Where Leadership Grows: Lessons from Life as Mothers and Leaders

Wednesday, October 29, 2025 | 1:00PM–1:45PM CT | Meeting Room 101 E, Level 1
Session Type: Breakout Session
Delivery Format: Presentation/Panel Session
Too often, motherhood and leadership are framed in opposition—one defined by selflessness, the other by ambition. This session challenges that narrative, exploring how motherhood can actually accelerate and enrich leadership. Drawing on candid reflections from leaders across institutions, we’ll examine how caregiving experiences—navigating sleepless nights, advocating fiercely for others, and managing the invisible load—cultivate emotional intelligence, resilience, and strategic clarity. Far from diminishing professional capacity, mothering often deepens the ability to lead with empathy, courage, and authenticity. Through personal stories, leadership insights, and cultural critique, this panel unpacks how integrating personal and professional identities can challenge outdated systems and shift how we define authority. We’ll explore the structural biases that obscure maternal leadership strengths, the myth of balance, and the cultural change needed to support caregiving leaders at all levels. Whether you're a parent, a people leader, or simply curious about more inclusive leadership models, this conversation invites you to rethink what leadership looks like—and how motherhood might just be one of its most powerful teachers.    

Presenters

  • Christina Bleyer

    College Librarian, AVP Libraries and Digital Learning, Director of Special Collections and Archives,, Trinity College

  • Aaisha Davis

    Business Transformation Manager, Queens University of Charlotte

  • Ingrid Hernandez Remedios

    Senior Director, IT Solutions, University of Ottawa

  • Demi Robinson

    Assistant Director, University of California, Davis

  • Ciera Thomas

    ERP Change Manager, Denison University