For women, the superintendency can be more competitive than uplifting, says Dr. Keri Johnson.
“In my experience, women are more likely to gatekeep good ideas or strategies that are working well for them because they feel like it’s theirs, because someone might take it and do it better,” says the Pelham City Schools superintendent.
Unfortunately, cutthroat competitiveness has been conditioned in many female leaders who want to earn their spot in a male-dominated field, she adds.
“I believe that instead of competing against one another, we should support other female leaders being recognized for doing good things,” she says. “It reflects positively on me as a female leader as well.”
In 2022, two years after entering the superintendency, Johnson attended a superintendent’s summit hosted by the District Administration Leadership Institute. It was there she learned the institute was launching an all-female organization, the Leadhership Network for Women.
Four years later, Johnson now serves on the network’s advisory board.
She says she’s bringing her female leadership team to the summit in New Orleans next month.
“Before I got here, they had not been involved in any type of professional development specifically for female leaders,” she says. “We’re really excited about being able to get away and spend time with each other and learn from other female leaders from across the country.”
She hopes her team leaves with a plan for leading effectively without sacrificing who they are as individuals.
“We’re not trying to be better than men,” she explains. “But I think the things that make us good leaders sometimes come from the fact that we’re female.”
‘Stand firm’
Educational leadership can feel isolating for women, echoes Dr. Kimberly Vaught, chief academic performance officer at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The Leadhership Network is an exciting opportunity for women to be vulnerable, share leadership practices and celebrate triumphs.
“You name the challenge in public education, we’ve talked about it,” says Vaught, who also serves on the network’s advisory board.
She views educational leadership as a calling and reminds leaders that they’re serving their communities for a reason. “Be kind to yourself as a woman,” she says. “Be clear about who you are, why you’re in the space and the impact that you have.”
Registration is still open for the network’s upcoming summit in New Orleans, Sept. 23-25.
The Leadhership Circle is a new space inside DA+ where female district-level leaders come together to talk through the issues that shape their work. Get 14 days of DA+ completely free to join the Leadhership Circle for yourself.
