Campus CEO Launches Panel Series

MANCHESTER, Conn. (August 14, 2023) – Last week, CT State Manchester’s Chief Executive Officer, Nicole Esposito, Ed.D., lead a panel of fellow community college leaders in the first of her monthly “Lead Like a Woman” series.

Dr. Esposito’s “Lead Like a Woman” series is designed as a vehicle for community college leaders to share their experiences and provide guidance and advice to other women community college executives and aspiring executives. More than 230 participants from across the country attended the inaugural event.

“Throughout my career, I have searched for opportunities to strengthen my leadership skills, and learn from those that have risen to the C-suite before me. I am so proud and honored to have this opportunity to share what I have learned  – as well as the wisdom of my colleagues –  with our peers and the next generation of women leaders,” stated Dr. Esposito.

The panel participants were Cheryl C. DeVonish, J.D., Chief Executive Officer, CT State Community College Norwalk; Lisa Dresdner, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, CT State Community College Naugatuck Valley; and Jessica Howard, Ph.D., President and CEO, Chemeketa Community College (Salem, OR). Dr. Esposito served as moderator. Karyn Case, Manchester’s AAWCC Chapter President and Executive Assistant to Dr. Esposito, hosted the virtual event.

Special attention to the following topics will be paid throughout the remainder of the series:

• Women’s communication styles and how they differ from those of men, particularly in leadership positions in the workplace;
• Self-care and how critical it is to effective leadership;
• Women’s tendency to take on “invisible labor,” unpaid work that is often unacknowledged;
• Self-advocacy as a woman and as aspiring women leaders; and
• Mentoring and being a role model

Dr. Esposito continued, “The topics I have proposed for the ‘Lead Like A Woman’ series arise continually as I speak with fellow leaders and other women in higher education across the country. My role with AAWCC has given me the platform to expand these conversations and pay serious attention to how the higher education landscape can be improved for all women.”

Dr. Esposito is a member of AAWCC’s national board of directors, serving as a Member-at-Large. In that role, she serves as chair of the National Equity Programming Taskforce for the national network, where she works with other leaders exploring and developing national programming for equity in community colleges.

About AAWCC
Founded in 1973, AAWCC provides education, career development, and advancement to women educators and students at community colleges. As a council of the American Association of Community Colleges, AAWCC and its members are committed to equity and education of all women students at community colleges across the nation. More information about AAWCC can be found at https://www.aawccnatl.org/.

About CT State Manchester
Students of any age who possess the desire to pursue higher education are welcome at CT State Manchester. CT State Manchester is proud of its academic excellence, flexible schedules, small classes, low tuition and faculty with both academic and “real world” credentials. The college offers over 80 degree and certificate programs, transfer options, financial aid and scholarships, as well as access to baccalaureate degrees through CSCU Transfer Tickets and guaranteed admissions programs with several universities. The park-like campus, which is easily accessible from I-84, is also the home of Great Path Academy, a middle college high school, serving grades 9-12.

About Connecticut State Community College
The 12 Connecticut community colleges merged on July 1, 2023 to become Connecticut State Community College (CT State), one of the largest community colleges in the country  – and largest in New England –  dedicated to quality, access and affordability. In addition to Manchester, other locations include CT State Asnuntuck (Enfield), Capital (Hartford), Gateway (New Haven), Housatonic (Bridgeport), Middlesex (Middletown and Meriden), Naugatuck Valley (Waterbury and Danbury), Northwestern (Winsted), Norwalk, Quinebaug Valley (Danielson and Willimantic), Three Rivers (Norwich), and Tunxis (Farmington).