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Middle leaders are emerging as a powerful resource in California's community colleges, driving change and advancing student success. The term middle leader has typically been used to describe middle managers in business and principals or district leaders in K-12 schools. In community colleges, the term has been used to designate positions below the executive level-- positions with formal titles and responsibilities such as dean or department chair. However, over the last 10 years a broader, more inclusive definition of middle leadership has emerged in community colleges. Educators--faculty, administrators, and classified professionals--across all levels of the institution have taken on leadership roles and are working to make their colleges more effective and equitable. In this paper, the author discusses why it is important to foster middle leadership in California Community Colleges at this time. She explores the work of two statewide programs--Basic Skills Initiative Leadership Institute for Curricular and Institutional Transformation (BSILI) and Leading from the Middle (LFM)--that offer insight into how to develop middle leaders and provide examples of what changes middle leaders have been able to mobilize in their institutions.

Middle leaders are emerging as a powerful resource in California's community colleges, driving change and advancing student success. The term middle leader has typically been used to describe middle managers in business and principals or district leaders in K-12 schools. In community colleges, the term has been used to designate positions below the executive level-- positions with formal titles and responsibilities such as dean or department chair. However, over the last 10 years a broader, more inclusive definition of middle leadership has emerged in community colleges. Educators--faculty, administrators, and classified professionals--across all levels of the institution have taken on leadership roles and are working to make their colleges more effective and equitable. In this paper, the author discusses why it is important to foster middle leadership in California Community Colleges at this time. She explores the work of two statewide programs--Basic Skills Initiative Leadership Institute for Curricular and Institutional Transformation (BSILI) and Leading from the Middle (LFM)--that offer insight into how to develop middle leaders and provide examples of what changes middle leaders have been able to mobilize in their institutions.