Each year, Wheelhouse curates and convenes two leadership
development institutes:
Through both institutes, sitting and aspiring presidents,
superintendent/presidents and chancellors build know-how and
tenacity, hone student-centered, equity mindsets, and establish
lasting and valuable peer networks.
We tap the experiences of California community college leaders in
active learning sessions that challenge assumptions and promote
purposeful disruption with the ultimate goal of equitable student
success. The curriculum for both institutes features compelling
case studies in the California context, experienced and inspiring
speakers, personal and organizational analytics, and purposeful
time to build lasting professional relationships. The
institutes provide both safe ground and spaces to stretch
professionally. They are venues for exploring individual
leadership performance and collective intelligence for the
success of community colleges and the students they serve.
Experienced leadership, curated curriculum: Led
by Wheelhouse Chancellor-in-Residence Francisco C. Rodriguez
(LACCD) with key contributions from the UC Davis team, the
institutes bring participants into dialogue with experts and
leaders who help them examine and refine their approach to the
students, teams, and institutions they serve. Faculty include:
- Ed Bush, Cosumnes River College President and Wheelhouse
Senior Fellow
- Celia Esposito-Noy, Superintendent/President Emerita, Solano
Community College
- Matthew Miller, Harvard Graduate School of Education
- Team communications and feedback expert Elaine Lin Hering
- Equity Literacy Institute Founder Paul Gorsky
- College Presidential Historian Eddie Cole
- Current and retired CEOs, including Helen Benjamin, Constance
Carroll, Sonya Christian, Michael Crow, Michael Gutierrez, Brice
Harris, Pamela Luster, Gary May, and Eduardo Padrón
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Institutes with an Impact – Wheelhouse Fellow Reflections
“The Wheelhouse team [has] created a safe space to explore,
articulate, challenge, develop and model high-impact leadership.
Thank you for curating a professional development experience that
has been a gift in many ways. The readings have provided critical
frameworks for understanding leadership and the changing demands
and expectations of the CEO role. The visits from elders…were
instructive and provided a counterbalance to the hyper-focus on
the urgency of the moment we contend with daily. The words of
wisdom, the experience of leaders of color and women inspire and
motivate. The respite from the treadmill of our daily existence
has been a treasure. Thank you for the time to reflect, to take
off the mask and for the time to vision together. Many a week, I
call upon the strength and fortitude of Wheelhouse. The
relationships developed and fostered at Wheelhouse will sustain
me for a life time.”
“This institute impacted my leadership in ways that were
tangible, relevant, and grounded in community college students in
California. The caliber of learning in this institute makes me
want to write and contribute to the literature for our
profession. It has been a long time since I have felt this
inspired and motivated. I believe that this institute helped me
to understand what is possible in my leadership of [the]
College. I feel like I have found my authentic voice as a
CEO do good, hard, student-centered, and equity-minded
work.”
” I deeply appreciated all the information provided by
previous CEOs on the big things like contracts and self-care and
the hard things like facing being let go. I learned so much …
about approaching the job and about being honest with myself
about what my non-negotiables are.”
“The focus on authenticity was refreshing and affirming. The
institute allowed me to see the value of my leadership style
irrespective of how it aligns with the “norm” and emphasized the
value versus the deficit. I feel much more confident in how I
show up to lead and engage with my college.”
