Florida Atlantic University’s growing community of female leaders are revolutionizing their positions in executive roles. Within the university, female leaders like Valery Forbes, Sheila Walden, and Anne Fennimore are pushing past these barriers, taking on roles that drive innovation and equity.

According to a study conducted by Sara Shaw, a professor from the University of Nevada and Victor Hernandez-Gantes, a professor from the University of South Florida, women make up most of the student population in United States colleges and remain underrepresented in executive leadership roles. 

Valery Forbes, Dean of the College of Science 

Valery Forbes, who oversees FAU’s College of Science, has built a career of advancing scientific education and research with bold leadership.

Forbes obtained her doctorate degree in coastal oceanography from the State University of New York in 1988 and was offered the opportunity to work in Denmark for two years. Through promotions and various education leadership positions, Forbes said she surprisingly ended up living in Denmark for 22 years.

After more than two decades, Forbes said she felt it was time to return to the U.S., Where she relocated and became the director of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Nebraska. Four and a half years later, she became the University of Minnesota’s College of Biological Sciences dean.

“I felt I needed new challenges, but I loved being a dean,” Forbes said, which led her to start working at FAU after needing to take on a new adventure in 2022. 

At FAU, Forbes oversees everything in the College of Science, including educational programming, human resources, research, finances and strategic planning.

“One reason I love being a dean is that you’re still close enough to the faculty and the students, but you are able to have a greater impact as a leader,” she said. 

One of Forbes’ first initiatives at FAU was hiring around 25 people at the college. She also said that she continuously makes an effort to hire more women leaders. When she started working at FAU, she said seven of eight department heads of the College of Science were male. 

Now, there are four female chairs and four male chairs. This adjustment was important to Forbes because having more women in leadership positions sends a signal of empowerment to students.

Forbes has also launched a new environmental program called the School of Environmental Coastal and Ocean Sustainability. This school is a multidisciplinary program that allows faculty and students to participate in environmental academic and research projects.

Taking on a leadership position can be intimidating for some women, but Forbes expressed her confidence in asserting herself during her career. 

“Male faculty, in particular, will try to test your authority,” she said. “I think setting the tone of interactions with people in a way that is respectful but firm has been really important.”

Working at FAU, Forbes said she hasn’t felt like women leaders are treated differently than men. She said this because there are many female leaders at the university, including Interim President Stacy Volnick. 

While Forbes finds comfort in women’s representation among FAU’s leadership, her true satisfaction is brought by the results of her efforts. 

“One of the most rewarding things about the job is seeing the impact that we have on that next generation,” she said. “You see the students walk across the stage who are graduating and you think how we’ve helped them to launch the next stage of their life.”

Sheila Walden, Director of Accreditation Assessment and Analytics for the College of Education

Coming from an Afro-Latin background, Sheila Walden has found joy in working in diverse fields. She worked at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale as an academic chair. 

She later began working at FAU in 2019 as an accreditation manager for the police department, overseeing the FAU Police Department and ensuring all state mandates and standards were met. She was later awarded the ‘Vice President’s’ award for her tenure, which she says is the highest award one can receive from the police department.

Three years after working at FAUPD, Walden transitioned to the educational side of leadership. She’s now the accreditation assessment and analytics director for the College of Education because she said it was time for a switch. 

Walden is responsible for reporting to the state about FAU’s teacher prep programs. She works closely with the other college department accreditation directors.

“I gather evidence for them on students’ progress in the classes so that they can show that we are monitoring these things, which is super important,” she said.

Walden said she loves her job because of the supportive environment her colleagues create. 

“They want you to progress. They want you to find different ways to become better,” she said.

Outside of FAU, Walden is working towards building her own nonprofit, The Power of Color, inspired by experiences as a Puerto Rican and native Spanish speaker. She says this project will give all minorities the opportunity to help younger leaders pave their way.

This initiative is important to Walden because those who mentored and supported her during her career helped her succeed.

“Mentorship is what got me to where I got simply because I had people that cared about me,” Walden said, as she aims to give back to the community by giving guidance to students. 

Anne Fennimore, Director of Communications for the College of Education

For more than two decades, Anne Fennimore has been deeply rooted in FAU’s community, first as an undergraduate student worker and now as a leader. She is currently pursuing her fifth degree at the institution while serving as the director of communications for the College of Education.

Having explored opportunities in places like Miami and Finland, Fennimore said she considers FAU home. 

“I just keep coming back, and I can’t imagine being anywhere else,” she said. 

Fennimore’s job involves developing a communications plan for the College of Education. Her responsibilities are divided between creating internal and external communication plans.

 She says internal communications focus on team processes and collaborating tools like emails, logos and website content. External communication involves outreach through social media, promotional strategies and digital marketing. 

She is also a part of the daily research committee for the Division of Research. In this role, Fennimore and her colleagues manage initiatives to promote FAU. 

Fennimore expressed her passion for her roles, saying that coming to work knowing she will build something for the betterment of the university is what motivates her. 

In her experience as a leader, Fennimore said she has learned valuable skills as a problem solver that younger generations can model. 

“Learn to be flexible, quick on your feet and oriented towards finding a variety of solutions for anything that comes up,” she said. One of the challenges some female leaders face is juggling multiple responsibilities. 

Many female leaders are mothers, wives, daughters, friends and employees. With numerous hats, Fennimore said women often must choose a priority. 

She said the challenges of climbing the career ladder are universal but hopes women could be more supportive of one another in their professional journeys.

While acknowledging the challenges of advancing in any organization as a woman, Fennimore said she sees FAU as a place where individuals can take initiative and build something meaningful.

“This university is what you bring to it. There’s lots of opportunity here, and it’s a small enough environment where you can create something of your own,” she said.

This story is in the UP’s latest print issue Vol. 31, “Women in Paradise,” which can be found in the distribution boxes around the Boca Raton campus or in the Student Union room 214.

Sephora Charles is a Reporter for the University Press. For more information on this or other stories, contact Charles at sephoracharles26@gmail.com.