PHD, Kent State University, 2020, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

The purpose of this research study was to develop a grounded theory that identifies how undergraduate male-identifying students pursue leadership positions. Specifically, this grounded theory sought to answer the following questions: (1) How do undergraduate male students perceive leadership and (2) What is the process in which undergraduate male students decide to pursue leadership positions while in college? Nineteen diverse male-identifying students who had all held university-funded leadership positions at a large state university located in the northeastern United States participated in interviews. The study participants were asked about their leadership pursuit journey, as well as how they perceived leadership through the utilization of a semi-structured interview format. Male-identifying students identified that they perceived leadership in four distinct ways: leadership as a way for personal advancement, leadership as a vehicle for altruism, leadership challenges self-esteem, and through the negative perceptions of leadership by peers. This study found that male-identifying students pursue leadership while in college through the process of Connecting Leadership Identity and Motivation; this was also identified as the core category of this substantive theory. Connecting Leadership Identity and Motivation encompasses six sub-processes that were identified to take place in a progressive step process, starting with step one and moving through step six. The six fundamental processes identified are Being Encouraged Toward Leadership (Step 1), Internalizing Belief in Leadership Ability (Step 2), Developing a Positive Leadership Self-Concept (Step 3), Identifying Motivations for Leadership (Step 4), Pursuing Leadership (Step 5), and Reinforcing Leadership Self Concept “Snowball Effect” (Step 6).

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

This study is aimed at understanding how youth leadership development programs can be more inclusive and promote a broader range of leadership values, qualities, and behaviors by focusing on young people who have been disaffected by leadership development programs. The study design was intended to provide a creative space for youth to engage in meaningful conversations about their evolving concepts and expectations of leadership. Using critical youth participatory action research to engage a group of youth, cohort members co-created a new youth leadership development program while addressing their identified challenges and needs. Findings from this study highlight the importance of adults in youth programs and provide insights toward an ecosystem approach to youth leadership development. Practitioners, funders, and community leaders can create more inclusive and meaningful youth development opportunities and programs by understanding the youth program's ecosystem. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu/) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Doctor of Education (EdD), Ohio University, 2017, Educational Administration (Education)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of Ohio public high school principals regarding their roles as leaders of professional development and to identify the strategies they have undertaken to lead professional growth among their teachers. This study provides insights regarding the manner that principals perceive professional development in terms of the ways that they prioritize and execute these roles. Seven research objectives drove this study. The focus of these research objectives was to describe Ohio public school principals based upon their demographic characteristics, to identify the manner in which the decision-making of the principals regarding professional development was influenced, to determine the types and levels of influence on the implementation of professional development that was experienced by the participating principals, to ascertain the frequency with which the characteristics of professional development have occurred at the schools of the principals, to determine the perceptions of the principals regarding the efficacy of the professional development activities at their schools, to identify the leadership strategies that the principals used to foster professional development, and to identify the existence of statistically significant differences among the selected demographics emerging from this study. The study informs current practitioners about effective strategies for leading professional development and offers recommendations for policy makers. In regards to future research, the researcher offers recommendations for studies that would contribute to the relatively small existing body of research results regarding principals' perceptions of their role as leaders of professional development.

PHD, Kent State University, 2015, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to understand the process of leadership identity development experienced by traditional-aged female undergraduate college students. The findings led to a model for leadership identity development consisting of four phases. In Phase 1: Awareness and Exploration, students viewed leadership as external to themselves instead of something to which they aspired. In Phase 2: Leader Identified, students equated leadership with a title or position and saw themselves as leaders only when they were elected to a position. In Phase 3: Leadership Differentiated, students understood that leadership could derive from any source regardless of a position, yet they continued to see themselves as leaders because of their positions. In Phase 4: Generativity, students understood their responsibility to develop others as leaders. In this phase some students also realized a need to address change, specifically with regard to societal views of women and people of color. In the early phases of the model, the female students in this study saw gender as irrelevant to them as leaders even though they recognized societal views of female leaders as weaker or less capable. In later phases they understood how being female mattered, and by Phase 4 they recognized a need to take a stand on societal issues related to gender and race. This study provides valuable insights on the development of female student leadership identity to help leadership educators and student affairs professionals construct intentionally designed programs, yet much remains to be learned.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2015, Higher Education (Education)

Character development is a central function of higher education. This phenomenological study describes Black women's personal lived experiences with character development and ethical leadership development at Spelman College, America's oldest historically Black college for women. The following research question guided the study: How do students at a historically Black women's college describe their experiences with character development and ethical leadership development? The study also explored student's thoughts about the academic and co-curricular programs that best prepared them to be ethical leaders. Interviews were conducted with 10 graduating seniors from the Class of 2014 Women of Excellence Leadership (WEL) series offered by the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement at Spelman College. Eight alumnae members of the WEL program were also interviewed to provide their thoughts about character development and ethical leadership development. Participants were asked to share the learning and skills they attributed to their experiences as undergraduate students and campus leaders. Finally, the Director of the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement was interviewed to provide an administrative perspective on character development and ethical leadership development. The theory referenced in this study is Gilligan's (1988) work on women's development which illustrates that women are more concerned with care, relationships, and connections with other people as they engage in moral and ethical development. The findings of this study suggest that a supportive environment and expectations for success, educational programs that focus on conscious Black feminist-activist development, opportunities to become leaders and learn about leadership, and faculty and alumnae interaction, mentoring and support influence character development and ethical leadership development of students at Spelman College. In addition, the participants shared expectations (open full item for complete abstract)

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2009, Leadership and Change

In a time of increasing complexity, many organizations invest in leadership development programs to prepare those who will assume the role of leader. Although many studies have evaluated programs' impact, the questions remain: does development happen in leadership development program? If so, what kind of development? And what is the participant's experience of personal or organizational impact? The purpose of this sequential mixed methodology study is to address these three questions utilizing an online follow-through platform as a lens on 248 participants in the Center for Creative Leadership's Leadership Development Program (LDP) who reported completing their LDP goals. Those who completed their development goals in the twelve weeks following the LDP face-to-face classroom phase were asked "What was the personal or organizational impact of completing this goal?" From thematic analysis of the participant's experience of impact, a taxonomy of 82 content codes emerged; these were then clustered into eight domains of increasing interpersonal space. The codes and domains were utilized to generate frequency counts, revealing first-person accounts of impact that extended beyond the individual into interpersonal, team, and organizational domains; the reports of impact included both interior (subjective worldview and shared culture) and exterior (observable behavior, performance, structure, systems, and processes) realms highlighting the impact on individuals and collectives. Codes surfaced evidence of both horizontal and vertical development, with seven emergent hypotheses being investigated for their role in predicting inclusion in the vertical development codes.This research integrates the literature in various domains to discuss findings: leader development, leadership development, leadership development program design, postclassroom development, adult development, horizontal development, vertical development, integral theory, hierarchical complexity, and online follow (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2013, Educational Leadership

Colleges and universities have a unique opportunity to develop leaders capable of addressing the challenges of tomorrow. Critical components of such leadership include understanding oneself, being able to navigate challenges, work across difference, and understand and adopt multiple perspectives. The ability of higher education to support the development of leaders who can address challenges can have a major effect on the future of our country and our world. This longitudinal study explored connections between college student leadership and the developmental capacities necessary to engage in effective leadership. The study used the Social Change Model of Leadership (SCM) (Higher Education Research Institute, 1996) and Self-Authorship Theory (Baxter Magolda, 2001) as frameworks to explore connections between leadership and developmental capacities. I used data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education collected between 2006 and 2009 in this dissertation study. I analyzed four years of transcripts for 22 students who had high quantitative gains on the Socially Responsible Leadership Scale over a four-year period. The sample was diverse with just under half of the students identifying as students of color. I conducted the data analysis for each of the participants by: 1) coding for SCM leadership values; 2) analyzing development toward self authorship across four years; 3) and coding for patterns in development and SCM leadership value shifts across four-years. The results of this study demonstrated two major findings furthering our understanding of leadership using the SCM. The first finding highlighted the various stages students go through as they move toward effectively demonstrating SCM leadership. The second major finding was that development was connected to all of the SCM leadership values and increasing student developmental capacities is a necessary component of leadership development. This study produced major implications for (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Higher Education Administration

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between life design and student leadership development at Bowling Green State University, a mid-sized, comprehensive public institution in Northwest Ohio. Life design was an institutional strategy used to increase student success and empower students with the tools and skills to design their college experience more intentionally and prepare for the next steps after graduation (Life Design, 2023). Life design is a creative problem-solving framework that empowers students to adopt design thinking mindsets and methods and apply them in their own lives to creatively solve problems (Burnett & Evans, 2016). Based on the literature, including research focused on Social Change Model and Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership, I suggested five main areas of overlap between life design and leadership: consciousness of self and others, collaboration, creative problem-solving, change, and innovation management. Utilizing Fall 2020 data from the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership, multiple student subgroups who were involved in various life design and leadership experiences were compared across various leadership and life design scales. This study was meaningful as it contributed empirical evidence to the emerging research topic of life design and suggested preliminary signs of a relationship between life design and leadership. Findings suggested that students connected to life design and leadership experiences had higher levels of leadership outcomes than students who did not participate in life design or leadership experiences across all six scales in the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership. Findings also provided evidence of increased life design outcomes for students in life design programs according to a prototype Life Design Capacity Scale. This scale was also a statistically significant variable within a logistic regression model as a predictor of a student's four-year graduation outcome, though t (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Leadership

The Ohio Principal Evaluation System 2.0 (OPES 2.0) serves as the primary tool for assessing principal effectiveness in Ohio. This research explores Ohio principals' experiences with OPES 2.0 and how OPES 2.0 influences professional growth. It also identifies factors that either support or hinder successful evaluation outcomes. Using a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach, the study analyzed principals' perceptions of OPES 2.0, the competency of evaluators, impact on professional habits and development, and the challenges faced in OPES 2.0 implementation. The findings reveal that principals have ambivalent views about OPES 2.0. In its inaugural year of mandated use, strong negative sentiments were prevalent. Furthermore, inconsistent implementation across districts—often missing key evaluation components—led to varied experiences for principals, obstructing their ability to leverage evaluation results for growth. While principals believed they understood the system and trusted their evaluators' capabilities, they were unsure about the flexibility permitted in implementing OPES 2.0. Notably, principals with less than five years of experience found OPES 2.0 less beneficial for their growth compared to their more experienced counterparts. Principals were evenly divided on whether OPES 2.0 positively affected their professional practices and development. The study underscores the need for enhancements at all principal evaluation stages—planning, monitoring, assessment, and appraisal—and across all structural levels, from state to individual principal. These findings offer a foundation for state agencies and school districts to gauge the effectiveness and perceived value of the new state principal evaluation model. Crucially, the study highlights that certain aspects of OPES 2.0 implementation in 2022-2023 impeded its main objectives to foster professional growth in principals and improve school outcomes.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Leadership Studies, Xavier University, 2022, Leadership Studies and Human Resource Development

This study assessed a linkage between father-nurture or lack thereof and the development of leadership capacities through the lens of Bowlby's (1969, 1988) Attachment Theory. The constructs of father-nurture or lack thereof, which was theoretically grounded in Bowlby's key parental attachments of Secure, Anxious-Resistant, and Anxious-Avoidant, were measured by the five constructs of Safe, Fearful, Parentified, Distant, and Dependent relationship with fathers or father-figures during childhood and adolescence, delineated from Michael and Snow's (2019) Adult Scale of Parental Attachment. The leadership capacities were measured by the aspects of cognitive, moral, and social-emotional development that have been emphasized from well-established leadership theories—Authentic, Charismatic, Servant-Leadership, and Transformational/Transactional. In a sample of 38 adult participants, multiple linear regression models provide evidence that 1) those with a lower level of feeling Safe with fathers or father-figures exhibit a significantly lower level of leadership capacities from the aspects of cognitive and moral development, and 2) those with a higher level of feeling a Distant relationship with fathers or father-figures are significantly more likely to show a lower level of leadership capacities from the aspect of cognitive development. This study signifies the roles of fathers or father-figures during childhood and adolescence in the development process of leadership capacities from the aspects of cognitive and moral development.

Doctor of Education, Ashland University, 2021, College of Education

The study aimed to explore 10 current Baptist pastors' lived experiences on succession planning practices, characteristics crucial for an influential pastor, and why formal succession plans are nonexistent in Baptist churches. Data was collected via the Zoom platform, which recorded both the audio and visual portions of the semi-structured interviews. Participants answered three open-ended questions relating to the phenomenon of succession planning practices. The findings substantiate the fact that consistent succession planning practices are not in place amongst many Baptist churches. It is not unreasonable to assure that the lack of planning could lead to internal conflict, power struggles, loss of membership, and overall chaos in many congregations. Creating succession plans is essential and needs to be addressed in the church, training seminars, and seminaries.

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2019, Higher Education

This study investigated the shared, lived experience of graduates participating in a Grow-Your-Own (GYO) leadership development program at a comprehensive community college with several campuses and educational centers. There is a noted, growing shortage of talented community college leaders needed to address the complex challenges faced by community colleges across the country. This leadership shortage is attributed to an increased number of retirements among community college leaders and a lack of community college leadership development through either university doctoral programs or national professional associations. With GYOs identified as the preferred method of developing emerging community college leaders, it is important to understand the lived experience of participants in GYO programs. The study used an inductive approach to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. From data analysis, three themes emerged to describe the shared lived experience of GYO program participants, including: (a) the value of connectedness, which participants expressed as “being a part of”; (b) understanding how leaders should be developed; and, (c) how participants perceived the impact of their leadership role on college processes, students, and subordinates. At the very center of the phenomenon under study was the essence—connections—which guided policy and practice recommendations. This essence of connections was explored through participants' connection to: (a) colleagues, college leaders, and the institution; (b) the GYO program and how participants perceived and connected to their personal development; and, (c) participants' ability to impact others within the institution. Concluding the study, two inferences were suggested: (a) GYO program structure may assume recruiting participants with a requisite level of confidence needed to lead within the community college; and, (b) an individual's perception of leadership considers (open full item for complete abstract)

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2018, Leadership and Change

A reliable scale to measure adaptive leadership with authority—leadership from a position of power—does not exist. This was an embedded mixed-methods study–QUAN(qual) with data collected through an online survey instrument that included the proposed scale items and an open-ended question. The quantitative part of the study, using data from 436 respondents (92.7% from Mechanical Turk, 7.3% from snowball sampling), involved the development and validation of a unidimensional scale that measures adaptive leadership with authority using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The 11-item scale had a Cronbach's alpha value of .891 and thus displayed high reliability. In the qualitative part of the study, thematic analysis was used to analyze data from 550 respondents to confirm the presence of adaptive leadership with authority sub-constructs and identify possible adaptive leadership behaviors not included in the adaptive leadership framework. The analysis provided support for the following adaptive leadership with authority sub-constructs: Distinguish Between Adaptive and Technical Challenges; Identify the Stakeholders and Their Losses; Create the Holding Environment; Regulate the Distress to maintain focus on adaptive work; Give the Work Back; and Use of Self as a diagnostic and intervention instrument. The narrative data did not support Protecting Voices of Leadership without Authority. The combination of the narrative data and scale pointed to Give the Work Back, Use of Self, and Create the Holding Environment as the most important elements in adaptive leadership with authority. This dissertation is accompanied by a de-identified data file [xls] and the author's MP4 video introduction. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and Ohiolink ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2018, Leadership Studies

This phenomenological study examines African American female student perceptions of the factors in a youth leadership program that contributed to their academic success, personal growth, and future aspirations. Literature continues to reflect that African American females lag behind their white peers academically and are less likely to be successful in secondary school. Current research speaks to programs that address the achievement of African American females, but often lacks the voices of the students most impacted. I conducted extensive interviews with twelve African American females, currently enrolled in college, who had previously completed the I'm A STAR Leadership Development Program. From the analysis of the in-depth qualitative interviews, five major themes emerged from which four subthemes were generated. The emergent themes include (a) Leadership transformation, (b) Leadership is service to humankind, (c) My voice can change the world, (d) Growing through empowerment, and (e) Significance of Shared Language and Symbols. The subthemes include (a) Vocabulary development, (b) Insight into college, (c) Speak life into students (they believe what you say about who they are and what they can become). The study findings offer educators knowledge of the participants lived experiences to gain a deeper understanding of the female students needs for academic success within leadership development programs and educational institutions. It is imperative that educators and policymakers be aware of the factors in youth leadership programs that aid in academic success. The work of the IASLDP demonstrated that the factors of this program play a pivotal role in the lives of African American female students. These factors are essential to the lives of the African American female students served and to stakeholders who champion their success.

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2017, Management

The S&P 500 companies account for 75% of American equity markets, and according to a recent Korn/Ferry Executive Survey, 98% of firms consider CEO succession planning to be an integral part of the corporate governance process. Despite the importance, only 35% of respondents considered themselves prepared for the departure of their CEO (Korn Ferry, 2010) and as much as 40% lack enough talent to replace executives and high potentials (Talent Management.com, 2011). The risk to global economies of mismanaged executive succession is significant. Not only is there significant risk to current financial performance, but risk to missing growth targets necessary to fuel economic growth domestically and abroad. Fueling the succession challenge is the global economic slowdown that began in 2008 which has since stalled the progress of many careers. Much has been written on the topic of the succession planning process, value and organizational impact; however, little has been written on the individual factors that accelerate organizational ascension. This mixed-methods three-phased study is conducted within a single S&P50 enterprise and seeks to understand individual characteristics that enable ascension to the most senior levels of leadership. Conducting all research within xiii one high-performing and well-admired long-standing firm creates a valuable set of findings. We find that while career experiences do indeed have a significant role to play among those who ascend, the impact is only effective when mediated through other constructs, two of which being career commitment (referring to both the commitment one has to one's profession or occupation and the ambition to ascend to higher level positions) and cosmopolitanism (a worldview that transcends any particular culture or environment). Cosmopolitanism has not previously been explored in the area of executive development, succession planning, and readiness. We also found that boundaryless and protean career orientations ha (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2016, Leadership Studies

This dissertation is a phenomenological examination of the experiences of nine metropolitan Chief Fire Officers in the ascension to and in the highest leadership position at metropolitan fire departments. An extensive review of literature showed a dearth of literature relative to how individuals ascend to the position and what they experience in the position. Research indicates that there is no widely recognized or shared path of preparation for Chief Fire Officers. Several key concepts emerged from the analysis of the in-depth qualitative interviews with nine participants including, operational training and experience, discovery of leadership and management, developing leadership skills, responsibility and accountability, institutional complexity, and motivation and inspiration. From the six key concepts four overarching themes arose: the unique characteristics of the Chief Fire Officer position; the ability to master technical,human, and conceptual skills; significant developmental leadership experiences; and the importance of self-awareness. The findings of the study revealed implications for policy and practice including the need to develop policies to outline a clear expectation and agreed-upon understanding of the components and complexity of the Chief position; to develop agreed upon practices to support skills mastery at milestone points, such as Lieutenant, Battalion Chief and/or moves to administrative positions, Assistant Chief, and Chief Fire Officer. Finally, the results of this empirical study represent a substantial addition to the existing literature base and provide a deeper and more robust dialogue relative to the ascension of metropolitan Chief Fire Officers.

Doctor of Education, Ashland University, 2016, College of Education

This study explores youth perceptions on youth leadership development programs (YLDP) in urban Baptist churches. Understanding youth perceptions is a primary source for information that is generally overlooked. Ultimately, this study provides a rubric for YLDP's. The research question addressed what youth perceived as effective and ineffective practices of YLPD's. Data was collected from interviews and focus groups with youth. The data generated seven themes: (a) communication (b) preparation (c) learning (d) helping (e) encouragement (f) friendship (g) fun. The findings of this study concluded that youth valued communication as a primary source for leadership growth. Youth felt that the YLDP prepared them in terms of growth and guidance in their personal development. The concept of learning was expressed by the youth as a key component of the YLDP. Youth also identified how they received encouragement to strive for excellence from participating in the YLDP. The idea of having fun was strongly shared by the youth, and was a primary factor expressed. A primary reason youth expressed for participating in the YLDP was friendship. The results are aligned with literature which identifies the importance of communication in reference to youth voice, personal development, and the important role of youth and adult partnerships.

Doctor of Education, Ashland University, 2015, College of Education

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore and conceptualize how teacher leaders are trained, developed, and supported both formally and informally to be effective in their roles. The study furthered examined teachers perceptions of the Ohio teacher leader endorsement and its' impact on them as teacher leaders. The study was conducted in an urban and suburban school district located in central Ohio. The eight teachers were selected to participate in the study because they held the Ohio teacher leader endorsement and work as teacher leaders in either a formal or informal role in their district. Five themes emerged from this study: (a) Formal training and support is essential for teacher leaders and can provide teachers with credibility among their colleagues, (b) Teacher leaders in both formal and informal roles are necessary to impact change in their organization, (c) Formal teacher leaders can lead from the classroom, (d) Informal support for teacher leaders, and (e) Stronger connections between statewide initiatives and the work of teacher leaders are necessary for educators to make sense out of the work of teacher leaders.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2015, Leadership Studies

This dissertation explores the impact of formal staff training and field leadership on the ability of student leaders to correctly discern the appropriate styles of leadership for specific outdoor recreation-based situations. The relationship between the situational leadership model (Hersey & Blanchard, 1980) and group development theory (Tuckman, 1965) was explored through the integration research of Weber and Karman (1991) and was used as a framework for this study. In order to develop an applicable form of this research for this study, the researcher developed an integrated dynamic model to provide a visual representation of the blending of the two theoretical frameworks. In addition to the exploration of formal staff training and field leadership experiences, analyses were conducted to determine if age, gender, race, previous outdoor recreation experience, or outdoor recreation degree seeking significantly affected the students' awareness or their dominant styles of leadership. The literature study indicated a strong relationship between situational leadership and outdoor recreation (Breunig, O'Connell, Todd, Anderson, & Young, 2010; Shooter, Paisley, & Sibthorp, 2009; Sibthorp, Paisley, & Gookin, 2007; Sutherland & Stroot, 2010), but little, if any, research exists on the development of situational leadership in outdoor leaders. The quantitative nature of this study stemmed from the lack of research in the outdoor recreation field from this approach. As most previous research in outdoor recreation utilized small populations (i.e., a single group of people participating in an outdoor recreation activity), this study examined a larger group of participants utilizing a quantitative approach. In total, 106 student outdoor leaders from various Midwestern United States university outdoor recreation programs participated in a three-part study that tested their awareness of situational leadership through the Outdoor Leadership Survey (OLS), which utilized the Expediti (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Education, Ashland University, 2013, College of Education

This dissertation is a study of the leadership development process of community mental health center (CMHC) executive directors in Ohio. CMHCs are tasked with providing services to individuals struggling with complex mental and emotional diagnoses. In Ohio these centers are nonprofit organizations that offer a multifaceted array of services paid for by a variety of third party funding sources. Many executive directors of Ohio CMHCs begin their careers as clinicians and must acquire the skills necessary to effectively lead their organization. In this study six Ohio CMHC executive directors who began their careers as clinicians were interviewed to discover the clinician-to-director developmental process. The data revealed two primary themes each with subthemes that describe the phenomenon experienced by the directors.