The LGBTQ Leaders in Higher Education is pleased to announce seven Leadership Fellowships for 2026. Leadership Fellows are higher education professionals with a background in the humanities or humanistic social sciences who will attend the annual Leadership Institute in Atlantic City in October. They will be matched with senior leaders for one-on-one mentoring, and will be provided with financial support to attend the Institute.
The seven fellows for 2026 are:
Jayme Canty, Clark Atlanta University
Joe Hinton, Harold Washington College
RJ Holmes-Leopold, Hamline University
Robert LeGary, Goodwin University
Kristopher Oliveira, University of Maryland
Paige Reed, Mary Baldwin University
Stina Soderling, Texas Women’s University
Since 2015, the Leadership Institute has provided an opportunity for rising leaders to learn with and from out LGBTQ college presidents and chancellors. It has grown into an annual conference with three main learning goals: 1) building self-knowledge of leadership, with attention to the ways identities influence choices and approaches to leadership; 2) building contextual knowledge of leadership, with attention paid to current challenges in higher education and the LGBTQ community; and 3) career development, with opportunities for participants to network, meet with mentors, and plan their career paths. Between 100 to 150 people participate in the Leadership Institute every year.
To recognize outstanding leadership across the profession, LGBTQ Leaders in Higher Education presents three distinct honors annually. These awards, including the new for 2026 Mid-Career Leader Award, reflect our mission to celebrate inclusive excellence, support professional development, and advocate for LGBTQ+ issues in higher education. Below are descriptions of all three awards.
The 2025Founders Award was presented to Charlita Shelton and Karen Whitney by the inaugural winners Ray Crossman and Chuck Middleton, shown here at the 2025 Leadership Institute with Board President Joe Bertolino. (From left, Middleton, Bertolino, Whitney, Shelton, Crossman.)
To celebrate and support mid-career LGBTQ+ professionals who demonstrate outstanding leadership, innovation, and commitment to LGBTQ+ equity within higher education.
Eligibility Nominees must:
Identify as LGBTQ+
Work in a higher education setting (administration, faculty, student affairs, etc.)
Have 11-20 years of leadership experience in higher education
Demonstrate ongoing contributions to LGBTQ+ inclusion through research, programming, advocacy, or other efforts
Be a member in good standing of LGBTQ Leaders in Higher Education
Selection Criteria
Leadership Excellence: Proven ability to lead inclusive initiatives
Advocacy and Impact: Measurable influence on campus climate, policy, or equity outcomes
Innovation: Creative solutions to address challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals
Community Engagement: Collaboration with stakeholders to build supportive networks
Professional Development: Dedication to growth and mentorship of others
To honor a legacy of transformative leadership by a senior LGBTQ+ higher education executive who has dedicated at least 20 years to championing equity, innovation, and inclusion across institutions.
Eligibility Nominees must:
Identify as LGBTQ+
Have 20 or more years of service in higher education
Hold or have held a senior executive role (e.g., president, chancellor, provost, senior vice president)
Demonstrate significant and sustained leadership that has transformed institutional culture and outcomes for individuals of all identities
Be a member in good standing of LGBTQ Leaders in Higher Education
Selection Criteria
Service to the Field: Extensive and impactful career contributions
Exemplary Leadership: Visionary leadership recognized across the profession
Institutional Transformation: Proven innovations that enhanced equity and inclusion
To celebrate and support early-career LGBTQ+ professionals who demonstrate outstanding leadership, innovation, and commitment to LGBTQ+ equity within higher education.
Eligibility Nominees must:
Identify as LGBTQ+
Work in a higher education setting (administration, faculty, student affairs, etc.)
Have 5–10 years of leadership experience in higher education
Demonstrate ongoing contributions to LGBTQ+ inclusion through research, programming, advocacy, or other efforts.
Be a member in good standing of LGBTQ Leaders in Higher Education
Selection Criteria
Leadership Excellence: Proven ability to lead inclusive initiatives
Advocacy and Impact: Measurable influence on campus climate, policy, or equity outcomes
Innovation: Creative solutions to address challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals
Community Engagement: Collaboration with stakeholders to build supportive networks
Professional Development: Dedication to growth and mentorship of others
Nomination Process
Nomination Period June 16 – July 27, 2026
Who Can Nominate
Colleagues
Supervisors
Self-nominations are welcome
Nomination Requirements
A letter detailing the nominee’s qualifications and impact
The nominee’s current résumé or CV
At least one letter of support (required for self-nominations; encouraged for all others)
Optional: A portfolio of supporting work (e.g., publications, media, programs, or research)
Mid-Career Leaders Award: submissions open June 16
The LGBTQ Leaders in Higher Education is pleased to announce the winners of our annual awards. The awards will be presented in person at the annual Leadership Institute in Milwaukee on October 16.
Emerging Leader Award
The inaugural Emerging Leader Award will be presented to Antonio Duran, Ph.D.
Duran (he/él) is an Associate Professor of Higher and Postsecondary Education at Arizona State University. His scholar-advocacy has long been dedicated to multiply-minoritized queer and trans communities. In a nominating letter, Duran’s colleague said “Antonio’s scholarship reveals a dedication to mentoring the next generation of higher education scholars and practitioners. His co-authors are often early-career scholars and higher education and student affairs professionals.”
She continued, Duran “co-coordinated Arizona State’s Higher and Postsecondary Education program, spearheading the creation of an online MEd. His service as a faculty affiliate for Project MALES (a research and mentoring initiative dedicated to fostering Latino educational success), vice chair of membership outreach for ACPA’s Coalition on Men and Masculinities, co-chair of the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education, and co-chair of equity and inclusion for AERA’s Division G (to name only a few) demonstrates Antonio’s dedication to the profession.”
Founders Award
Now in its second year, the 2025 Founders Award is shared by two people, Charlita Shelton, Ph.D. and Karen Whitney, Ph.D.
Shelton serves as the Special Consultant to the President at Central Washington University. Her past experiences in higher education include serving as Chief of Staff to the President at Gonzaga University, Campus President for Argosy University in Atlanta. She holds the title of President Emerita of the University of the Rockies (now University of Arizona Global). Shelton is an experienced consultant and well-published scholar who has given presentations across the United States, focusing on executive leadership development, women in leadership, structural inequality, social justice, first-generation college completion, institutional climate, and regional accreditation.
Whitney’s forty-year career in higher education has included serving as Interim Chancellor at the University of Illinois Springfield, the President of Clarion University, and the Interim Chancellor for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Previously she was Vice Chancellor for Student Life and Clinical Associate Professor of Education at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). She also held various leadership positions at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and the University of Houston. Whitney has been active in a variety of LGBTQ communities both in and out of higher education. She was one of the first openly gay senior student affairs officers in the 1990s. All along this journey she has been joined by her spouse of over 30 years, Dr. Peggy Apple. Whitney is now passionately focused as a consultant and advisor to higher ed leaders who wish to lead courageously and confidently.
