Congratulations, Dr. McGowan!
Higher Education Program doctoral candidate Leona Quatena McGowan successfully defended her dissertation on May 6, 2026. Dr. McGowan’s dissertation is titled, A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Mentoring Experiences of Black Women Faculty at Public HBCUs. Her dissertation committee consisted of Dr. Mitchell R. Williams, Co-Chair, Dr. Felecia Commodore (University of Illinois), Co-Chair, and Dr. Kim E. Bullington.
Dr. McGowan is a Lecturer at Elizabeth City State University in Elizabeth City, NC, and she is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Virginia Peninsula Community College in Hampton, Virginia. She holds a Master of Science Degree and a bachelor’s degree from St. Leo University in Florida. Dr. McGowan is also establishing a strong research agenda with scholarly publications and presentations at national conferences.