The Executive Director Experiences of African American Women in Mainstream Nonprofit Erp Forming Arts Organizations
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Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2020 The Executive Director Experiences of African American Women in Mainstream Nonprofit erP forming Arts Organizations Davida S. Gobin Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the African American Studies Commons, Arts Management Commons, and the Public Administration Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Davida S. Gobin has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Kristin Dailey, Committee Chairperson, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Dr. Mi Young Lee, Committee Member, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Dr. Steven Matarelli, University Reviewer, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.D. Walden University 2020 Abstract The Executive Director Experiences of African American Women in Mainstream Nonprofit Performing Arts Organizations by Davida S. Gobin MPA, Strayer University, 2010 MBA, Strayer University, 2008 BA, Catawba College, 2006 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration Walden University May 2020 Abstract African American women are presently underrepresented in mainstream nonprofit performing arts organizations (PAOs) throughout the United States. Despite this inequality, a small number of African American women have overcome the odds and have productively earned senior leadership roles as executive directors in mainstream nonprofit PAOs. Using the conceptual frameworks of intersectionality and critical race feminism, the purpose of this study was to explore the shared lived experiences of African American women in executive director positions and the impact of race and gender on their leadership development and training for advancement in a mainstream nonprofit PAO. Four research questions explored the nonprofit management and leadership experiences and perspectives of African American women as a result of the intersection of race and gender identity. A transcendental phenomenological method was applied as the qualitative research design. Semistructured interviews with 9 African American women working currently or previously as an executive director or senior leader in a mainstream nonprofit PAO provided data collection. Findings from this study affirmed that although African American women are challenged and impacted by intersectional identities, organizational solutions and strategies for advancement are available. The results of this research study may contribute to positive social change by increasing awareness of the experiences of African American women and the strategies outlined for improved executive leadership advancement. When cultural arts leaders get information, ignored potential can be realized. The Executive Director Experiences of African American Women in Mainstream Nonprofit Performing Arts Organizations by Davida S. Gobin MPA, Strayer University, 2010 MBA, Strayer University, 2008 BA, Catawba College, 2006 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration Walden University May 2020 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my daughter, Chudney Mala Gobin and to my mother, Carolyn A. Harrington. This dissertation is also dedicated to all of the African American women who have broken down barriers to entry in theatres, record companies, recording studios, opera houses, orchestras, dance companies, museums, publishing companies, videos, on stages and movie sets including but not limited to the following: Hattie McDaniel, Lena Horne, Dorothy Dandridge, Mahalia Jackson, Bessie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, Marian Anderson, Josephine Baker, Billie Holiday, Eartha Kitt, Ruby Dee, Diahann Carroll, Miriam Makeba, Nina Simone, Katherine Dunham, Maya Angelou, Aretha Franklin, Jessye Norman, Toni Morrison, Leontyne Price, Cicely Tyson, Angela Davis, Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, Alice Walker, Suzanne de Passe, Debra L. Lee, Michelle Obama, Meghan Markle, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Janet Jackson, Ava DuVernay, Shonda Rhimes, Debbie Allen, Phylicia Rashad, Judith Jamison, Cathy Hughes, Oprah Winfrey, Sylvia Rhone, Sylvia Robinson, Diana Ross, Whoopi Goldberg, Halle Berry, Lupita Nyong’o, Queen Latifah, Angela Bassett, Regina King, Tracee Ellis Ross, Misty Copeland, Iyanla Vanzant, Viola Davis, Vanessa Williams, Laverne Cox, Monique, India Arie, Alicia Keys, Keke Palmer, Yara Shahidi, Amandla Stenberg, Marsai Martin, Blue Ivy Carter, up and coming Chudney Gobin, and so many more! In loving memory of my grandparents; Robert Lee Anderson and Brunella M. Anderson; my honorary father, Johnnie L. Harrington; my daddy, Rev. David L. Scott; my aunt, Barbara A. Black; and my precious Karma. Acknowledgements Above all, I am forever grateful to the One who has kept me from falling on this doctoral journey, in whom All of my blessings have flowed, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This process has been a true labor of love that I could not have made it through without the assistance of the following people that I cannot help but name: To my beautiful and radiant 17 years old daughter, Chudney Mala Gobin, I am grateful to God for giving us each other. You are indeed a bright light with a beautiful rebel heart! Thank you Boop for being so patient as Mommy has been in school your entire life! Mommy loves you so much my baby! Thank you for all of your love, hugs, and kisses and for motivating me to keep working. Thank you for helping me to think, write, and spread my wings when I did not want to fly. Thank you for wiping each and every one of my tears and for being there when all I had was you at 3:00 in the morning. We have truly grown and gained our knowledge together and together we will reign as a pop princess and a queen doctor in the performing arts world! To my mother, Carolyn A. Harrington, thank you for opening my soul and my heart to the magical world of music and the performing arts! Thank you Ma for singing to me and giving me my own song, and for introducing me to the notes and the keys at the tender age of five. Thank you for educating me as my first teacher, for giving me the tools that I needed to survive, for mothering me and nurturing me into womanhood, for supporting me with all of my talents, for putting up with me when I was a total Gemini pain, and for loving me throughout this entire journey. All I have ever wanted to do was just make you proud of me. I sincerely hope that I have done that! I love you Ma! To my husband, Parasram Gobin, thank you for your long enduring patience with me during this nine and a half-year journey that tested every aspect of our 22 years- marriage, but somehow we have survived. I will always love you. Namaste and one love Guyanese Roots! Time for us to make new memories! To my sister, Rita, what can I say? When we rise, we rise together. You will always be my baby sis through thick and thin and I will always have your back and be your big sis! I love you! Keep reaching for whatever your heart desires! Life is too short not to. I got you Kid! I would like to thank my dissertation chair, Dr. Kristin L. Dailey. You have truly been the greatest supporter and motivator to me as a professor and as a chair. I am so grateful to you for sharing your knowledge and being so open to me at any time of the day or night! You have listened to me, prayed for me, talked to me, shared stories with me, but most of all you have made this PhD journey one of the greatest chapters of my life. I am forever grateful to you! To my committee member, Dr. Mi Young Lee and my University Research Reviewer, Dr. Steven A. Matarelli, thank you both for supporting me, for providing valuable feedback, and for being a part of my team. I am sincerely grateful. I must thank my closest friend, Terri Joelle, who is responsible for buzzing the public administration idea into my ear. You told me to gain the knowledge that I needed and couple it with my performing arts background to become a major force in the arts. I have completed the task and now I am ready to rise to the occasion!! Thank you T. I will always love you because you have shown me what the real strength of a Philly queen looks like. Lastly, I must thank all of the African American women who took time from their lives to participate in this study. Thank you for sharing your unique experiences as executive leaders in the performing arts with the world. You Rock!! Table of Contents List of Tables .......................................................................................................................v List of Figures .................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................1 African American Women