Intersection was new to The Temple News last year, tasked with focusing on the intersectionality of identities within the Temple community.
Specifically, we work to tell the stories of communities at Temple who have not always been heard, and we will continue that mission this year.
Our content strives to be as diverse and inclusive as the population it serves.
For the first issue of our second year, we are celebrating Women’s Equality Day.
We have chosen to highlight just some of the women who help lead this institution.
We have curated a collection of anecdotes from these women, so they can share what type of leader they are at Temple. We thank you for sharing your stories. We hope students are inspired by their leadership following Women’s Equality Day.
Karen M. Turner
Associate Professor, Department of Journalism
At Temple, I’ve held leadership positions as a department chair, the president of the Faculty Senate and currently the director of the Academic Center on Research in Diversity (ACCORD). I’ve been given an opportunity to have a voice to positively affect change on a multitude of levels. I firmly believe if one obtains a place at the table one must actively use that platform and provide ways to brings others along. Leading can be challenging especially if one aims to be a change agent. It’s not always easy because change can bring about resistance and sometimes create adversaries. But over the years I have developed confidence in my decisions and the vigilance to pursue those issues I deem important. My barometer is, can I look myself in the mirror? I firmly believe we have all have a purpose in life. Mine is to create situations to engage in honest conversations about diversity and inclusion. These can be messy issues usually with complex resolutions. I had to realize as a leader that I don’t always have to have the answers. My greatest discoveries have come when I didn’t.
Dr. Stephanie Ives
Associate Vice President and Dean of Students
In my 11 years as an administrator at Temple University, I’ve had many opportunities to develop a nuanced leadership style in an effort to effect change. Over the years, I’ve intentionally cultivated a collaborative leadership approach, seeking input from many voices to create a shared vision and mutual goals. I am aware that particular situations can influence my leadership approach but in general, I aim for modeling values, such as trust, honesty and integrity, I’d like others to embrace, giving positive and affirming feedback to encourage progress and achievement and cultivating a competent, can-do attitude that inspires my colleagues and students to meet challenges head-on. I don’t think my approach or style is unique or exclusive to women, but feeling comfortable with myself as this type of leader certainly makes me more effective.
Lori Bailey
Director of Information & Instructional Technology
Even with our society’s renewed focus on removing gender barriers and expanding the pipeline, as a simple Google news search will evidence, being a woman in technology leadership often means being in the minority. And certainly, with over 20 years of experience in technology and higher education, I’ve had the experience, more than once, of being the only woman seated at the table. And yes, I would certainly agree that more needs to be done to encourage women in leadership and in technology across industries. Yet, I can confidently say that Temple is a higher education institution that supports leaders and innovators of all backgrounds. I collaborate daily with diverse leaders across the university and I have rarely, if ever, felt that I am not being heard or respected because of my gender. Indeed, I would struggle to point to a time when I experienced anything but genuine support and respect for the skills and expertise I bring to a project or team. I can name a significant number of women in leadership positions across Temple. Temple has provided me numerous opportunity to engage with them for mentorship and guidance in developing and shaping my own leadership style and goals.
Being a leader at Temple is about collaboration: faculty, staff and students all work toward the shared goal of advancing teaching, research and service. My Temple colleagues, both male and female, reach out to me for help with tasks and technologies that they know I manage well. I, in turn, reach out to them to learn and grow my portfolio of experience. Through this community of support, Temple gives me confidence, as a woman in technology, when working with external partners and companies – confidence built from an environment of respect for my abilities and experience regardless of my gender. It is that confidence that empowers me to speak up, join in, challenge and engage, even in those times when I find myself the only woman in the room.
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