Next Leaders Fellowship (NLF) is building a framework to bring more Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) into the ranks of senior leadership within higher education information technology.

NLF will recruit participants into a one-year program, during which they will be mentored by accomplished senior leaders committed to supporting their professional growth.

“More diverse teams working in inclusive environments are better at solving complex problems because they have access to a wider array of novel approaches, and they are more willing to consider and pursue them,” said Michael Cato, NLF director and senior vice president and chief information officer at Bowdoin College. “This is IT’s core job.”

This effort does not seek to replace existing leadership development programs, but instead will complement them by explicitly recruiting a cohort of diverse candidates, creating a community around them, and providing mentorship and coaching throughout the program year.

“These are professionals who are really investing in mid-level professionals aspiring to be in senior leadership positions in information technology or academic technology,” said Jase Teoh, director of academic technology at California State University–Stanislaus and one of twelve selected for NLF’s inaugural cohort.

In her application, Teoh wrote about the importance of mentorship and expressed “the need to look for more diverse, equitable, and inclusive voices around the CIO table, particularly those in more senior positions.”

Cato says the IT industry has struggled with these issues for far too long. “Many of the early computing pioneers were women, but those numbers drastically declined after personal computers began being marketed almost exclusively for boys,” he said. “Participation among people of color more broadly, and African Americans specifically, has long lagged the population as a whole.”

Twelve fellows will work with senior IT leaders with experience across a range of institutions and organizations to enhance and develop perspectives, skills, and experiences.

Held in conjunction with the 2022 NorthEast Regional Computing Program (NERCOMP) annual conference, the NLF’s kickoff will engage fellows, mentors, and sponsors in a series of conversations and exercises to identify areas of focus and develop plans of action for the program year.

Bowdoin College is the lead sponsor of the NLF program in partnership with NERCOMP and EDUCAUSE, two nonprofit professional associations working to advance higher education through the use of information technology. Generous sponsorship support is also provided by Next Generation Partners, Diversified Search Group, Opus Partners, and MOR Associates.