In no other professional field do senior leaders habitually return to the rank-and-file workforce in the twilight of their careers. Corporate CEOs rarely conclude their working lives by resuming the duties of a mid-level account executive; on the verge of retirement, four-star generals do not return to the infantry. But in academia former senior leaders often conclude their careers by reprising the roles and responsibilities of a professor. Until now, leaders and institutions have been left to navigate these transitions on their own—often learning hard lessons that might have been avoided....

Examines how senior leadership role changes impact individuals and the institutions they serve. Drawn from research involving more than fifty college presidents, provosts, and deans, this book delivers fresh understanding of the challenges and opportunities leaders face as they assume a new place in the social architecture of their campus.

Using intersectionality as a theoretical framework, Davis addresses the significance of the various identities of high-achieving Black women in college individually and collectively, revealing the ways institutional oppression functions at historically white institutions and in social interactions on and off campus.