Date of Award

Spring 5-1-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Kandace Hinton

Second Advisor

Mary Howard-Hamilton

Third Advisor

Lisa Spence-Bunnett

Abstract

Since its inception, the chief information officer (CIO) role has become increasingly crucial. Today, the role of the CIO has never been more important. Having CIOs on the leadership table is essential, and that table should include Black IT professionals whose perspectives have long been missing. Yet, Black male chief information officers remain profoundly underrepresented in higher education information technology leadership. Across higher education in the United States, only about three percent of CIOs identify as Black. This underrepresentation raises urgent questions about barriers to entry and how these men navigate institutions with minimal racial representation. The study examined the lived experiences of five Black male CIOs in higher education to understand their journeys to executive IT roles, the obstacles they encountered, and the opportunities that shaped their advancement. Using narrative inquiry, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with five Black male CIOs. The CIOs in this study each currently serve or previously served in CIO or comparable executive IT leadership positions in higher education in the United States. Grounded in an integrated theoretical framework of transformational leadership theory, servant leadership theory, social capital theory, and African American male theory, this study honors the voices and experiences of these trailblazers while illuminating the systemic and individual factors that shape Black male IT leadership development in higher education. Their accounts reveal that pathways to the CIO role are rarely linear for Black men. Instead, these leaders emerged from diverse professional backgrounds, ranging from military service to accounting and engineering, seizing unconventional opportunities while adapting to structural constraints within predominantly White institutions. Black male CIOs built their careers through persistent effort, strategic positioning, professional networks, and intentional navigation of racialized environments. Advanced degrees served not merely as qualifications but as shields against bias. Mentors and sponsors proved crucial at turning points. Yet many advanced despite the lack of direct mentorship. The findings in this study reveal that these Black men are driven by a commitment to transformation and service, using their positions to modernize institutional technology and open doors for the next generation.

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