Antioch University is proud to announce that Lesa C. Clark, PhD, a 2025 graduate of the PhD Program in Leadership and Change, has published her dissertation entitled: Black Birth Work as Radical Praxis: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Inquiry of Leadership Among Black Birth Workers.
This groundbreaking hermeneutic phenomenological study delves into the leadership experiences of Black birth workers (BBWs), offering critical insights into the dynamics of leadership within maternal healthcare. By employing a theoretical framework that integrates African feminism, Black feminism, and anti-racist feminism, Clark examines how BBWs enact leadership through embodied, relational, and liberatory approaches.
Her research addresses a vital gap in leadership literature, particularly concerning the generational knowledge and underrepresented practices of BBWs. It reveals powerful, culturally congruent leadership models rooted in community empowerment, systemic transformation, and care. Through in-depth interviews with eight BBWs and interpretive analysis, the study expands conventional leadership paradigms by centering the lived experiences and wisdom of historically marginalized Black birth worker leaders (BBWLs).
A seasoned scholar-practitioner, Clark brings over 25 years of experience in academic leadership, advocacy, and consulting. As the former Executive Director of the Office of Intercultural Relations at a public institution, she led initiatives that advanced institutional equity, cultural intelligence, and inclusive excellence. Her consulting practice now bridges scholarship and practice, applying evidence-based strategies to support organizational effectiveness, inclusive leadership, and systemic realignment across diverse sectors.
Clark’s scholarship explores the intersections of intersectional leadership theory, cultural humility, and human-centered systems transformation. Her current research continues to pioneer the field of leadership studies by elevating leadership paradigms rooted in Black maternal health work practices that have historically remained outside dominant academic discourse.
In addition to her PhD, Clark holds multiple professional certifications, including Cultural Intelligence (CQ®) Facilitator, Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI) Administrator, Executive Certification in Diversity Coaching, and Diversity Management. She is currently pursuing certification as a Positive Intelligence® (PQ) Coach, further expanding her expertise in organizational resilience, well-being, and performance enhancement.
Clark’s global academic collaborations and cross-cultural experiences in Europe, North Africa, and Turkey further inform her leadership framework, which bridges universal principles with localized wisdom traditions to foster innovation, empowerment, and sustainable change.
Engage with the impactful work here: https://aura.antioch.edu/etds/1155/
