DR. Carolyn Grubbs Williams Leadership Development Institute
In keeping with its mission, the NCBAA National Board is pleased to present the 2025 Leadership Development Institute. The Institute prepares African Americans for mid-level leadership roles in community colleges, ensuring a fluid pipeline to executive-level positions.
For more than 20 years, NCBAA has delivered this exemplary leadership development program to enhance the leadership skills and provide opportunities for professional and personal growth for African American leaders in community colleges.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Institute
Hosted by:
Wayne County Community College and Kalamazoo Community College
DATE:
October 5 – 11, 2025
Target Audience
The targeted audience for the institute includes deans, faculty, supervisors, and others in community college administrative/leadership positions. Individuals with leadership experience in corporate, government, and non-profit organizations who desire to transition into community college leadership are also welcome.
Benefits
During this week-long experience, participants learn from seasoned leaders who can provide mentorship and career guidance. The cohort-based format connects like-minded peers from across the globe. Benefits include complimentary membership to NCBBA and its regional affiliates.
Apply for the Institute
The 2025 Carolyn Grubbs Williams Leadership Development Institute cohort will be comprised of 25-30. Be prepared to submit all the elements of your application at one time. We will not review incomplete applications. Select “Apply Now” for printable instructions.
The application opens on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, and closes on Monday, June 30, 2025. The selection committee reviews applications in the order received.
You will receive notification of your acceptance status within 21 days of receiving a complete application.
Registration fees are due 30 days after acceptance.
Please email [email protected] with questions.
Institute Details
Structure
Institute activities will take place in Detroit, Michigan and begin on Sunday, October 5, 2025, at 6:00 pm and end on Friday, October 10, 2025, at 10:00 pm.
LDI is a week-long immersive experience, participants must remain available for all leadership activities, including most evenings. The institute uses an interactive approach utilizing facilitated dialogue focused on proven leadership principles, ethics, technology, All sessions are deliberate and purposefully designed to foster institutional change and sustainability.
All sessions and activities are facilitated by distinguished leaders, who provide culturally relevant insights, proven leadership principles, and career guidance.
Expenses
The institute fee is $2,000 for NCBAA Members and $2,500 for non-members.
This fee covers materials, opening reception on Sunday, breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday, and the banquet on Friday evening. Participants are responsible for the costs of transportation, hotel, other meals and expenses.
Curriculum
The American Association of Community Colleges’ Competencies for Community College Leaders (Fourth Edition, 2023) provides the framework for the Institute curriculum.
RESEARCH
NCBAA encourages opportunities for scholarly research.
Citations for research on leadership preparation published by previous LDI Scholars are available below.
- Lemon, N. (2017) Search for a community college president: a single site case study.
- Beatty, K. (2011). Empowering black women to lead: A phenomenological study examining the role of the NCBAA Institute in the development of midlevel community college administrators.
- Lemons, K. (2007). Are leadership preparation programs delivering on their promises? An evaluation of a mid-level administrator’s leadership institute.
Our Commitment
The NCBAA Leadership Institute for African American Midlevel Administrators is committed to:
- Improving career and professional development opportunities for African-American mid-level administrators in community colleges.
- Developing collaborative relationships with higher educational entities, nationally and internationally, that share common goals for the professional development and upward mobility of its staff.
- Networking to maximize the upward mobility of African-Americans in community colleges, including administrators, faculty, staff, and others transitioning to community colleges.
- Ensuring the articulation of positions on issues affecting African Americans in the formulation of policy and decision-making
Scholarships
Potential Scholars, who are members of NCBAA, are welcome to apply for one of the scholarships offered through NCBAA. The Mary E. Coleman Scholarship and the Dr. Marian C. Shivers Leadership Scholarship will cover the full registration cost for the 2025 Leadership Development Institute. The scholarships will not cover other expenses such as travel, lodging, and food.
Individuals interested in applying for either scholarship must adhere to the submission timelines. The deadline for submitting a scholarship application is Monday, June 2, 2025. The committee will announce awards on or before Monday, June 23, 2025. Awards are contingent upon your acceptance into the Institute. Therefore, your application to attend must also arrive on or before Monday, June 2, 2025.
Be mindful that a scholarship application is not a substitute for the timely submission of the LDI registration packet and payment.
The criteria for each scholarship are:
Mary Coleman
Mary E. Coleman is a long-standing member of the Executive Board of the National Council of Black American Affairs. Mary E. Coleman began her ascension in higher education by leveraging her years of exemplary service as an executive in the corporate sector. The Mary E. Coleman scholarship is for people pursuing executive-level leadership positions, having begun their careers in higher education in areas other than academic affairs or student services. The ideal candidate:
- is a member of the NCBAA
- currently employed in higher education
- has three to five years of progressive advancement toward leadership positions in areas other than student affairs or academic affairs
- provides evidence of exemplary service in higher education settings, and
- would benefit from financial assistance.
Dr. Marian Shivers
Dr. Marian C. Shivers (1943 – 2019) co-founded the NCBAA Leadership Development Institute in 2002 and served as its Dean for seventeen years. Dr. Shivers is best known for her tenacious commitment to the mission of cultivating African-American leaders. Among the honors and awards in her name, the LDI class of 2007 established this scholarship to honor Dr. Shivers. The ideal candidate:
- is a member of the NCBAA
- is currently employed at a community college with six or more years of
progressive advancement toward leadership positions in community college, and - is knowledgeable about the community college mission and the students it serves, and
- provides evidence of exemplary service in the community college setting, and
- would benefit from financial assistance.