Bowdoin College's CIO Michael Cato, director of the NLF, told Government Technology that the new leadership program is his baby, and that he wanted to break through common biases of the selection process. Cato said all too often in the selection process for programs like NLF, committee members choose people similar to themselves in gender or race.
To avoid this, Cato and a group of colleagues created a rubric that would be used by outside leaders in higher education IT recruited to interview and score roughly 50 applicants to the program, taking precautions to avoid potential conflicts of interest between interviewers and applicants, Cato noted.
“Our starting vision is to work toward a reality where everyone is supported to fulfill their careers,” Cato said, adding that he's been thinking of the idea for some time but pulled together a planning team of 12 in less than a year. Those dozen planners will also serve as mentors for the participants, giving each someone to lean on throughout the program, Cato said, though the hope is for more mentors per participants in years to come.
The NLF's inaugural class is comprised of working IT professionals from 11 different institutions in seven states, including:
- Roweena Carlos, assistant chief information officer of customer relationship management and student information systems at New Jersey Institute of Technology
- Stephanie Cox, manager of the office of the vice president and information technology at Indiana University
- Kenitra Horsley, deputy chief information officer and director of enterprise systems at Queens University of Charlotte, North Carolina
- James Johnson, director of educational technology and IT support for events and conferences at St. Mary's College of California
- Wesley Johnson, executive IT director of campus IT experience at the University of California at Berkeley
- Ezra Plemons, instructional technologist for digital media at St. Olaf College in Minnesota
- Allison Porterfield, director of enterprise systems, human resources and student at Northwestern University in Illinois
- Nhora Serrano, associate director for digital learning and research at Hamilton College in New York
- Faye Snowden, manager of the technology program office at the University of California at Berkeley
- Jase Teoh, director of academic technology at California State University-Stanislaus
- Kimberly Whitted, director of technology, infrastructure and operations at Campbell University in North Carolina
- Felix Zuniga, campus engagement partner at California State University’s Office of the Chancellor
Serrano, a first-generation Colombian, told Government Technology that the Next Leaders Fellowship was "fine-tuned" to her academic experience and professional preparation at this point in her career.
“Moreover, I know that the Next Leaders Fellowship will support my professional growth and also help me develop as a thoughtful and inclusive BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, person of color) professional who can influence and shape higher education,” she wrote in an email.
Teoh said in an email that she was drawn to the opportunity to gain a “more comprehensive knowledge on governing IT in higher education — the challenges, perils and opportunities,” as well as the chance to connect with and learn from other senior-level professionals from diverse backgrounds who are helping shape the future of higher education.
The 12 participants will meet at the annual Northeast Regional Computing Program (NERCOMP) conference from March 14-16 in Providence, R.I. There, Cato said, they will start with community-building, industry topics, and then personal mentorship to figure out everyone's strengths and potential areas of impact.
"Those kinds of assessments can be valuable as you look to a role you want,” Cato added.
Following the conference held by NERCOMP — a partner of Educause, another organization that supports IT innovation and leadership in higher education — the fellows will meet virtually once a month throughout the year. Then, at the Educause Annual Conference in Colorado this fall, they'll convene to report their progress and potentially reassess their goals in the final stretch of the program, Cato said.
Cato added that the fellowship is meant to complement other leadership development programs recruiting diverse candidates, potentially creating a community around them for mentorship and coaching throughout the program year.
“By the time they are done, they will have a deep understanding of who they are and their capabilities,” Cato said.
