EP120: Dear Department Chair, Letters from Black Women Leaders to the Next Generation, with Dr. Stephanie Y. Evans

In The Margins

In this episode, Diverse host Dr. Jamal Watson engages in a thought-provoking discussion with Dr. Stephanie Y. Evans, a distinguished professor at Georgia State University's Institute for Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, who draws upon her extensive experience as a former department chair from 2010 to 2022.

Evans recently edited a book with Drs. Stephanie Shonekan and Stephanie G. Adams, "Dear Department Chair: Letters from Black Women Leaders to the Next Generation.” Evans sheds light on the book’s compelling themes in this interview. She speaks on the importance of documenting personal journeys and experiences, emphasizing the critical role of self-care in leadership positions, and challenging established paradigms of leadership. The dialogue also explores fresh perspectives on leadership within the academic sphere and underscores the transformative influence of mentorship on the journey to success, particularly for aspiring Black women leaders. Tune into this enlightening exchange, as Watson and Evans light the way for a future of empowered Black women leaders.

KEY POINTS:

- Dr. Stephanie Y. Evans' Remarkable Path to Higher Education

- The motivating force behind Dear Department Chair and its influential reach

- How Dr. Stephanie Y. Evans navigated the multifaceted role of Department Chair

- Dr. Stephanie Y. Evans’ transition from intellectual history to mental health

- The power of mentorship and peer networks

- The significance of mentorship and peer networks

- How Dr. Stephanie Y. Evans and her co-editors advocate for the next generation of Black Women Leaders

QUOTABLES:

"This book is an outgrowth of my experience as a department chair. We must keep a record of our personal experiences, but also give context to those experiences." - Dr. Stephanie Y. Evans

"If you don't take care of yourself, there's no way that you can have any sort of clarity to be a leader. You have to respect the autonomy of others. If you're going to say no and you're going to set boundaries, you also have to accept that other people are going to say no. You have to have certain types of understandings of what it means to be a human being in this position." - Dr. Stephanie Y. Evans

GUEST RESOURCES:

Dr. Stephanie Evans’ new book: https://www.wsupress.wayne.edu/books/detail/dear-department-chair

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