PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2011, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies

This dissertation examines the origin, evolution, facility, and effectiveness of Anti-racism and Whiteness Theory to eradicate racism in the United States during the last decade, 2000 - 2010. During the founding of the country, a sense of civic responsibility, and moralized manifest destiny sanctioned land conquest and enslavement of Africans for the achievement of personal gain. Society justified subjugating Africans into chattel slavery, considering color and cultural difference as confirmation and rationale to discriminate. Today, the U.S. Constitution prohibits discrimination and society at-large disapproves racist acts and behavior. Nonetheless, racist incidents continue. While undeniably, the issue of race in America is still a serious concern, many suggest civil rights and affirmative action redresses divide society, advancing one group, over others. Today, as civil rights, and affirmative action recipients, African Americans make up a significant number of the middle class, whereas whites, in contrast, comprise a considerable number of a middle class that is shrinking, from an economic recession, caused in part by globalization and the country's transformation from industry to service. Conversely, the black underclass increases, as a result, of loss of unskilled work sent to overseas countries paying lower salaries, deficient labor laws, and environmental protections. Obfuscating the dialectical relationship existing between race and class, special interest groups incite and infuse racist rhetoric, to augment their own self-serving interest. Consequently, race baiting occurs to keep racism alive, preventing empowerment of a unified bi-racial group's capacity to pressure political leaders to address the needs of the working and middle classes, over the interest of the wealthy. It is in this way that the capacities of anti-racist systems to eradicate racism are negated.

Ed.D., Antioch University, 2025, Education

The persistent health disparities faced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in the United States are deeply rooted in systemic racism embedded within medical education and clinical practice. Historical acceptance of racial supremacy in the United States has shaped both the foundations and continued practices of medical education, leading to entrenched biases that affect healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. This dissertation critically examines the intersection of race, education, and health by analyzing how historical and contemporary understandings of race and ethnicity shape medical curricula, healthcare practices, and patient care. Through the integration of Critical Race Theory (CRT), Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), and ScT, this study deconstructs racialized knowledge systems in medicine and examines their impact on health equity. CRT provides a lens to analyze how systemic racism is embedded within medical education and practice, illuminating the ways racial bias is institutionalized and perpetuated in healthcare structures. SCT contributes by exploring how individuals internalize societal norms and beliefs, which influence the attitudes and behaviors of both medical practitioners and patients. Finally, ScT emphasizes the role of social networks and relationships, highlighting how disparities in access to healthcare resources and support systems affect health outcomes in marginalized communities. Together, these theories offer a comprehensive framework for understanding the layered and interconnected influences of race, education, and healthcare, guiding the study's aim to challenge and dismantle biased practices within medical training and clinical care. Chapters I and II introduce the research problem and establish a comprehensive foundation, outlining key theoretical frameworks—CRT, SCT, and ScT—while exploring the historical roots of racialized practices in medicine, including the legacy of unethical experimentation and the Flexner Report (open full item for complete abstract)

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2025, Leadership and Change

This study focuses on the lived experiences of seasoned White facilitators of racial equity workshops to understand how they navigate the complexity of occupying a White racial identity while working to challenge the belief systems of white supremacy ingrained in themselves and others. Through applying Critical Race Theory as a framework to grounded theory methodology, this study examined whiteness as a sensitizing concept in micro, meso, and macro levels of analysis, situating this dissertation in the theoretical exploration of the multifaceted and pervasive nature of whiteness. Much of the research on racial equity work examines White participants in nascent stages of engagement, concentrating on the external behavior and impact of White race talk during conversations about race and racism. Applying dimensional analysis to 18 in-depth interviews of White facilitators, whose experience in racial equity work ranged from 7 to over 30 years, this study identified two co-core, interrelated dimensions of engaging on a learning journey to embrace the both/and. In addition to these co-core dimensions, four primary dimensions depicting the phenomenon of whiteness emerged from the findings: colluding with whiteness, stirring whiteness, unraveling whiteness, and interrupting whiteness. Through analysis of these findings, this study presents four theoretical propositions and a theoretical model representing variations of the social processes White facilitators move through to interrupt whiteness in themselves and others. The methodological exploration used in this study provides an opportunity to explore the fullness of what it means to be White and engage in racial equity efforts, potentially contributing to the literature on utilizing grounded theory as a process to explore social justice efforts. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Ohio University, 2024, Classics

This work explores current scholarship on Christianity's role in shaping hierarchy, race, and science. Myth is used as a way of understanding how oppressive structures took root within the West, and helped create the concept of "the West." Finally, mermaids are introduced as a new figure of study within religion and the humanities. Mermaids, as they appear within the Christian West, reveal how the body is tied to humanity, and thus exemplify Christianity's role in creating race within the Western imagination.

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Arts and Sciences: Sociology

Visualizations of Black males have transfixed the minds of laypersons and scholars for hundreds of years. Yet, while diverse Black boys and men are hyper-visible in contemporary U.S. films, scholars still utilize a deficit perspective when analyzing their representations and argue that they are overwhelmingly depicted in deleterious, disparaging, and stereotypical ways. Scholarship on the impacts of such representations assumes a link between negative portrayals and negative outcomes. Much less attention has been given to the potential benefits of more nuanced and positive portrayals of Black characters on the lives of everyday Black men. Moreover, such limitations means that we know surprisingly little about how audiences of Black males interpret their on-screen equivalents as related to their own understandings of who they are. Drawing on qualitative data from in-depth individual and focus group interviews with 51 Black men from across the United States with varied social locations, I examine how they (re)negotiate race, masculinity, and personhood with respect to the Black cinematic characters they consume. Relying on foundations in Black Male Studies, conceptualizations of Black males and masculinity, and Collins Black feminist thought, I develop the theory of Black Masculine Thought to understand how Black men decode Black male characters in film. More specifically, the findings reveal three main strategies that the men use to decode their on-screen counterparts. First, while they acknowledge the existence stereotypical portrayals, they either deflect them as unimportant, or they actively resist them by reconsidering the characters in complex, humanizing ways. Second, they approach Black men in film as sources of social representation or identification. They see themselves in a range of characters and use them as inspiration for their own lives—especially instances where characters persevere through struggle. Finally, they are especially attuned to, and inspire (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2022, Genetic Counseling

Although many clinical genetic testing laboratories collect race, ethnicity, and ancestry (REA) information, there are documented issues inherent to the process. Obtaining a better understanding of clinical genetic testing laboratory practices surrounding REA data provides an opportunity to better understand how they contribute to and mitigate social inequities in genetic medicine. To investigate current REA data practices, this study aimed to characterize clinical genetic testing laboratory REA data collection, use, and storage practices as reported by laboratory employees. Participants (n=57) completed a survey addressing current collection, use, and storage practices, as well as opinions regarding REA data. Most laboratories reportedly collect (95%, n=41), use (82%, n=33), and store (71%, n=34) REA data. REA data collection and use varies in relation to test type, clinical specialty, admixed ancestry, and collection source. All (100%, 10/10) employees who perform variant interpretation (VI) report inclusion of population-based criteria in their VI protocol, but only half use REA data in VI very frequently (50%, 4/8), while half use it very infrequently (50%, 4/8). Participants had a greater endorsing than refuting opinion about the need for improved REA data practices (67%, 24/36) and transparency (38%, 13/34). Nearly half of participants reported REA data practices contribute to systemic racism (41%, 13/42) and healthcare inequities (47%, 14/30). Most participants reported it is the responsibility of laboratories to assess their REA data practices (70%, 21/30) and expressed at least some willingness to contribute to developing REA data practice guidelines (45%, 13/29). Quantifiably characterizing laboratory practices via employee reports builds opportunities for research further identifying factors exacerbating and mitigating any contributions REA data practices make to systemic issues, and may aid in the development of REA data practice guidelines.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2019, Leadership Studies

Educators are important in the academic and social development of students. Educator perceptions carry significant weight when interpreting behaviors, skills, and abilities of students (Beckford, 2016; Simson, 2013). Research that investigates the possible consequences of educator perceptions of African American males and the relationship of those perceptions to student outcomes is scant. This exploratory sequential research study reported psychometric properties of an instrument developed to examine educator perceptions of African American males held by public educators in PreK12. Extant research suggests that educator perceptions of Black males are more negative than those of noneducators (see Foster, 1995; Quinn, 2017). Specifically, overall perceptions of educators regarding African American males are negative (Fitzgerald, 2009; Foster, 1995; Jackson & Crawley, 2003). The instrument created for the present study will guide future research that will enable researchers to examine the relationships between educator perceptions and outcomes for African American male students (e.g., eligibility in special education for EBDs). Examining validity evidence for the public educator perceptions of African American males survey (PEPAAMS) PreK12 revealed significant relationships between educators (1) answering on behalf of the average person and (2) self-reporting personal perceptions. This study also found that the adapted brief social desirability scale did not function as intended. The ABSDS was not a reliable measure to differentiate which dependent variable is best to use when there were different scores for personal and average perceptions of public educators using a paired samples t-Test and MANOVA. Due to the inadequacy of the ABSDS, findings revealed that personal value statements were a better indicator for determining which perceptions scores were more reliable to use. Finally, this study concluded that educators who were truly low prej (open full item for complete abstract)

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2016, Leadership and Change

Negative attitudes toward racial minorities and consequent maltreatment of non-Whites continue to be a crisis in America. The crisis of racism is still realized in phenomena such as residential segregation (Bonilla-Silva, 2014), health disparities (Chae, Nuru-Jeter, & Adler, 2012; Chae, Nuru-Jeter, Francis, & Lincoln, 2011), and in the not-so-uncommon unjust arrests and imprisonment of persons of color (Alexander, 2012). Improvement in race relations through the development of meaningful cross racial relationships in racially integrated settings is one avenue that may lead to reduction of racism (E. Anderson, 2010; Fischer, 2011; Massey & Denton, 1993). Christian congregations are common settings in America, and Christian teachings are primary sources of Western ethics and moral values. Historically, Christian practices have affected American attitudes such as with regard to elder care, have influenced legislation such as child labor laws, and have even swayed the contents of the United States constitution. Yet, racial segregation has been the norm in Christian congregations from the end of American slavery until today. Since there may be a relationship between the persistence of segregation in Christian congregations and the persistence of racism in America, racial integration in Christian congregations may impact racial attitudes and relationships. Using Participatory Action Research, this study explored ways to improve racial integration and race relations in Christian congregations. This study utilized volunteers in a 30-day exploration of racial integration in a congregation, a small church in one of the two Cumberland Presbyterian denominations. Data from observations, interviews, racially integrated events, reflection sessions, and participant journaling were collected and analyzed. Intentionality in racial integration in one congregation resulted in cumulative positive change, at times difficult and incremental. Findings revealed that adaptive, proactive lea (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2015, Popular Culture

This thesis is a critical examination of how players of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons use the concept of race, both in and out of the game. The study of race in role-playing games has been neglected, and this is a tragedy, because these games offer a unique space where the concept of race, often a difficult and uncomfortable topic of conversation, is questioned, criticized, and reshaped by the players. Role-playing games are spaces of encounter between the players and a cast of imaginary others, and this requires a degree of empathy on the part of the players that makes role-playing games a space of ideological change, as players are forced to consider the world from viewpoints both familiar and alien. The theoretical framework within combines a phenomenological analysis of roleplaying games that allows non-gamers to understand the practice and importance of these games with critical race theorists such as bell hooks, Paul Gilroy, and Patricia Hill Collins that defines what race is and how it affects all of us on a day-to-day basis. This thesis is also based on interviews with geographically diverse set of gamers who demonstrate the highly personal nature of gaming, and how race takes on a multitude of meanings both within the fictional game settings and around the gaming table.

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2014, Journalism (Communication)

This study is an initial attempt to investigate the relationship between alcohol advertising on television and sports programming with different racial viewership. A content analysis on the televised alcohol advertisements that were shown during the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League playoffs was conducted in order to determine whether or not alcohol advertisements were more prevalent during sports programming with a higher Black viewership and to further dissect the roles played in those commercials by African-Americans. It was not only concluded that there were significantly more alcohol advertisements shown during playoff games for the National Basketball Association, which had a higher Black viewership than the National Hockey League, but also that African-Americans played more important roles in those advertisements as well.

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2014, Educational Leadership

It is visible in academic dialogue, specifically educational research, that there has not been any substantial research published that constructs or examines The Boondocks animated series in a capacity that extends the discourse past stereotypical issues and paradigms that are associated with the inferiority of African American males and the marginalized experiences they encounter. One primary purpose of this study is to offer a counter argument to the negative conversations that surround The Boondocks comic and animated series. Because most arguments about the text stem from the images and language, the conversations surrounding anything positive or hopeful as it pertains to being a Black male, are left out. Furthermore, this media text is currently not perceived as a reference that can be used as a pedagogical tool. In this qualitative critical media analysis, I sought to answer the question: How does the curriculum of The Boondocks represent issues of race, spirituality, and masculinity? Although The Boondocks is typically understood and critiqued as a Black Nationalist text, I intend to look at the animated series through the lens of race, spirituality and Black Masculinity. I specifically examine the text through the theoretical underpinnings of Critical Media Literacy and Critical Race Theory. Methodologically, Critical Media Literacy, Critical Race Theory and Qualitative Media Analysis help to contextualize The Boondocks animated series. I ultimately argue that the animated series can be understood and used as a curriculum text.

BA, Oberlin College, 2011, Theater

This thesis chronicles my journey with my original theatrical piece, Dog, from inception to the end of its Oberlin College run, and includes a reflection of my experience and ideas for the future of the piece. I will provide both sociological and literary context for several important aspects of the show, as well as personal reflections on the process and discoveries made therein.

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2024, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

Recent political movements such as the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements have brought renewed attention to the social roles of White women and their unique position of intersectional privilege and oppression. White women experience the benefits of whiteness while simultaneously experiencing the gendered oppression of womanhood. However, there is a lack of research exploring how White women conceptualize and respond to their own positionality as both White individuals and as women. This study utilizes constructivist grounded theory to examine how White women navigate their social location within the context of working in the nonprofit sector, a space wherein White women are overrepresented and often in close contact with various elements of systemic oppression. The analysis revealed that White women view nonprofit organizations as protected spaces that allow them to foster careers without encountering overt sexism. However, White women also believe that nonprofits are fragile and easily threatened by external pressures. They seek to protect these spaces by maintaining a homogenous culture that aligns with White womanhood. They view increasing diversity as simultaneously aligned with their personal and organizational values and threatening to the organization's culture and internal stability. As a result, White women engage in a variety of maneuvers that serve to symbolically pursue diversity without altering the fundamental culture of the organization. These maneuvers allow White women to see themselves as benevolent and values driven, while also maintaining their systemic power over People of Color. The findings offer insight into the role White women play in maintaining systems of racial oppression in response to their own fears of gender-based oppression, and guide recommendations for further intersectional deconstruction of oppressive systems. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://e (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Educational Studies

Education abroad personnel have relied on a 30+ years old rationale that Black and Latinx students participate in college study abroad programs at a lower rate than their white peers due to cultural differences attributed to the backgrounds of Black and Latinx students. Despite contemporary guidance from education scholars to move beyond this rationale, education abroad personnel on a whole have yet to consider if and how education abroad personnel's discussions on participation rates of Black and Latinx students reflect racialized deficit-based thinking, a mindset that attributes disparities in educational performance to the fault of Black and Latinx students. Therefore, this qualitative research study sought to understand how: (1) education abroad personnel narrate the phenomenon of the lower participation rate of U.S. Black and Latinx college students in education abroad programs, (1a) what, if any, patterns of race and racism are present in their narrative, and (2) to understand how Black and Latinx students make meaning of these narratives. The theoretical framework for this study was critical race theory (CRT). The research design used narrative inquiry and critical race storytelling research methodology. This bricolage research design centered the lived experiences of 16 participants (11 education abroad personnel, five Black and Latinx students) in two phases, and analyzed how the education abroad personnels' discussions of Black and Latinx students and their lower participation in education abroad are shaped by and discussed through the lens of race and racism. The findings are presented in the form of a composite stock story and composite counter-story to portray master narratives of race and racism, as well as to center the uniqueness of the voices of Black and Latinx students and their experiential knowledge as resistance against master narratives. The findings indicate: (1) education abroad personnel constructed narratives that name visibility, (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership , Franklin University, 2024, International Institute for Innovative Instruction

Black women face unique challenges based on the intersection of multiple marginalized identities often referred to as the simultaneity of oppression or gendered racism. The purpose of this qualitative study is to expand gendered racial microaggression research by examining the experiences of Black female graduate students at colleges and universities not classified as historically Black. This study utilized a Critical Race Feminism framework that centered the voices and perspectives of the participants and sought to answer the following research questions: RQ 1: How do Black female graduate students experience gendered racial microaggressions at colleges and universities not classified as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (non-HBCUs)? RQ 2 : How do Black female graduate students cope with their experiences of gendered racial microaggressions at non-HBCUs? Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 Black female participants who have attended non-HBCUs during their entire collegiate journey. A thematic analysis approach was utilized to analyze the data and identify patterns and themes. Three core themes with two subthemes emerged in relation to research question one: Isolated and Silenced (Only Black Person, Lack of Support), Common Stereotypes (Angry Black Woman, Jezebel), Permanence of Racism (A History of Racism, The Decline of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). Two core themes with two subthemes were identified in relation to research question two: Identity Shifting (Fear of Consequences, Fear of Perpetuating Stereotypes), Community Building (Faculty, Administrators, and Advisors, Student-peers and Co-workers). A robust discussion of these findings is presented along with practical and theoretical implications of the study and recommendations for future gendered racial microaggression research.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2023, Leadership and Change

This study explored the experiences of African American mental health clinicians' during the intersecting crises of the Black mental health crisis, the highly publicized racial tension tied to extrajudicial violence and over-policing of Black Americans, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic started a global crisis that affected millions of people's physical and mental health and overall well-being. Shared trauma explores the duality of mental health clinicians' personal and professional experiences. Grounded in critical race theory and models of trauma, this study explores Black mental health clinicians' lived experiences and lessons. This is an interpretive phenomenological study with narrative interviews of 10 mental health clinicians who provided services to at least 50% Black clientele before the advent of COVID-19. The study explored how Black mental health clinicians providing mental health care fared, personally and professionally, during COVID-19 and with racial upheaval: How did they adapt their lives and practices? What did they learn personally and professionally during these crises? Data were collected in individual qualitative interviews and analyzed using Saldana's first-cycle and second-cycle thematic coding model. Themes that emerged were (a) anxiety and fear regarding the unknown of COVID-19; (b) anger towards the continued racism and over-policing and killing of the Black community; (c) the importance physical activity and therapy as a clinician as means of self-care (d) connection to others to help with emotional support and the isolation of COVID-19; (e) transitioning to telehealth from in-office clinical services; (f) increase in demand of services, and (g) increase in demand for the expertise of Black clinicians, specifically. Understanding the lived experiences of Black mental health clinicians during these crises informs future practices of clinicians by teaching how to optimize health and well-being for self-care and not (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Comparative Studies

This dissertation theorizes the concept of enchantment, articulating it as an orientation towards affects, embodied experiences, and material cultures. The experience of enchantment is amplified by confusing space and time, calling forth social fantasies, and attuning oneself to the natural world. Enchantment is also a potent energizing force, capable of transforming the world around it, whether by arranging subjects and relationships in ways that produce and maintain antiblackness, orientalism, and misogyny, or offering life-giving possibilities that resist the harm of hegemonic forces. Enchantment informs grotesque and fantastical representations of racialized subjects and encourages sustained investment in consumer practices that are never satisfied. Yet enchantment also resides in moments of respite, wonder, and nostalgia for subaltern people. This dissertation aligns the life-giving possibilities of enchantment with creative practice and expression, demonstrating how imagination and fantasy allow the formation of new and more expansive worlds where marginalized peoples can thrive. Yet even while engaging in liberative artistic praxis, subjects must often negotiate dominant capitalist and colonial logics that inform the materials and practices of their world-making.

Bachelor of Arts, Wittenberg University, 2023, Political Science

For a comprehensive understanding of attitudes toward the death penalty, it is crucial to examine the historical backdrop of racial inequality in the criminal justice system. By delving into the history of incarceration and influential policies from the abolition of slavery to the present day, this study seeks to uncover the potential connections between these policies and death penalty attitudes. Utilizing data from the Pew Research Center, bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to investigate the interplay among various variables, including race, partisanship, religion, age, and gender. The results revealed significant associations between all independent variables and attitudes toward the death penalty. Females exhibited a negative relationship, indicating a lower likelihood of supporting capital punishment compared to males. Religious denomination displayed a statistically significant relationship across all three categories, with Protestants, Catholics, and Mormons more inclined to support the death penalty. Party affiliation exhibited a statistically negative relationship, indicating that Democrats were less likely to support capital punishment compared to Independents and Republicans. Notably, race was found to be negatively associated with the death penalty, suggesting that black individuals are less likely to support it compared to their white counterparts. This finding can be attributed to the historical mistreatment and discriminatory practices faced by African Americans within the criminal justice system. Given the pervasive inequalities experienced by African Americans throughout history due to governmental policies, it is unsurprising to observe a substantial disparity in death penalty attitudes between African Americans and white individuals.

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2023, English

In this thesis, I examine the resurgence of Blaxploitation ideas in contemporary Black films, with specific focus on BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Judas and the Black Messiah (2021). I argue that these two recent films draw on historical events and Blaxploitation films of the 1970s to depict a continuum of Black resistance to anti-Black racism and social injustice. I assert that just like the Blaxploitation films served as the pop culture expression of Black social justice organizations like the Black Panther Party in the 1970s, BlacKkKlansman and Judas also articulate the importance of contemporary social justice movements like Black Lives Matter. In the introductory chapter, I establish the historical background, ideological motivation, and aesthetic signifiers of Blaxploitation films. The chapter reveals that Blaxploitation films emerged as a response to the racist representation of Black people in early mainstream Hollywood films, as well as to anti-Black racism in the wider culture. In chapter two, I interpret BlacKkKlansman as a film that yokes historical events with Blaxploitation tropes, such as Black cultural expression and collective struggles, to depict a continuum of Black resistance to anti-Black racism. In chapter three, I argue that Judas and the Black Messiah celebrates Black resistance to social injustice by valorizing the self-defense ideology and social organization of the Black Panther Party. I conclude by drawing an ideological connection between the Black Panther Party and Black Lives Matter, emphasizing the importance of both groups to Black social justice struggles.

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2022, Educational Leadership

Organizations including institutions of higher education recognize the importance of increasing gender diversity, equity, and inclusion in leadership ranks among women, especially if they want to be top competitors in their industries. Gender diversity increases collaboration, innovation, varied perspectives, increased staff retention and buy-in for new employees determining if they want to work for an organization in question, and a more comprehensive talent pool (People Management, 2021). Previous strategies used to increase gender diversity in leadership have included providing professional development or mentorship opportunities for all women; however, these strategies fail to take into account an intersectional lens and the various ways in which non-white women are affected by discrimination and inequity. “White women have it both ways, they may be may victimized by sexism, but racism enables them to act as exploiters to Black people” (bell hooks,1984 as cited in Kilpatrick, 2020, para. 2). Race and gender in particular create additional barriers to Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color (BIWOC) and their advancement. “White female racism undermines the feminist struggle (bell hooks, 1984 as cited in Kilpatrick, 2020, para. 2)”, further alienating or distancing BIWOC in organizations. Given the additional barriers BIWOC confront, what can organizations and institutions of higher education do to further support opportunities for advancement, that may thereby increase their sense of trust, belonging, and organizational commitment? This Critical Hermeneutic Phenomenological Action Research study explored the lived experiences of current and former Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color (BIWOC) higher education leaders, defined as director and above, and their perceptions of and access to opportunities that support positional advancement, including formal or informal mentorship and sponsorship. The frameworks used to inform the study include Critical/Critical Ra (open full item for complete abstract)