CHAIR AT THE TABLE
Black Women &
Academic Leadership
RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
chairatthetable.net
project Co-Chairs
Stephanie Y. Evans, PhD
Dr. Evans is Professor in the Institute for Women’s, Gender and Sexuality and Affiliate Faculty in the Department of Africana Studies at Georgia State University.
Tracy Sharpley-Whiting, PhD
Dr. Sharpley-Whiting is Vice Provost of Arts and Libraries, the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Distinguished Professor of Humanities (AADS and French), former Chair of African American and Diaspora Studies, and Director of the Callie House Center at Vanderbilt University.
October 2024: UNIVERSITY OF maryland leadership plenary
Shining Our Light on Leadership
Shining Our Light on Leadership
Shining Our Light on Leadership
EVENT WEBSITE
https://terrapinstrong.umd.edu/ts-symposium
DEAR DEPARTMENT CHAIR:
Letters from Black Women Leaders to the Next Generation
Dr. Stephanie Shonekan and a team of co-authors discussed "takeaways from their book of the same title. This book offers insights applicable to all of us through their unique lens as Black women."
TerrapinSTRONG Symposium
Shining Our Light on Leadership
Shining Our Light on Leadership
"The TerrapinSTRONG Symposium is an opportunity for faculty and staff to learn from each other about diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and belonging (DEIJB) topics. The annual campus conference day provides space to bridge the work of scholars, researchers and practitioners to create greater collaboration and to provide insights from all sides that may inform our work."
Closing Plenary Panel
Dear Department Chair Authors
Dear Department Chair Authors
Stephanie Shonekan is professor of ethnomusicology and dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Maryland. She convened her colleagues and facilitated a leadership discussion that tied together themes shared in the book Dear Department Chair. The panel discussed their chapters in relation to themes shared in earlier panels of the Maryland conference.
Dear Department Chair Authors
Dear Department Chair Authors
Dear Department Chair Authors
Books are conversation starters! This year's theme was Inclusive Leadership. "Leadership happens at all levels of the university. As a leader, by position and/or by example, how do you ensure that everyone feels like a part of the institutional goals, large and small? But also, how do our identities shape our leadership experiences? What are the challenges and opportunities of leading in a way that respects and embraces your own identity and the identities of others?"
SEPTEMBER 2024: UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LONDON CONFERENCE (UK)
Black Women in Academia: Leveraging International Networks Conference
This conference aimed to foster a sense of community and harness international collaboration opportunities for Black women in academia. The event was graciously co-hosted by Temi Lawal and Cianne Jones with support from University College of London.
In partnership with University College London, Chair at the Table Network, and Vanderbilt University, the "Black Women in Academia: Leveraging International Networks" conference fostered a supportive community and explored global collaboration opportunities for Black women in academia. The conference hosts also partnered with Leading Routes, the conference sponsor.
Attendees looked forward to hearing from senior Black women in academia from different disciplines, who discussed strategies for advancing in promotion and leadership. Prospective doctoral students and future faculty gained an understanding of the realities of pursuing a PhD and explore various pathways into academia. The conference also addressed the current global landscape of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and offered strategies for enhancing connections between academia, research and practice.
Conference Agenda
10:20 AM - 11:05 AM
The Power and Potential of International Collaboration: A Conversation
11:20 AM - 12:05 PM
Navigating the Profession: Promotion and Leadership
1:00 PM - 1:40 PM
Staying the Course: Black Women PhD Researchers in Academia
1:55 PM - 2:35 PM
Academia, Research and Practice: Black Women Leaders in Professional Services
march 2024: Vanderbilt hosts global network of women
CHAT-WHEN Conference
Vanderbilt University hosted a global network of women in academia on March 29 when the CHAT-WHEN conference and international Black women's network gathered on campus.
"Conference sessions paved the way for international research collaborations, networking and mentoring for faculty, administrators and graduate students. Among the speakers featured were Raver; Cianne Jones, chief operating officer for WHEN; Stephanie Y. Evans, founder and co-chair of CHAT and a professor of Black women’s studies at Georgia State University; Stephanie G. Adams, a professor of systems engineering dean of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas; Jenny Douglas, a senior lecturer in health promotion at the Open University; Carol E. Henderson, vice provost for diversity and inclusion, chief diversity officer and adviser to the president at Emory University; Temi Lawal, senior programme manager at WHEN and researcher; Yolanda Pierce, dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School; Sydney Savion, vice chancellor for people, culture and belonging at Vanderbilt; and Claudine Taaffe, senior lecturer in African American and Diaspora Studies at Vanderbilt."
Women's Higher Education Network
WHEN propels women to achieve their ambitions and enables universities and the higher education sector to accelerate change. 100 Black Women Professors NOW is a pioneering systemic change programme aiming to increase the number of Black women in the academic pipeline.
My VU News Story
"With a goal of establishing international research collaborations among women in higher education, the U.S.-based Chair at the Table Network and U.K.-based Women’s Higher Education Network explored career advancement and partnership building
themes at the hybrid event."
march 2024: 100 Black women professors now conference
100 BWPN & Chair @ the Table - International Networking
Chair at the Table Network Members will connect for a very special spring 2024 gathering!
Women in Higher Education Network (WHEN)/100 Black Women Professors NOW (UK) & Chair at the Table Network (CHAT) (US)
Joint Conference
Friday, 29th March 2024 | In-person or virtual
Location
Vanderbilt University,
Nashville, TN, United States
Time
10.00-14.00 CST
16.00-20.00 GMT
Women in Higher Education Network/100 Black Women Professors Now and Chair at the Table Network are pleased to partner to host our first international conference. This hybrid event will allow our members to build international networks with Black women academics and identify areas of collaboration for research.
Limited space is available. Please note that you must be a member of the 100 Black Women Professors NOW or the Chair at the Table Network to be eligible to attend this event.
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.
If you are a member of the Chair at the Table Network (authors, panel presenters, or former event attendees) request a registration link by emailing professorsevans[at]gmail.com.
October 2023: NWSA BOOK PANEL
National Women's Studies Association Conference
DEAR DEPARTMENT CHAIR
CONGERENCE PANEL & BOOK SIGNING
Saturday, October 28, 2023 | 2:30pm
Baltimore, MD
Book details HERE.
SEPTEMBER 2023: BOOK LAUNCH PANEL
Dear Department Chair: Letters from Black Women Leaders to the Next Generation
BOOK LAUNCH PANEL
Friday, September 1, 2023 | 12pm-1pm | Online
Event Registration Closed.
Book details HERE.
january 2021: MENTORING WORKSHOP
Mentoring for Department Chair & Administrative Leadership: Strategies for Professional Development
This virtual workshop explored race, gender, and higher education leadership. Invited speakers were presenters from the Working Symposium held at Vanderbilt University in 2019. The event was free and open to the public. Over fifty scholar-administrators attended this professional development workshop. Registrants who are current or aspiring department chairs, academic program coordinators, research institute directors, deans, or provosts participated in a day-long retreat to share information about four topics:
1. Administration 101
2. Leadership, Balance, & Self-Development
3. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Change, & Transformation
4. Faculty, Staff, Students, and Community.
In addition to a Keynote Address by Dr. Sharply-Whiting, two sessions covered mid-level administration and next-level administration:
- Morning Session: "Chairs at the Table" (current and former department chairs)
- Afternoon Session: "Beyond the Chair" (current deans and upper administrators)
This virtual gathering built on the 2019 discussion and will be followed by future gatherings (check back on this web page for notification). Presenters previewed their articles that will appear in the Palimpsest journal in Fall 2021. For a list of attendees in the Chair at the Table network, see below.
JANUARY 2021: mentoring workshop speakers
Dr. Stephanie Adams
Dr. Katherine Bankole-Medina
Dr. Katherine Bankole-Medina
Dean of Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science | University of Texas-Dallas
Dr. Katherine Bankole-Medina
Dr. Katherine Bankole-Medina
Dr. Katherine Bankole-Medina
Professor of History and Distinguished Faculty Researcher
Dr. Michelle Dunlap
Dr. Katherine Bankole-Medina
Dr. Michelle Dunlap
Professor of Human Development Department
Dr. Carol Henderson
Dr. Theresa Rajack-Talley
Dr. Michelle Dunlap
Inaugural Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion, Chief Diversity
Officer, and Advisor to the President
Dr. Donna Nicol
Dr. Theresa Rajack-Talley
Dr. Theresa Rajack-Talley
Associate Professor and Chair of Africana Studies
Dr. Theresa Rajack-Talley
Dr. Theresa Rajack-Talley
Dr. Theresa Rajack-Talley
Inaugural Vice-Provost of Equity & Inclusion
Dr. Stephanie Shonekon
Dr. Stephanie Shonekon
Dr. Stephanie Shonekon
Associate Dean of the College of Arts & Science and Professor of Music
Dr. Janice Sumler-Edmond
Dr. Stephanie Shonekon
Dr. Stephanie Shonekon
Professor Emerita of United States History and Constitutional Law
september 2019: working symposium
Mid-Career Workshop Presenters
Stephanie Y. Evans Georgia State University | Personal Page
Tracy Sharpley-Whiting Vanderbilt University
~ ~ ~
Stephanie Adams
Dean of the Eric Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science
Katherine Bankole-Medina
Professor of History and Distinguished Faculty Researcher
Copping State University | Personal Page
Margo Crawford
Professor of English and Director of the Center for Africana Studies
Michelle Dunlap
Professor of Human Development Department
Tara T. Green
Linda Carlisle Excellence Professor of Women's and Gender Studies
University of North Carolina-Greensboro | Personal Page
Carol Henderson
Inaugural Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion, Chief Diversity
Officer, and Advisor to the President
Donna Nicol
Associate Professor and Chair of Africana Studies
California State University-Dominguez Hills | Personal Page
Theresa Rajack-Talley
Inaugural Vice-Provost of Equity & Inclusion
Noliwe Rooks
Professor of Africana Studies
Cornell University | Personal Page
Janice Sumler-Edmond
Professor Emerita of United States History and Constitutional Law
Stephanie Shonekan
Former Professor & Chair, W. E. B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies, UMass-Amherst
Associate Dean of the College of Arts & Science and Professor of Music
University of Missouri | Personal Page
Special thanks to:
Dr. Tiffany Patterson, Dr. Claudine Taffe, Ms. Lennita Tate, and Dr. Gilman Whiting
