this thesis will first affirm the crucial need for active leadership throughout the development and implementation process. Analysis will then turn to the most pertinent elements administrators must address, including the motivations and catalysts for innovation, funding, faculty engagement, IT support, course design and project evaluation; in keeping with DBIR methodology, each of these considerations will take different forms and require alternative courses of action based on the unique institutional attributes and circumstances. Finally, the exploration will culminate in reasserting the urgency for innovation in higher education, and concluding that a uniform “solution” will not only be pragmatically impossible but also detrimental to both institutional legacy and student education: a quality and sustainable program necessitates due diligence in acknowledging and working with the distinct characteristics of each institution.

This qualitative study utilized elite, semi-structured interviews of a purposive sample of the first women who became Special Agents and supervisors in the highly gendered Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The historical context for their experiences is significant in light of social and legal mandates for equal opportunity and the increased interest in gender-specific research that took place during the 1970s. Literature relating to feminist perspectives, the integration of women into nontraditional occupations, and the gendered nature of bureaucracy supported the conceptual framework. Guided by educational criticism, four strategies were used recursively: typological analysis was used to define categories of data; interpretive analysis was used to identify patterns and connections in the data; evaluation was used to attach value to the data beyond the participants, and thematics were used to analyze pervasive messages within the data as a whole. Typologies included the choice of nontraditional careers, decision-making, efficacy as leaders, and efforts to negotiate the FBI’s bureaucracy. Three metaphors were used to interpret connections and patterns according to feminist standpoint theory, career self-efficacy theory, and various organizational principles. A Supergirl metaphor highlighted women’s unique knowledge and complex roles; a Target metaphor highlighted complex patterns for high achievement and response to obstacles, and a Clubhouse metaphor highlighted masculine culture, the role of rules, and changes to an organization’s equilibrium. Evaluation analysis addressed the moral obligation for women in leadership and the need for organizational diversity. Themes in the data included occupational pride, the challenge to manage multiple roles, an absence of relationship support, and inconsistency in feminist views.

The present study was conducted to capture the collective voice of expert organizational development consultants. Until now, very few studies have been conducted that take into account the collective voices of organizational development consultants. More specifically, the purpose of the present study is to explore and gain a deeper understanding of the approaches expert organizational development consultants use throughout their engagement with their clients in an attempt to add value to and enhance organizational capacity. To understand the process used by this distinct group of leaders, phenomenological qualitative inquiry was the methodology used to conduct this study. Data were collected through in-depth, face-to-face interviews with seven practicing expert consultants in the Jacksonville, Florida area. Seven themes emerged through careful analysis of the data, supported with relevant concepts from the professional literature. The study has meaningful implications for the study of organization development consulting. It concludes with recommendations for consultants and researchers in the field of organizational development and change.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there was a significant difference in the dependent variables- teacher expectations, self-efficacy, and collective efficacy among the three levels of the independent variable- membership in one three literacy networks in Tennessee- Leading Innovation for Tennessee (LIFT), Read to Be Ready Coaching Network (RTBR), and Tennessee Early Literacy Network (TELN)- and if significant correlations existed between the dependent variables for each network. The population consisted of 161 K-3 Tennessee teachers who had been involved in the work of one of the three networks. Participants responded to an online survey via Google Forms which combined questions from published surveys found to be valid and reliable in measuring teacher expectations, self-efficacy, and collective efficacy. Quantitative data were analyzed with a series of one-way analysis of variance tests, and Pearson correlation coefficients. The mean score for the LIFT network was significantly higher in teacher expectations, self-efficacy, and collective efficacy than RTBR or TELN. Strong positive correlations were found between self-efficacy and collective efficacy for each of the three networks, moderate correlations between teacher expectations and collective efficacy were found in LIFT and TELN, and a moderate correlation was found between teacher expectations and self-efficacy in LIFT.

Despite the increased rate of women in the workplace and more women acquiring advance degrees, there are still barriers in the workplace that hinders the advancement of women. The focus of this qualitative study was first to understand the perceptions and beliefs of six female managers' experiences during the developmental process of an all-female mentoring program. The second focus was to provide information on the importance of mentoring in the development and advancement of women in the workplace. Utilizing a phenomenological methodology, a descriptive approach was employed to examine and describe the thought processes and subjective views of the participants' role, understanding, and expectation of the program development. The purpose of this applied dissertation was to examine and describe from the participants' perspectives the factors that hindered the successful development of the mentoring program. Based on the analysis of the data collected from the semi-structured interviews, four themes emerged: (a) purpose for mentoring program development, (b) perception of barriers to mentoring program development, (c) perception of management role in program development, and (d) perception of program outcome. The data collected as a result of this study revealed five findings: (a) mentoring programs are an important human resource intervention, (b) the lack of top management support and commitment adversely affected the successful development of the mentoring program, (c) the successful development of a mentoring program requires the clear establishment of the program goals and objectives, (d) research does not fully support the findings that women in senior positions will advocate for women in lower ranking positions, and (e) the top management role is an essential component in the continued success of mentoring programs. This study offers insight into female managers' perceptions of the barriers that affect mentoring program development and insight into the development of successful mentoring program.

The purpose of this study is to examine what happens when design thinking is used to create a leadership development program, increase leadership competencies, and participants perceptions of design thinking. This study uses action research to examine the experiences and design thinking to create a leadership program in a formal hierarchical. This study collected data during a two-cycle action research process. The findings from this study revealed that design thinking can be used to create a formal leadership development program. The ability to use design thinking’s human centered design can also help increase the leadership competencies of trust and collaborations. Additionally, despite early concerns participants enjoyed using design thinking in this study yet concerns remain about adopting it into core work. These findings have important implications for formal organizations exploring the ability to increase leadership development programs, leadership competencies, and organizational innovation.

Empirical research studies that focus on the experiences of Latinas in executive leadership are limited. In its entirety, workforce research has overlooked how social and cultural experiences influence this group’s leadership development. This gap in research has failed to uplift the Latina executive voice and their achievements. Addressing this gap has the potential to influence distinctive workforce practices and future scholarship. Utilizing an asset-based perspective, this study presents counter narratives that intentionally focus on exploring Latina leaders’ voices. The importance of intersectional experience and social identities illustrate non-monolithic, yet aligned, experiences among study participants. This foundational dissertation explored mentoring phenomena through a qualitative study with Latina, nonprofit, chief executive officers (CEO) in the State of California as protégés. The nonprofit racial leadership gap provided context for the high number of Latinas/os in California relative to the minimal number of Latinas holding executive positions. This context warranted a necessary exploration into how mentoring experiences positively influenced Latina leadership development (LLD) so that findings may be replicated for future practice. A hermeneutic phenomenological research design maintained participant engagement which explored two key research questions: 1. What are the salient characteristics of quality mentoring relationships for Latina nonprofit executive leaders in California 2. How have quality mentoring relationships influenced Latina leaders’ sense of self-efficacy and leadership development? Data were collected via demographic questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and researcher field notes. Participants included 10 Latina CEOs of California nonprofit organizations. They represented all five regions of the state. Study findings demonstrated that:(a) mentoring relationship type evolved over time, b) a constellation of mentors were integral to leadership growth, c) mentors supported expressions of authenticity and LLD, d) mentor-protégé match suitability acted as a sphere of influence, and e) peer mentoring promoted a sense of openness and vulnerability. Findings revealed that quality mentoring relationships encouraged participant leadership development that positively impacted executive self-efficacy and retention. Recommendations are presented that further support Latina executive leaders’ development. Four recommendations are presented for formal and informal mentoring practices, and two proposals are offered for future mentoring research that extends the foundational work of this study. Furthermore, a researcher journal was maintained throughout the duration of this study. The journal led to the development of a researcher self-reflexivity process model. This model illustrated how researcher positionality evolved from insider-to-outsider, yet sustained researcher-participant engagement from pre-data collection through data analysis that reconciled pre-suppositions, interpretations, and meaning-making. This study represents the richness found in stories that have been minimally included in empirical literature. It offers implications for the value of uplifting voices to enhance leadership practice and future research.