Midori Lebrón's Doctoral Dissertation
La Riqueza de Nuestras RaÃces: Counter-Stories of Culturally Grounded Latina Leadership in Higher Education
The underrepresentation of Latina women in executive and senior administrative leadership positions within higher education remains a persistent concern. This study examined their leadership journeys, including pathways into leadership, institutional conditions encountered, and the cultural assets and experiences that supported their advancement.
Using narrative inquiry and counter-storytelling, this qualitative study centered the lived experiences of Latina women working in higher education in Northeast Ohio. LatCrit and Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth framework provided an asset-based foundation for understanding participants’ leadership development, cultural identities, institutional barriers, and experiences navigating advancement.
Six themes emerged from participants’ counter-stories: Non-Linear and Unnamed Pathways to Leadership; Invisible Leadership Labor; Cultural Assets as Leadership Capital; Education as Survival, Mobility, and Collective Responsibility; Negotiating Visibility, Voice, and Risk; and Leadership as Collective Responsibility and Care. The findings demonstrate that participants frequently practiced leadership before institutions formally recognized them as leaders through advocacy, mentorship, cultural responsiveness, service, and relational influence.
The findings suggest that higher education institutions should reconsider how leadership potential is identified, developed, and rewarded. The study proposes a Culturally Grounded Leadership Recognition and Development Framework focused on recognizing leadership early, expanding leadership competencies, creating intentional leadership opportunities, rewarding relational leadership, and building transparent pathways to advancement.
Midori Lebrón
Master of Arts, College Student Personnel
Bowling Green State University
Master of Arts, Sociology
Cleveland State University
Bachelor of Arts, Sociology
Baldwin-Wallace College
Midori Lebrón is a Cleveland native and proud Puerto Rican who has dedicated her career to expanding educational access, strengthening student success, and creating more equitable pathways into and through higher education.
Midori currently serves as the Associate Vice President of New Student Strategy and Engagement at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C), where she provides strategic leadership for the new-student experience from initial interest and recruitment through enrollment and early persistence. She brings more than 14 years of higher education experience spanning academic advising, student success, strategic recruitment, enrollment management, and organizational leadership.
Prior to joining Tri-C, Midori served in strategic recruitment leadership at ÐÔ¸£ÎåÔÂÌì University and spent more than a decade at Cleveland State University, where her work included leading first-year and exploratory advising. Across these roles, her work has centered on improving access to higher education, strengthening the student experience, developing systems that reduce barriers to enrollment and persistence, and supporting students as they navigate complex educational environments.
Her research interests include Latina leadership, culturally responsive leadership development, educational equity and access, and the institutional conditions that shape leadership advancement in higher education.
Doctoral Dissertation Committee
Co-Chairs
David M. Dees, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies
ÐÔ¸£ÎåÔÂÌì University
Kimberly Peer, Ed.D., ATC, FNATA
Full Professor
Sports Medicine Program Coordinator
ÐÔ¸£ÎåÔÂÌì University
Member
Andrew E. Kersten, Ph.D.
Dean
College of Arts and Sciences
Cleveland State University
Graduate Faculty Representative
Tricia Niesz, Ph.D.
Professor
School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies
ÐÔ¸£ÎåÔÂÌì University
