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HBCUs have outpaced all other institutions of higher education in graduating Black students who are empowered to pursue graduate programs and contribute to the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) ecosystem. These successes are due, in part, to Black presidents who are at the helm of these institutions. This study examined the practices of thirteen Black HBCU presidents or senior administrators. The authors interviewed these leaders and relied upon Gallos and Bolman’s four frameworks to explore university presidents’ decision-making to understand the skillsets and values that enabled them to create educational environments where Black STEM students thrived. These HBCU presidents utilize multiple leadership frames concurrently, while operating under a race-conscious approach to understand, identify, and counter the structures of systemic racism. 

Coaching is an important and valuable component of leadership development programs and training for emerging leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Based on the results from individual and focus group interviews of nine participants, we found that coaching is valuable for the leadership growth of emerging STEM leaders from nine historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The participants described the outcomes from coaching as a component of value-based leadership that can inspire and motivate professional growth. They emphasized overwhelmingly that coaches were valuable in improving individual and institutional outcomes through effective leadership. Other themes that emerged from the study include coaching through modeling, inspirational motivation, intentional reflection, resourcefulness, authentic trust, and success-orientation. Results have practical and leadership implications for leadership training to broaden participation in STEM.