Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
8-2025
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5655-1449
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Simone Elias
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Ana Gomez de Torres
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Amy Barrios
Abstract
The study was designed to understand the personal and academic experiences of Latinas in senior-level leadership positions in 2-year public higher education institutions in Texas and the impact, if any, of these experiences on their leadership development. Although Latina undergraduate college enrollment has continued to increase, Latinas remain significantly underrepresented in senior-level leadership roles in higher education institutions. Using a life story narrative approach and LatCrit as the theoretical lens, this study examined leadership development across the life span from adolescence to middle adulthood. The thematic analysis of the four Latinas' life story narratives, employed in 2-year public higher education institutions in Texas, revealed the most critical life span factors in leadership development: (1) relationships, (2) culturally rooted leadership traits, and (3) educational and career advancement. Subthemes included: (1a) mentor relationships, (1b) parental relationships, (2a) resilience in the face of adversity, (2b) commitment to service/ serving, (2c) strong work ethic: hardworking and determined, (3a) educational journey, and (3b) access to and participation in leadership development. Three key conclusions included (1) relationships represent critical life span factors influencing leadership development; (2) culturally rooted leadership traits represent critical life span factors influencing leadership development; and (3) educational attainment, access to, and participation in leadership development programs represent critical factors impacting leadership development and practices. Furthermore, this study contributes to the scholarly literature on Latinas in senior-level leadership positions in 2-year public higher education institutions in Texas.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Escobar-LeBlanc, Monica Yvette, "Latina Senior-Level Leaders in 2-Year Public Higher Education Institutions in Texas: A Life Story Narrative Study" (2025). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 923.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/923
Included in
Community College Education Administration Commons, Community College Leadership Commons, Higher Education Commons, Higher Education Administration Commons