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Lesa C. Clark, Ph.D. is a 2025 graduate of the PhD Program in Leadership and Change at Antioch University.
Lesa Clark at her Dissertation Defense.
From L-R: Dr. Lemuel Watson, Committee Chair, Dr. Fayth Parks, Committee Member, Dr. Julia Chinyere Oparah, Committee Member
Dissertation Committee
- Lemuel Watson, EdD, Committee Chair
- Fayth Parks, PhD, Committee Member
- Julia Chinyere Oparah, PhD, Committee Member
Keywords
Black birth workers (BBWs), hermeneutic phenomenology, African and Black feminist philosophy, doulas, midwives, birth justice activists, embodied leadership, relational leadership, liberating leadership, maternal healthcare, leadership, birth justice
Document Type
Dissertation
Publication Date
2025
Abstract
This hermeneutic phenomenological study explores the leadership experiences of Black birth workers (BBWs), revealing critical insights into leadership dynamics within maternal healthcare. Through a theoretical framework integrating African feminism, Black feminism, and anti-racist feminism, the research examines how BBWs conceptualize and enact leadership through embodied, relational, and liberatory approaches. This study addresses a significant gap in leadership literature, particularly regarding generational knowledge and practices of BBWs, which remain understudied despite their vital role in Black maternal healthcare. This study reveals distinct leadership perspectives and methodologies through in-depth interviews with eight BBWs and a detailed interpretive analysis. The findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of leadership in complex maternal healthcare settings and broaden conventional leadership models by centering the voices and practices of historically marginalized Black birth worker leaders (BBWLs). This dissertation is available in open access at (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).
Recommended Citation
Clark, L. C. (2025). Black Birth Work as Radical Praxis: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Inquiry of Leadership Among Black Birth Workers. https://aura.antioch.edu/etds/1155
Included in
Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, Health Services Research Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Other Religion Commons, Public Policy Commons, Women's Health Commons, Women's Studies Commons
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Lesa Clark
ORCID: #0009-0000-4434-6343
Dr. Lesa C. Clark is a scholar-practitioner skilled in organizational leadership. She focuses on integrating human-centered leadership and followership, interpersonal efficacy, and constructive systemic realignment. Through three decades of academic leadership, advocacy, research, and consulting, she has established methodological frameworks that advance organizational and community development. As the former Executive Director of the Office of Intercultural Relations at a public institution, Dr. Clark forged collaborative partnerships and spearheaded initiatives that fostered inclusive institutional excellence and social intelligence. Her leadership resulted in the development of innovative assessment frameworks to evaluate institutional effectiveness and sustainability.
Her scholarly research, anchored by a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and Change from Antioch University, explores the complex relationship between intersectional leadership theory, cultural humility frameworks, and systemic transformation. Through empirical research and theoretical analysis, her work advances understanding of how embodied, relational, and liberatory leadership practices influence organizational systems and human potential, effectively bridging theoretical constructs with practical applications.
Dr. Clark's current research pioneers leadership studies by centering previously overlooked leadership paradigms within Black birth work practices. This scholarship addresses a critical gap in literature by documenting strategic approaches that have mainly remained unexamined in conventional academic discourse, despite their substantial impact on Black maternal health outcomes. Her research demonstrates how these practitioners employ culturally congruent leadership practices, including embodied wisdom, relational practices, and liberatory action, which integrate generational knowledge, community empowerment, and systemic transformation.
Dr. Clark's consulting practice applies theoretical and practical frameworks for organizational development across multiple sectors. Her methodology integrates scholarly research with evidence-based strategies to enhance institutional effectiveness and leadership capacity. This synthesis of academic rigor and practical application has positioned her as a trusted consultant in organizational transformation, particularly cultivating effective, inclusive leadership practices that address contemporary organizational challenges, empower communities, and promote human agency.
Extensive professional certifications complement her academic credentials. Dr. Clark holds certification as a Cultural Intelligence (CQ®) Facilitator from the Cultural Intelligence Center and as a Qualified Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI, LLC) Administrator. She has obtained an Executive Certification in Diversity Coaching from the CoachDiversity Institute and a Diversity Management Certificate from the University of Houston. She is pursuing certification as a PQ Coach through the Positive Intelligence® program, focusing on organizational performance enhancement, engagement, well-being, and cultural resilience.
Dr. Clark's scholarship is enriched by global academic collaborations and personal affiliations throughout Europe, Northern Africa, and Turkey. This global perspective informs her research on the relationship between interpersonal effectiveness and organizational development, contributing to contemporary academic discourse on leadership theory and practice. Her work integrates universal leadership principles with regional knowledge systems, advancing theoretical understanding and practical applications in organizational leadership.