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The Legacy of Dean Penny: Testimonios of Multi-Generational Women Leaders

Katrina Struloeff, PhD
Karena A. Escalante, PhD
Kimberly Sterin, PhD
Ayana Allen-Handy, PhD

Through collaborative auto-ethnographic methods, this study centers on the individual and collective experiences of multiple generations of women educational leaders. Specifically, this chapter employs the use of testimonios as a tool of critical reflection and storying. The chapter provides novel insight into the formative and supportive relationships between multiple generations of marginalized women educational leaders in praxis.

Four themes emerged from our shared testimonios: (1) The Evolution of Leadership and Self-Actualization; (2) Leadership is Time and Context Bound; (3) Compassionate Leaders Foster Community; and (4) Leadership is Rooted in Legacy. In the discussion of the storying of our leadership, we highlight lessons we have learned from Dean Penny’s legacy which amplify love and aspiration to live these virtues of our leadership out loud.

Ultimately, this chapter seeks to dismantle sociocultural and political norms, increase inter-generational collectivity, and entice multicultural collaboration and representation within a social justice framework in higher education.

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