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Historically, the leadership of organizations, including institutions of postsecondary education, has rested within the dominant white, cis-gendered male culture. The first college in the U.S, Harvard University, founded in 1646, existed to educate white male landowners (and their progeny) in a classical curriculum focusing heavily on ethics, politics, and religion. Black Americans slowly gained access to higher education, with Alexander Twilight credited as the first Black man to receive a bachelor’s degree in 1823. American higher education remained the purview of men until the 1830s, when women’s colleges were established. However, it was not until 1862 that Mary Jane Patterson became the first Black woman to earn a bachelor’s degree.
Black men continued to excel in higher education and attain leadership roles. In 1856, Martin Henry Freeman became the first Black college president (Avery College). This was decades prior to the passage of the Second Morrill Act of 1890, which created separate land grant institutions for Black Americans. It took until 1956 for the first Black woman, Willa Beatrice Player, to ascend to a college presidency (Bennett College).
The Latine population experienced similar barriers and bridges to and through American higher education. Latino males were first admitted to and graduated from American universities in the mid-1860s. It was not until late 1800s that the first Latina, Salome Machado, graduated from an American college (Smith College in 1883). More than 100 years later, in 1986, Dr. Juliet Garcia became the first Latina president of an American college (Texas Southmost College). It was also in 1986 that Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) was designated as the first Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in the US, and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) was born from a meeting at OLLU.
Today, the California Community College System, with more than 1.8 million students at 116 institutions, boasts 29 Black CEOs and nearly 40 Latine CEOs. As a Black woman, I am privileged and proud to serve as President of Contra Costa College (CCC), an institution serving approximately 10,000 students annually in the East Bay. CCC has a diverse student body, with 44% self-identified as Hispanic, 20% as Asian Pacific Islander, 14% as white, and 13% as African American. CCC is both a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI). If Governor Gavin Newsom signs SB 1348 into law, CCC will seek status as a Black Serving Institution (BSI).Â
Originally from South Carolina, I came to California in 2021 as the Vice President of Instruction (VPI) at CCC and later served as Acting President for one year before becoming the permanent President in 2023. My former college in Massachusetts had a large population of Black students and steadily increasing numbers of Latine students. In fact, the college anticipated earning status as an emerging HSI prior to the pandemic. The college’s students came from across the African and Latin American diasporas. While Boston has a history of racial segregation and unrest, the college’s Black and Latine communities worked together to advance mutual interests. When we could not reach consensus, we employed an interest-based approach to our work and decision making. Remembering our shared interests and goals was useful in reaching compromise and resolving conflict.
In relocating to California, it was important to me to familiarize myself with the college and local community, but also to develop a knowledge base for supporting students, faculty, and classified employees at HSIs. I read every study, press release, announcement, and suggestion that HACU, Excelencia in Education, Alliance for Hispanic Serving Institution Educators, and the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education offered to familiarize myself with race-conscious practices, outreach, and supports for Latine students. It was equally important for me to understand the cultural nuances of the college’s service area. When I moved to California, I chose to live within three miles of the college: There is no better method of understanding local issues. Seeing students and co-workers in Target and Safeway or answering questions about programs while getting your hair done offers an opportunity to hear questions and concerns directly. Receiving feedback, constructive and less constructive at times, is part and parcel of how I work with the community.
At CCC, I have focused on creating an environment where Latine and all students feel a sense of belonging and have access to the tools needed to build a successful foundation for academic and career success. By employing data-informed decision making, evidence-based practices, and centering student voice, my team and I have increased enrollment to pre-pandemic levels, expanded dual enrollment, and begun to close equity gaps for Latine and Black students in first-year math and English. One way CCC has done this is through learning communities. Having witnessed the benefits firsthand of being in small, thematic groups as an undergraduate, I understand how powerful the experience is for students. Whether they are part of First Year Experience (FYE) or the Puente Project, CCC students experience statistically significant increases in persistence and course completion, compared to non-learning community peers. For the 2023-24 academic year, Puentistas were 29 percentage points more likely to successfully complete transfer-level English than their non-Puente peers (88% vs 59%). There was similar data for math, with Puente students 11 percentage points more likely to complete transfer-level math than their non-Puente peers (82% vs 71%). Our next goal is to reestablish Umoja for Black-identified students, while founding the college’s first Asian Pacific Islander learning community.
To align with CCC’s mission, vision, and values and institutional plan, I ensure that my decisions focus on student success, equity, and community vibrancy. One way I have achieved this is by becoming part of Achieving the Dream (ATD). In 2023, CCC was invited to join the ATD Accelerating Equitable Outcomes for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and People of Color cohort. Supported with funding from MacKenzie Scott, this small group of colleges seeks to transform institutions by centering students’ success and equity within a framework that reinvigorates the local community and economy. With the presidency come privilege and pressure. Whether it is enrollment recovery, budgetary pressures, and/or the increasing unmet basic needs of students and employees, the work is meaningful yet at times stressful. CCC has made strides in many areas, not because of this mythical “Black girl magic” that people cite in pop culture, but due to a dedicated team, creative enrollment management approaches, and not enough vacation time. There is no magic involved.
As a Black CEO at a non-majority Black institution, certain decisions and actions are viewed under a bright political spotlight. Racial politics exist. I try to remember this. I regularly remind constituents that improvements require patience and unpopular decisions are made with the best interests of the students in mind. Rome was not built in a day, but had email existed in Roman times, the city manager certainly would have received feedback. Despite my humor about the situation, the sting of the misogynoir that darkens my inbox on a regular basis hurts. The assumption of incompetence is an unwelcome fact of life. However, I never forget my purpose: improving outcomes for students, especially those disproportionately impacted by race.
For other Black CEOs leading HSIs, my primary recommendation is to practice active listening, perhaps the most underrated skill in a CEO’s toolkit. Whether one attends city council meetings, focus groups with students, or town halls, making time to hear from community and constituent groups is essential. CCC has had great success meeting many student- and community-centered requests (voter registration, more ESL and in-person classes, College for Kids, better food, free gym use, etc.), and we will continue to allocate resources based on our institutional plans and student and community voices.
Like our Latine students, I know college was not originally created with people like me in mind. What I offer Latine and all students are resources that allow them to enroll, persist, and complete, in a race-conscious and culturally empowering environment. I will continue to center them, their needs, and their cultures. It takes time, effort, and strategy to dismantle inequitable structures embedded in policies, procedures, and practices. I am confident we can continue to achieve success and reduce disproportionate impact if we approach the work with respect, a focus on shared vision, and always remember to put students first.
Dr. Kimberly R. Rogers is president of Contra Costa College.
Editor’s Note:
Behind the Desk: Perspectives of Black Community College CEOs is a column edited by Drs. Tina M. King, Jamal A. Cooks and David M. Johnson. Â