When they became community college presidents in their 30s and early 40s in the 2010s, they faced skepticism — or at least surprised reactions — from some people on their campuses and in their communities as to whether they were truly ready to lead.
Six years after they were last profiled in Community College Daily, a cross-section of four still-younger leaders, all now in their 40s, say those arched eyebrows have become less frequent as they have proved themselves. And they’ve learned numerous lessons about leadership at two-year colleges along the way while surmounting an array of challenges, perhaps none more daunting than navigating the Covid pandemic.
Ivan Harrell II, who was 41 when he became president of Tacoma Community College (Washington) seven years ago, says he’s less likely to face skeptical looks, although it still sometimes happens with new students or people in the community who don’t know him. To cut through this, Harrell says he shares personal stories about himself and tries to lead with authenticity.
“There are sometimes I probably share more than I should,” he says. “But I’d much rather do that and let folks understand who I am and what my experiences have been — because those experiences are part of who I am and influence the way I lead. … Folks may disagree with decisions that are made, but if they truly believe you’re being authentic, they can accept them a little better.”
Daria Willis became president of Everett Community College (Washington) in 2019 at age 35, then moved to Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland, three years later. While some still seem surprised that she’s the president, students mostly see it as positive.
“They’re awesome. They’ve come up with little nicknames for me. I was on campus a couple weeks ago, and a couple young ladies said, ‘That’s my prez,’” she says. “When I first arrived here, and it still happens with some folks in the community, they will say, ‘Oh, you’re the president. Oh wow, OK.’ But not to the extent they did when I was 34 or 35.”
Paul Carlsen, who was 33 in 2017 when he became president of what’s now Lakeshore College in Cleveland, Wisconsin, has gone from being the least-tenured college president in the state to one of the longest tenured.
“This is true of any first-time president: there’s always going to be something for some group of people,” he says. “For me, it was age. For others, it might be workforce experience or academic experience. … Accept that that will be how it is.”
But he adds, “The more folks see you doing the good work, the less likely they are to focus on whatever they perceive as a deficiency coming into the job. Don’t worry about the 5% of naysayers. Have a thick skin.” Depending on the nature of criticism, Carlsen suggests responding by saying, “Yes, I should work on that,” or “No, that seems malicious.”
Lessons learned
Younger presidents say they’ve learned a variety of lessons in the past six years. Larry Johnson, Jr., who started as president of Arizona’s Phoenix College in 2018, became president of Bronx Community College on July 14, after four years of leading Guttman Community College in Manhattan, the latter two both part of the City University of New York system.
Johnson has learned that it takes engaging all stakeholders before transformation can take place, not only internally but also externally, such as alumni, elected officials and community-based organizations.
“The engagement of the local community is such a value-added,” he says. “They’re invested. They’ve bought in because they were brought in from conception. It’s the value of active listening before making decisions, and then engaging with stakeholders to share the ‘why’ of decisions being made.”
While there’s a temptation to make quick changes upon arriving at a new campus, Johnson has come to favor pacing himself and his leadership team with an approach that’s also data-informed.
“There is an art to moving fast, but there’s also a brilliance around slow and steady, with an intentionality around transformation,” he says.
Johnson also has learned to become more patient and a more intentional listener, as well as more strategic. That means “focusing the energy on the short term, the quick wins, but also keeping in mind the long-term goals that are ahead of me,” he says. “Learning how to slow down, learning how to be thoughtful, and more empathetic in understanding the conditions of people and what they bring to work.”
Harrell has been able to step back from hands-on, day-to-day involvement in particular areas of the college as he’s developed a strong executive team.
“My role has become more what a presidential role should be: helping the college develop shared direction and vision,” he says. “A major lesson I have learned along the way is the importance of what some define as ‘distributed leadership’ … creating a culture and environment where all faculty, staff and administrators feel as though they have the ability and authority to make change.”
Willis has taken a “less is more” approach to the presidency.
“Listening, learning from the community, from employees, from elected officials and your constituencies is vitally important,” she says. “Sometimes you’ve got to slow down or speed up when necessary. Taking one step at a time sometimes is the best method to driving change.”
Social media is one area where Willis has leaned into her “less is more” mantra.
“When you’re making progressive change, not everyone is excited about that change,” she says. “Sometimes, you need to protect yourself and your family. Less is more rings true from a social media standpoint in how it is used, and sometimes, how people can abuse it. For me, I no longer feel the need to be on all social media platforms. I’ve worked with my PR team to hone in on what’s important, what’s the message we want to bring out, and what’s that one platform I can do that in — and what other platforms the college can manage.”
Carlsen has enjoyed taking on leadership roles not only on campus but regionally, statewide and nationally, serving as chair of the Wisconsin Technical College Presidents Association and becoming an American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) board member last year. (Harrell and Johnson also currently serve on the AACC board.)
“I learned how important it is to be present and engaged in the communities we serve,” he says. “The president must always be working with his or her teams and strengthen [community] support, not just for the good of the college, but the students and communities we educate. And also, the importance of being a good storyteller: as president, you’re the chief storyteller. You have the ability to shape the story of the college that permeates through the community.”
Carlsen believes he’s slowed down a bit during the past nine years — although some on his team might disagree — and is more comfortable unplugging when he’s not at work.
“You kind of belong to the institution for about a year,” he says. “It took a while for me to be OK with taking a day off, not responding to emails after work, enjoying weekends and taking vacations.”
The next John E. Roueche Future Leaders and Future Presidents institutes are scheduled for September 22-24 in Washington, D.C. Registration will open soon.
Advice for others
Harrell advises those ascending to leadership to bring joy and purpose to the work of supporting students, employees and the broader community.
“It’s very important work, but you also have to be intentional in making space to have fun,” he says. “Folks want to see the president laughing and having fun sometimes.”
Leaders also need to communicate that if ideas don’t work out as planned, leadership is not going to castigate those involved, Harrell says.
“They have the ability to fail,” he says. Rather than demanding to know, “Why did you do this and it didn’t work?,” instead, “We have to evaluate [in nonjudgmental fashion] and see why it didn’t work.”
Tacoma has become more intentional about ensuring that student voices are heard when making major decisions, placing them on major committees and councils and paying them a stipend for participation, and acknowledging the college’s successes and the hard work of faculty and staff, Harrell says.
“I’m always one that pushes, pushes, pushes,” he says. “That is important to do. But it’s even more important to pause, thank folks and celebrate the great work being done.”
Harrell suggests leading with values rather than ego, which is important given the amount of attention the president receives as well as the deference accorded the position.
“If you’re not careful, that can cause you to get a big head very quickly,” he says. “Leading with ego does not ever end well. … The college is much more than me, as an individual.”
He adds that having people in your life who can respectfully check your ego if it’s getting in the way is important.
Willis advises those following in her footsteps to love the job and the people you lead, even when they don’t love you back, and to stay very close to your board members.
“They are vitally important,” she says. “And then build a team that supports you. That doesn’t mean [it] always agrees with you. … Finally, protect yourself — your mental energy and your stamina — and find ways to take breaks for yourself and your family.”
As someone who took the helm of a college with “solid financials and a great board,” Carlsen advises those with aspirations for leadership to look closely at those factors.
“Don’t just jump at any presidency that opens up,” he says. “Make sure you’re jumping at an opportunity that matches your skills and expectations. Once you have the job, focus on building board relationships. Most first-time presidents don’t have any experience working with a board. Be purposeful in creating meaningful relationships with individual board members.”
Carlsen encourages would-be presidents to take advantage of the host of professional development opportunities that AACC offers.
As someone who had a 5-year-old and, within six months of taking the job, a newborn, he urges younger presidents to recognize that alongside professional demands, “You still have the family obligations, and the work-life balance with a young family. You’re super-important at all stages of a young child’s development.”
