Latina Triunfadoras: Testimonios and Consejos of Latina Superintendents in California

The current dissertation examined the leadership of six Latina leaders in the executive role of the superintendency, presenting valuable testimonios (M. A. Martinez et al., 2017) that detail the early educational and familial experiences shaping the Latina superintendents’ journeys to the superintendency. The qualitative study used the community cultural wealth framework (Yosso, 2005) and a feminista perspective grounded in Chicana/Latina feminist epistemology (Delgado Bernal, 1998) and Latina leadership (Bordas, 2013, 2023) to explore the leadership principles employed by the six superintendents. The study revealed three significant findings. First, Latina superintendents’ parents instilled a work ethic of perseverance, hard work, and commitment that shaped their leadership and who the Latina superintendents were as leaders. Second, the Latina superintendents described their leadership around a strong sense of cultural identity, purpose, and commitment to others. Finally, their life experiences enabled them to understand and work to address the needs of the most marginalized students in their districts, particularly Latina/o students. The distinctive voices of the Latina superintendents came to the forefront through their valuable testimonios that revealed their parents served as important role models, instilling in them leadership traits of hard work, perseverance, and commitment to others. The findings indicated the leadership traits significantly influenced their leadership, success, and ascension to the superintendency. The Latina superintendents demonstrated a strong sense of cultural identity and led with a clear purpose, emphasizing equity and educational success for marginalized students, particularly Latina/o students, in their districts. Their lived experiences, along with their family, culture, and language, provided them with valuable insights to understand and address the inequalities and challenges faced by Latina/o students in their education and life, which underscored their deep commitment to ensuring equitable education for Latina/o students. Additionally, the current study’s findings serve as counter narratives to historically oppressive views and stereotypes that have limited Latina access to the executive seat of the superintendency and the significant impact Latina leaders have on marginalized students, communities, and families

From Burnout to Bloom Room: Immediate Sites for Change: Transforming Librarian Burnout into Hope and Finding Liberation

As a tenure-track librarian specializing in user experience, I have faced significant barriers contributing to burnout and mental health challenges. Placing hope in library-wide or systemic level changes often left me feeling powerless and hopeless. However, exploring and focusing my attention to the “immediate sites” where I do have agency (the spaces, relationships, and practices within reach) opened pathways to possibility and hope. In this presentation, I will share how identifying and working within these immediate sites and pairing them with radical imagination, creative practice, joy, curiosity, and the support of collaborative allies allowed me to begin reclaiming a sense of autonomy, agency, and liberation. Through these strategies, I’m discovering meaningful and small intentional shifts are helping me get closer to creating the change I and others want to see. Together, we’ll reimagine what it means to move through barriers and reshape our relationship to our work and each other in immediate sites in the library. As part of this presentation, a printable zine version with resources and space to reflect and create will be included. Outcomes Attendees will be invited to engage with reflective questions designed to help them identify their own immediate sites for change and envision actions that align with their values and goals. Attendees will be invited to explore their own immediate sites for change, reflect on the conditions they need to thrive, and consider how joy, creativity, and solidarity might support new ways of working. Attendees will co-create practical tools and renewed inspiration to effect change within their library spheres of influence

Navigating the Early Career Landscape Room: Networking From Afar: Making Meaningful Connections as a Remote LIS Student

The rise of online Library and Information Science (LIS) programs has made library school more accessible, particularly for working professionals and those balancing multiple responsibilities. However, remote attendance presents challenges in forming meaningful connections. Networking is a vital skill in the LIS field, and for LIS students of color, building a supportive community is especially important. So, how can remote students foster connections and grow their professional networks? This session will offer practical strategies for remote LIS students to build and maintain a strong community. The presenter will share personal experiences, highlighting approaches that have been effective in forming professional relationships, engaging with the LIS field, and finding mentorship. Attendees will leave with actionable tips on maximizing their limited networking time, leveraging digital spaces, and creating meaningful connections that extend beyond the virtual classroom. Whether you\u27re new to the field or looking to expand your professional network, this session will provide suggestions to help you navigate the LIS community with confidence—no matter where you are. Outcomes Recognize the importance of networking and community-building in the LIS field. Gain practical strategies to maximize networking efforts, even with limited time. Feel empowered to engage with the LIS community and build meaningful professional connections

Balancing Employee Voice, Coaching, and Termination: An Ignatian Lens on Managing with Respect and Dignity

In attending a Jesuit university as a Management and Leadership major, I have wondered: How do Ignatian principles, such as maintaining respect and dignity for others, intersect with managerial roles in the real world? This led to my research questions 1) Where do employee voice and coaching intersect with Ignatian management and leadership principles? 2) Would managers’ use of Ignatian principles within a performance improvement process either prevent the need to terminate an employee or at least create a termination process that helps employees to experience a sense of respect and dignity? 3) Are managers who received a Jesuit education more likely to terminate employees with respect and dignity than those who have not? I began with a literature review, developed these research questions and an interview script, and then interviewed five managers. I focused on the limited management literature that analyzes Ignatian values and principles within management and leadership. I identified overlaps with the employee voice literature. Thus suggesting that when managers provide coaching, performance management, and consider alternatives such as reassignment before reaching the decision to terminate, an employee can experience more positive outcomes related to their well-being and fair treatment. Additionally, manager interviews suggested that their exposure to Ignatian values has, to some extent, informed their management values and priorities. These findings provide current and future managers with an insight on how to incorporate Ignatian principles into their termination process in order to help employees leave the organization knowing their respect and dignity were prioritized

On the Page

When two grieving animators have the chance to get back their long-lost daughter, they dive into the dangerous world of classic animation and must re-learn how to be fun in order to survive and bring her home. “Finding Nemo meets Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

The Tale of Two Forests: Oak Management in Memphis’s Urban Forested Natural Areas

Management for oak (Quercus spp.) recruitment is difficult for many urban forested natural area managers (Piana et al., 2021a). A common theme in species composition of urban forested natural areas is dominance of oaks in the overstory with little to no oak regeneration (Pregitzer et al., 2019; Fahey et al., 2012). Developing urban silvicultural techniques that promote oak restoration that are also feasible at varying scales and socially acceptable has presented a challenge to managers (Piana et al., 2021b). The Memphis Botanic Garden and Overton Park Conservancy are combining their management and research efforts to improve understanding and management of oak recruitment in urban forested natural areas of the region

The Distance Between Us

The Distance Between Us examines the long-distance relationship between Grace and Henry through voicemails between the two while they are away at school. This short play, inspired by The Last Five Years, tells this couple\u27s story on opposite timelines. The only time their calls connect is in the middle, when brutal honesty and the reality of their situation forces them to ask themselves: is the distance proving to be too much