Women’s History Month, celebrated every March, is an opportunity for us to honor the contributions and accomplishments that women have made throughout history and continue to make in a diverse pool of fields such as education, art, activism, health care, law and many more. During this month, we acknowledge the need to continue fighting for gender equality and women’s rights while empowering leaders to lead and inspire the new generations to continue this work.
"It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent." (Madeleine Albright)
The scholarship of numerous doctoral alumni inspires us to continue building opportunities for the next generation.
In March (and every month), we are invited to reflect on the historical milestones that have made it possible for women to be part of conversations, and lift up the courageous leadership of scholar-practitioners.
In this feature, we celebrate, reflect, and amplify important doctoral research, featuring achievements of a few of the Manhattanville doctoral program scholars. These individuals are driven by their passion for empowering change and transforming lives. Join us as we celebrate their academic achievements, professional successes, and the meaningful work that they do each and every day.
Dr. Stephanie Gumbs Bennett
Dr. Stephanie Gumbs- Bennett is a Personal Empowerment Executive Leadership Coach, Organizational Culture specialist, and Keynote speaker who is passionate about working with leaders to achieve their organizational visions. Her reflective, collaborative, energizing, leadership inspired her development of the “Divine Connection,” while she was a doctoral student. She would convene doctoral peers who identified as women of color for virtual dialogues, to fuel and motivate each other to persist and succeed. She would also invite guests to join the dialogues to share their stories of success. Among the guests was Dr. Juhanna Rogers, one of the Indiana University “Great Eight;” she spoke about imposter syndrome.
Stephanie’s dissertation titled “A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF BLACK WOMEN SUPERINTENDENTS’ USE OF CRITICAL SPIRITUALITY AS LEADERS,” was inspired by the fact that African American women comprise only 1.4% of superintendents leading school districts in the U.S. (Grogan & Nash, 2021). These professionals face challenges to their leadership driven by systemic inequities deeply embedded in traditional leadership perceptions regarding race and gender, and are contending with being undervalued and overlooked, overwhelming exhaustion, stress, burnout, strain on the health and well-being, and unfair job expectations (Kingsberry & Jean-Marie, 2022).
Dr. Juhanna Rogers, upper left.
Dr. Sau-fong Au
Dr. Au earned a B.A. in History from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, an M.Ed. in Education from Rutgers University, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Manhattanville University. Using an interdisciplinary approach, her research and professional interests include the contemporary Asian American experience, feminist movement and theories, spirituality and faith, student development, and student engagement for women and religious minorities.
Her dissertation titled “AN INTERSECTIONAL QUALITATIVE INQUIRY: EXPERIENCE AND IDENTITY OF UNCOVERED MUSLIM WOMEN” sought to understand the multidimensionality of college women’s identity and how social, cultural, and political contexts shaped their identity as Muslim women who choose not to cover (i.e. wear hijab).
Growing up in Hong Kong, Sau-Fong Au observed how education could be a transformative experience for many women and girls, offering upward mobility and independence. Today, as director of the Women’s Center and co-chair of the Asian American Faculty and Staff Association, she reflects on her 22 years at Brooklyn College and some milestones for the Asian American campus community.
Dr. Au's dedication to student development continued in 2023 when she obtained a $2 million federal AANAPISI grant to start the Brooklyn College AANAPISI Project (BCAP), a dedicated program to support AAPI students on campus.
Dr. Julia Drake
Dr. Julia DiSalvo Drake is a passionate educator and elementary school leader. She is currently completing her 15th year as a principal with experiences in both an urban school in NYC, and a suburban school in Westchester County, New York. Prior to her leadership roles, Julia was selected as a Teaching Fellow for Special Education in NYC and a Reading First Coach, and was subsequently selected to join the NYC Leadership Academy.
Dr. Drake earned her MS in Elementary Education from Mercy College, her Advanced Certificate from Baruch College and her Ed.D. from Manhattanville University where her dissertation entitled,
"FEMALE SUPERINTENDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF UNCONSCIOUS GENDER BIAS IN THE SUPERINTENDENCY: AN EXPLORATORY QUANTITATIVE STUDY" received the 2021-2022 Distinguished Dissertation Research Award. In addition to this significant academic achievement, Dr. Drake completed the Educational Policy Fellowship Program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Drake has published in SAANYS Vanguard Magazine, and the AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice.
Julia has served as an adjunct professor for Bank Street’s Future School Leader Academy, and was an invited keynote speaker at the NYS Council of School Superintendent's Women's Initiative in the Spring of 2022. Currently she is one of six representatives from New York State invited to join the Advanced Education Policy Leadership Program (AEPLP) through Columbia University’s Teachers College. AEPLP is a consortium of six state Education Policy Fellowship Programs: Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania & New York.
Dr. Samantha Ross
Dr. Samantha Ross (EdD 2020), a renowned consultant in Gender-Based Violence, brought a tremendous amount of knowledge to Manhattanville. Most recently, she paid a courtesy call on Commander Defence Force, Commodore Raymond King, at Defence Headquarters on June 24, 2024. Ross, who serves as a consultant to United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), brings with her 24 years of experience in the US Army, primarily as an army engineer, before transitioning to focus on gender-based violence prevention programs. With over 25 years of experience, she has passionately committed herself to transformative learning experiences that have a profound impact. Her expertise lies in the intersection of human behavior and educational strategies, including the power of Immersive VR-based Training to address organizational climate concerns.
Dr. Ross’ dissertation “A QUALITATIVE STUDY EXAMINING ACTIVATION OF COLLEGE STUDENT BYSTANDER INTERVENTION DECISIONS IN POTENTIAL SEXUAL ASSAULT SITUATIONS,” on which she has presented often, including at the CSPA-NYS annual conference.
Dr. Ronald Clamser, Jr.
Dr. Ronald Clamser (EdD 2022), currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent for Business at PNW BOCES. His dissertation, “GENDERED ORGANIZATIONS: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF WOMEN’S EXPERIENCES NAVIGATING THE CULTURE OF GENDER BIAS AND STEREOTYPES IN THE PROFESSION OF SCHOOL BUSINESS,” found that gender bias and gender stereotypes contribute to the female school business official being uncomfortable with self-advocacy, a perceived quality aligned with wanting to take care of others before taking care of herself. Ron has presented on his work, including “Sexual Disparities in Administrative Compensation” at the Summer Conference for NYS Assc of Management Advocates for School Labor Affairs (MASLA)! You can also listen to an interview with Ron on the School Business Insider podcast.
Dr. Sheri Warren
Dr. Sheri Warren (EdD 2024), a principal in the New York City KAPPA [Knowledge and Power Preparatory] Academy, Her dissertation, “A CRITICAL QUALITATIVE STUDY OF INTERSECTIONALITY AND IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT OF 1.5 AND SECOND-GENERATION IMMIGRANT BLACK WEST AFRICAN MUSLIM FEMALES.” Her participants expressed their adultification was restrictive, muted their individuality, and was often the source of duress; they conveyed a sense of invisibility and isolation in the school and peer worlds as a result of racism, sexism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia; yet, they also employed acts resistance as a form of self-actualization.
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Elevate your leadership skills, deepen your understanding of critical and contemporary education issues, and learn to help solve the current challenges in P-20 education.
Learn to Inspire Change
The Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership from Manhattanville, offered in partnership with Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES, utilizes a forward-thinking approach to educational leadership that is ideal for practicing and aspiring leaders in any educational context. It is designed to support the goals of educational professionals who seek to develop their leadership skills for career advancement or current job enhancement.
