A Sit Down With the Author of “Women In the Higher Education C-Suite”: Lisa Takami
Written By Daniella Kahane
As a higher education administrator, Lisa Mednick Takami not only wanted to share insights from remarkable women and highlight their legacy, but literally wrote the book on them. Drawing from extended qualitative interviews with successful higher education CEOs and senior leaders to highlight their lived experiences, career trajectories, and leadership lessons, she focuses on the real experiences and formative development of current women leaders and offers the reader practical recommendations for the reader to utilize in their own career.
Daniella Kahane sat down with Lisa to dig into what it took to collect the profiles showcased in Women In The Higher Education C-Suite, the journey to get the book published, what inspired Lisa in her career, and why she believes this book is important for today’s leaders.
Why this book? Why now?
Data show women have a far easier time ascending to the C-Suite in higher education than they do in Fortune 500 companies. Nationwide, women account for 32% of college and university CEO roles according to a 2020 study by the College & University Professional Association for Human Resources. In California, this rate jumps to 45.4% for women CEOs serving in community colleges based on the 2022 CEO Tenure and Retention Study by the League of California Community Colleges. In contrast, a June, 2023 Forbes article reports that women make up only 10.4% of Fortune 500 CEO positions. Models of successful higher education women leaders not only inspire and inform the next generation of women leaders, but they are also applicable to women in any industry given the themes that emerged from the book’s interviews (e.g. possessing or obtaining strong mentors and sponsors, pursuing intentional professional development, and many others to be found by reading!). Women are leading some of the largest and most important institutions across the country including public and private colleges and universities, HBCUs, and Tribal Colleges including Dr. Joanne Li, Chancellor, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Dr. Katrice Albert, Vice President Institutional Diversity, University of Kentucky, and Dr. Mildred García, Chancellor, California State University System. These women’s trials and triumphs deserve our attention because we have much to learn from their personal stories, professional trajectories, and collective wisdom.
Writing a book can be a grueling process, and getting it published even more challenging. Can you share a little bit about your process and the challenges you faced along the way?
At the height of the pandemic, I was headhunted for a C-Suite position in the private education sector for the building trades. I left a comfortable middle management role in higher education to try something new. After six months of experiencing glaring misogyny and the Glass Cliff Effect, I made the difficult decision to leave and pivot in my career. I have been writing articles for the Wiley Journal, Women in Higher Education since 2014. In the intervening years, Wiley has become a global powerhouse through acquisition. Given an entrepreneurial background (I owned a communication and training firm for 15 years before transitioning to higher education) and my first book published in Japan, I saw a path forward to reaching a long-term goal to have a book published in the U.S. Thank you, LinkedIn, for the platform to connect with initial editorial contacts who helped pave the way toward my developing a competitive book proposal. My exceptional executive editor endorsed the proposal and produced a contract. Writing can be an isolating activity, so I returned to my teaching roots and also spent many hours writing in Starbucks and meeting interesting people doing various and sundry things. Writing is an interactive process; producing good work takes intense focus and the willingness to invite feedback. By the time the manuscript was submitted–supported by the editorial team in New Jersey and the production team in Chennai, India–I had returned to higher education in a wonderful management role in the California Community Colleges where I still work.
You had the opportunity to spotlight 11 incredible women in higher education - how difficult was it to find these women and why did you choose these 11?
My goal was to represent the wide diversity of women leading in higher education institutions and the range of distinct institution types. Half the women I had interviewed previously for Women in Higher Education articles or anonymously for my doctoral dissertation on chief diversity officers in higher education. The other half were referred by colleagues or participants including our wonderful foreword writer, Dr. Barbara Gellman-Danley, President of the Higher Learning Commission. Others still were recruited through “cold” email inquiries that I conducted directly or through building rapport with gatekeepers.
What were some of the similarities and differences you found through conducting interviews with the 11?
Developing the book’s themes formed a fascinating part of the research and writing process. All of these remarkable women leaders are passionate about and committed to serving underserved students. Many, though not all, are first-generation students or are trained psychologists. Several came to the C-suite role through the ranks of traditional routes of academic affairs (faculty) or student affairs (counselors, advisors, etc). Others had significant careers in the private sector before pursuing a second career in higher education (Dr. Linda Oubré) or came up through the economic and workforce development route (e.g. Dr. Dena Maloney). A number shared personal experiences of racism or sexism, and the women of color participants had experienced both at some point in their careers, what we term, “multiple marginalization”. All of them spoke of the challenge, joy and exhilaration of leading from the C-Suite.
Amongst the themes that emerged from your findings was the critical role that mentors, sponsors and trusted supporters and advisors play. Can you share one story that illustrates this and why you felt it was important to include?
Mentors and sponsors have played a critical role in my trajectory, and I believe this to be the case for all successful women. Dr. Jane Conoley, President of CSU Long Beach, references her mentor, Dr. Joan Leitzl, who taught her the importance of always having data to back up one’s assertions. Dr. Katrice Albert affirms, “We Lift as We Climb” i.e. we have a responsibility to help other women coming up as we ascend ourselves. Dr. Mildred García discusses the importance of having a trusted board of advisors who sit in “the front row of the theater of your life”, quoting Susan Taylor’’s book, In the Spirit, which is included in our new book’s appendix containing resources for further reading and professional development.
At WIN, we like to talk about the importance of owning your “wins,” which is notoriously difficult for many women. Was this something that came up in your interviews and how?
Yes! Many described experiences of men and women mentors who saw qualities in them that they had not yet fully seen in themselves. Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston, President of Norfolk State University, describes key supporters who encouraged her to pursue leadership positions she may not have pursued otherwise, and more than once. Dr. Dena Maloney describes the impact of key mentors who encouraged her to pursue specific professional development programs and fill in skill gaps so she was prepared to pursue CEO roles. This advice paid off well as she was successful in obtaining two different presidencies on her first attempt! As Dr. Maloney has commented, “Never lose touch with the folks invested in your success - even when your career takes you to new places.”
For anyone who hasn't read the book yet – what is one thing you would want them to know about it?
Any woman in any industry who’s interested in advancing her career toward significant leadership roles will enjoy and benefit from reading this book. The stories are fascinating, the models to follow are clear, and the lessons to be learned are ample.
Negotiation is one of the topics you discuss in the book - can you share a few things you learned from these women around negotiation and how it has helped them in their own career trajectories?
These leaders’ stories reinforced that negotiation is a developmental, skill-building set that we hone and refine over the arc of a career. A repeated story was the often-cited comparison between men and women when it comes to applying for the job long before negotiating a compensation package and terms of employment. I concluded that as women we are collectively engaged in undoing norms of social conditioning that undermine our ability to pursue positions when we possess many (but not all) the KSAs, stand in our own power, and negotiate our worth leveraging the expertise of attorneys when appropriate.
On a personal note - what is your relationship with negotiation and how has it evolved over time?
I’m much more aware of the value I bring to organizations than earlier in my career (as a consultant or as an administrator) and how best to articulate and align that value to the organization’s mission and goals. As Dr. Karice Albert suggests in her chapter, negotiation is not only about courting an organization but also about being courted by it.
Would you say this book is relevant to women outside the field of education and why or why not?
The book is absolutely relevant to women in and outside of education! The themes are universal to all women e.g. the need to possess political savvy and emotional intelligence, the role of ongoing team building, and the importance of hiring smart, talented individuals with skill sets and/or strengths different from those the C-Suite leader possesses.
Finally, how can others find/purchase your book?
Women in the Higher Education C Suite: Diverse Executive Profiles can be found on all major book platforms including Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and Wiley.com.
Meet Lisa Mednick Takami, Ed.D.
Lisa Mednick Takami, Ed.D is a leadership consultant, higher education administrator, and book author. She currently serves as Special Project Director at NOCE, the noncredit campus of the North Orange Community College District. Prior to her current role, Takami served as COO for a labor-management apprenticeship training institute and held administrator roles at several two-year and four-year institutions. Takami received her BA in History & French from UC Berkeley, her MBA in International Management from CSU Dominguez Hills, and her doctorate in higher education leadership from CSU Long Beach. Her research interests are women's leadership development and diversity, equity, and inclusion. She serves as Vice Chair for the EEO committee on Apprenticeship for the California Department for Apprenticeship Standards and serves on the Board of Directors for Rainbow Services, a comprehensive social services agency supporting the survivors of domestic violence and their families.
