This spring semester, Kerry Priest, Ph.D., a professor at the Staley School of Leadership, participated as a virtual panelist in a symposium titled “Leadership for What and for Whom? Reimagining Leadership Education in College.” The event was hosted by the University of Tokyo’s Integrated Human Sciences Program for Cultural Diversity, in collaboration with the Women and Leadership Education Research Project (WALP). WALP is spearheaded by three Japanese leadership educators: Associate Professors Momo Waguri from Fukuoka Women’s University, Michiko Izumitani from Soka University, and Toru Kawai from Ritsumeikan University. Both Waguri and Izumitani previously attended the Leadership Education Academy in 2022, an initiative designed and coordinated by Priest.
The symposium aimed to challenge current paradigms in leadership education and foster discussions on critical topics such as women’s leadership development, the identity growth of leadership educators, and the creation of transformative educational programs. The event drew fifty participants, including professors, staff, students, and alumni from various universities across Japan, who joined both in person and online.
Initiated by Momo Waguri, an associate professor at Fukuoka Women’s University, and Dr. Rie Okamura from Saitama University, Center for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion, the symposium featured Priest along with two other U.S. experts: Julie Owen, an associate professor of leadership studies at George Mason University, and Sadhana Hall, an executive in residence and Distinguished Visiting Faculty at Marietta College.
The presentations highlighted the progress of leadership education in Japan and encouraged educators and practitioners to continue reimagining its future. Speakers shared findings and reflections from recent research, discussing self-perceptions, obstacles, and opportunities for leadership development among Japanese students. Topics also included women’s leadership development in college and best practices for creating leadership programs with a transformative impact.
Priest’s presentation showcased how leadership education reflects a collaborative practice landscape and shared research on how leadership educators develop their professional identities. She emphasized the implications for the ongoing training and growth of leadership educators.
“It was an honor to be invited by WALP researchers to participate in this symposium,” said Priest. “This program is a step toward a broader agenda of transformation within higher education in Japan through leadership learning and development. We have much to learn from each other as we explore the challenges of leadership education cross-culturally.”
Momo Waguri added, “There is much to learn from the critical component of leadership development education in the U.S., which includes the critical reflexivity of leadership educators. Over the past decade in Japan, we have witnessed a surge in college leadership education programs, aligned with the government-led university reform agenda aimed at meeting corporate demands for human resources. Being critical of leadership as a social construct has rarely been on the agenda. Additionally, a ‘feminine’ rather than ‘feminist’ approach to leadership is still very prevalent. Some might argue that there are unique Japanese ways to approach leadership, and it’s pointless to copy what is done in the U.S. However, I believe that learning from these critical approaches can help liberate us from socio-cultural norms and systemic oppression.”
Advancing leadership learning and development is one of the Staley School of Leadership’s research focus areas. We support leadership educators and developers everywhere by sharing practices that are relevant to today’s dynamic world.
If your group or organization would like to partner with the Staley School on leadership development, training, or research, contact leadership@ksu.edu.
