Women of Color in Leadership: Transformative Approaches to Power and Purpose

When Giang Nguyen, Sha'Toya Williamson, and Kristen Flowers gathered for a virtual conversation facilitated by fellow alumna Estrella Gonzales on women of color in leadership, something remarkable emerged. These three alumni from CIIS' M.A. in Transformative Leadership didn't speak about climbing ladders or breaking glass ceilings. Instead, they illuminated a different kind of leadership entirely—one rooted in listening, reclamation, and the courage to not always have the answer.
 

This video was recorded live during the online panel event on July 10, 2024.

Their journeys into leadership followed unexpected paths. Giang, a Catholic sister who has worked everywhere from Taiwan to Kenya, found herself invited into leadership roles rather than pursuing them. "People tend to see something and invite me in more so than I pursue it," she reflected. Her work spans from creating programs for victims of trafficking to facilitating dialogue among divided ethnic communities—always bridging gaps she observed in systems that excluded certain voices.

Sha'Toya came to leadership reluctantly, repeatedly told by spiritual guides that leadership was her calling even as she resisted. Her path shifted when she joined an organization focused on women supporting women. "My leadership was less about strategy," she explained. "It was really about creating safe spaces for women to thrive and creating courageous and brave spaces for women to show up in their fullness." She now runs a consulting firm that brings transformative leadership principles to the women she serves.

Kristen's trajectory moved from hospitality management to founding Lionheart Recruit, a boutique agency specializing in nonprofit recruitment. After experiencing a corporate layoff, she chose to create the kind of inclusive space she wished existed. "I don't want anyone to feel like I'm a dictator," she shared. "This is a collaborative effort."

Everyone, whether you want to or not, you have led in some capacity.
Kristen Flowers, Class of 2021, M.A. in Transformative Leadership

The challenges they face as women of color in leadership extend beyond individual bias into systemic structures. Giang spoke of the exhaustion of existing in normative systems when you don't fit the norm, emphasizing the importance of inner work to "reclaim all the things and validate all the spaces that is not a part of the system." Kristen described the invisible nature of discrimination—how preconceived notions and stereotypes create a need to constantly prove capabilities while walking on eggshells about being perceived as "too aggressive."

Sha'Toya offered a different lens, focusing on the historical trauma embedded in how women of color are perceived. She referenced the Willie Lynch letter and its lasting impact on how Black women navigate leadership spaces. "I'm not interested in your conversation about I don't belong here," she declared. "I'm actually here because you called me forward to be in this space to make a difference."

Transformative leadership gives us the space to hold ourselves accountable to what it is that we say that we're up to.
Sha'Toya Williamson, Class of 2024, M.A. in Transformative Leadership

Their advice for aspiring women of color leaders centered on inner work and authenticity. "Learn as much as you can about yourself, know who you are, what you stand on, and what your purpose is," Sha'Toya counseled. Kristen emphasized taking up space and speaking up about leadership aspirations. Giang encouraged reclaiming cultural wisdom and values that have been diminished.

Perhaps their most powerful insight came in discussing what embodied transformative leadership looks like. All three emphasized that true leadership isn't about having all the answers or dominating space. It's about creating room for others to emerge, listening deeply, and understanding that personal transformation and collective healing are inseparable. As Kristen noted, sometimes leadership means "leading from behind and helping to facilitate and co-create the changes that are needed."

So that I think is what transformative leadership is to me, is to recognize that each and every person has that gift and to invite that forward.
Giang Nguyen, Class of 2023, M.A. in Transformative Leadership

In a world that often demands women of color prove their worth, these three leaders offer a different vision—one where leadership flows from authenticity, where not knowing creates space for collaboration, and where the work of transformation begins within.

Personal transformation and collective healing are inseparable—when we work on ourselves, we contribute to the evolution of the larger systems we inhabit.