Women Leaders in Higher Education

Elizabeth Fisher Turesky, Ph.D, MPA, is a Professor in the Leadership and Organizational Studies Program at the University of Southern Maine, USA. Her research focuses on the nexus of experiential learning and leadership development, organizational change and development, and gender and leadership — work that has earned her international recognition through numerous publications and presentations.Before joining academia full-time, Dr. Turesky consulted across various sectors, focusing on innovative approaches to leadership and organizational development. Her practice centered on cultivating potential among senior and emerging leaders while helping individuals and institutions align their vision, purpose, values, and performance. She remains passionate about nurturing the next generation of leaders, particularly those committed to building inclusive organizational cultures.Carol J. Nemeroff, Ph.D., is Dean of the School of Leadership Studies at the University of New Brunswick and Principal at the Maine Regulatory Training and Ethics Center, University of Southern Maine. She earned her B.A. from McGill University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. She is internationally recognized for her research on intuitive, heuristic-based decision-making and its influence on health behaviors, risk perceptions, and moral judgments. Her work spans interpersonal and institutional trust, gender roles, and cultural dynamics. Currently, her research focuses on metacognitive strategies to improve ethical decision-making and advancing gender and leadership studies. Her scholarship bridges psychology and leadership, offering insights into how cognitive processes shape organizational and societal outcomes.

• SECTION I: INTRODUCTION TO THE LANDSCAPE OF WOMEN AS LEADERS.- SECTION II: FORMATION AND LEARNING THE LENSES.- SECTION III: RELATIONSHIPS AND OPENING DOORS.- SECTION IV: DREAM WEAVING AND MANIFESTING THE DREAM.- SECTION V: METAFACTORS OF THE WILD MODEL–OPPORTUNITY AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE.- SECTION VI: CULTURES AS CRADLES– NURTURING THE “FEMININE” AND TRANSCENDING THE BINARY.