Professional Development For African American Women In Middle Management: Time For A New Curriculum?

Black women are the most educated demographic group in the U.S., however, they hold very few senior leadership positions within Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS). This capstone is an exploratory study using qualitative research to learn the professional development needs of Black women in middle management staff positions at RBHS. Data was collected using a Qualtrics survey of sixteen questions with sixteen confidential respondents from RBHS, and six personal interviews with recent graduates of the Staff Leadership Series at Ohio State University. The findings of this study reveal that Black women in middle management staff positions at RBHS are not receiving the professional development that they desire or need to advance their careers. Ohio State University has a Staff Leadership Series (SLS) for women that could be modeled at RBHS for Black women. This study provides valuable feedback on the success of the SLS from recent graduates and the professional development needs of Black women in middle management positions at RBHS.