109. Stay and Lead in Your Home Community with Dr. Nancy B. Gutiérrez, President & Lead Executive Officer, The Leadership Academy
Release Date: 08/28/2025
110. Be a Mentor with Fernande (Nan) Duffly, First Asian American Judge to Massachusett’s Supreme Court
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109. Stay and Lead in Your Home Community with Dr. Nancy B. Gutiérrez, President & Lead Executive Officer, The Leadership Academy
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In this episode of Women of Color Rise, I speak with Dr. Nancy B. Gutiérrez, President & Lead Executive Officer of The Leadership Academy, a nationally recognized nonprofit dedicated to developing transformational leadership for educators at all levels. Nancy also serves on the boards of The Hunt Institute, brightbeam, and The Neurodiversity Alliance, and is the Board Chair of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC). Nancy is the co-author of Stay and Prevail: Students of Color Don’t Need to Leave Their Communities to Succeed (2023), which shares powerful stories of leaders who choose...
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105. Lead Like an Olympian with Dr. Judith Brown Clarke, VP for Equity & Inclusion and Chief Health Equity Officer for Stony Brook University and Health System
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In this episode of Women of Color Rise, I speak with Dr. Judith Brown Clarke, VP for Equity & Inclusion, Chief Health Equity Officer, and Chief Diversity Officer for Stony Brook University and Health System. A 1984 Olympic Silver Medalist and former collegiate champion, Dr. Clarke now leads transformational change in health equity and inclusive excellence. Dr. Clarke shares how an Olympic mindset strengthens leadership: Focus on execution, not outcomes. In high-pressure moments—whether on the Olympic track or in a policy meeting—Dr. Clarke emphasizes executing core strategies...
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102. Strength in Blindness and Faith with Alia Abbas, Chief of Staff, New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority
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How can leaders turn perceived limitations into strengths? On Women of Color Rise, I speak with Alia Abbas, Chief of Staff at New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. With a career spanning Estee Lauder, Warner Bros. Discovery, Prudential, and Citi, Alia has led in strategy, operations, and innovation—proving that disability and faith are not barriers but strengths. Alia didn’t realize she was blind until she was diagnosed in college, thanks to parents who instilled confidence and adaptability. She also made a pivotal choice in her career—to wear a hijab,...
info_outlineIn this episode of Women of Color Rise, I speak with Dr. Nancy B. Gutiérrez, President & Lead Executive Officer of The Leadership Academy, a nationally recognized nonprofit dedicated to developing transformational leadership for educators at all levels. Nancy also serves on the boards of The Hunt Institute, brightbeam, and The Neurodiversity Alliance, and is the Board Chair of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC).
Nancy is the co-author of Stay and Prevail: Students of Color Don’t Need to Leave Their Communities to Succeed (2023), which shares powerful stories of leaders who choose to give back to their home communities. She shares her own journey serving East San Jose, the very place where she grew up—and where her mother once attended the school Nancy would later lead.
When asked to step into the principal role at that school, Nancy said to herself: “If I don’t step into this, who will?”
Nancy shares how building trust required:
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Listening deeply—not just to hopes and dreams, but to generational trauma. She asked, “How have schools harmed you?”
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Reflecting back what she heard, to show the community she was listening.
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Taking visible action—like redesigning the student referral system. Instead of referring students only for misbehavior, teachers began referring students who exhibited excellence. Families started receiving calls from the principal to celebrate their children—flipping the script on what school leadership could look and feel like.
Nancy now leads work that supports school leaders across 40+ states. Her story is a beautiful example of what it means to stay, to serve, and to prevail—not just locally, but nationally.
Thank you, Nancy, for your powerful leadership and for sharing your story with us.
Get full show notes and more information here: https://analizawolf.com/episode-109-stay-and-lead-in-your-home-community-with-dr-nancy-b-gutirrez-president-lead-executive-officer