Chapter 6 - Center for Engaged Learning

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Staci Perryman-Clark

As a leader who has occupied several leadership positions, Perryman-Clark describes her experience with the double standards that she has experienced as a Black woman leader. Leadership programs in which she participated, Perryman-Clark notes, did not provide grounding for leading as a Black woman, and attempts to develop such a program on her campus were thwarted. Perryman-Clark then describes her experience as an interim dean, one in which she continued to experience harms that undermined her authority and position. Perryman-Clark concludes the chapter with ten insights for leaders based on her experience.

Related Book Resources

In these videos, Staci Perryman-Clark shares her experiences as a Black woman leader and highlights guiding principles, professional learning, and strategies for developing leadership identity.

Guiding Principles for Leadership

Staci Perryman-Clark explains how ethics and transparency guide her leadership, stressing honesty, accountability, and doing what’s right, even when facing difficult consequences.

Professional Learning, Change Agents, and Acting with Integrity

Perryman-Clark reflects on her ongoing professional development and the challenges of being a change agent within institutional hierarchies. She explores how leaders can maintain integrity while navigating complex organizational pressures, questioning whether speaking truth to power can coexist with institutional advancement.

Supporting Future Leaders

This video highlights Perryman-Clark’s initiatives to cultivate future leaders, including leadership fellowships that emphasize DEI competency. She shares concrete examples of how her mentorship and programs have enabled underrepresented participants to assume leadership roles, demonstrating the tangible impact of intentional development and advocacy.

Navigating Institutions

Perryman-Clark explores the realities of institutional leadership, urging leaders to follow their values, understand risks, and be ready for change, including stepping away or planning what comes next.

Developing a Leadership Identity

Perryman-Clark traces her leadership identity to a long-standing commitment to DEI, developed from graduate school through her leadership roles. She emphasizes authentic self-advocacy, ethical practice, and aligning leadership decisions with deeply held values over time.

Discussion Questions

Perryman-Clark’s chapter provides difficult and compelling stories about personal encounters with systemic racism. Have you considered, experienced, or witnessed systemic racism in your own institution(s)? If you have, how did you respond, and how has this affected your choices and the ways you navigate your relationships and positionality in the institution?

Cite this Chapter

Perryman-Clark, Staci. 2026. “Lessons from a Black Feminist (Interim) Dean: ‘Can I Bring My Authentic Self?’” In Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: A Collaborative Syllabus for Higher Education Leadership, edited by Linda Adler-Kassner and Chris W. Gallagher. Elon University Center for Engaged Learning. https://doi.org/10.36284/celelon.oa11.6.

Chapter 6: Lessons from a Black Feminist (Interim) Dean : “Can I Bring My Authentic Self?”