When I started working in advancement at my alma mater, I observed how the same Black women administrators who were there when I was an undergraduate student were still there decades later, in similar roles. They had very little opportunity for career progression, even though they had advanced degrees from the same institution and extensive, successful professional experiences. I wondered why it took Black women so long to climb the career advancement ladder as higher education administrators.

In my everyday personal and professional life—as a first-generation Caribbean American Black woman who spent over 20 years in institutional advancement and management consulting—I mentored women who looked like me and were struggling to navigate their careers in tough, isolating, and often toxic environments. I listened to my friends and colleagues try to find their voices and witnessed them making too many personal and professional sacrifices for the profession.

In today’s higher education workplace, the dual minority status of being a Black woman presents complex issues and unique challenges in career preparation and advancement. Today, Black women and other women of color remain underrepresented as faculty and administrators compared with Black men, white men, and white women in the same professions.

My personal and professional experiences led me to my doctoral research topic. While previous research dissected and diagnosed these problems, I wanted to extend this work by exploring the personal and professional experiences of Black women working in advancement at elite, predominately white institutions. My research focused on identifying key drivers of success, career resilience, and actionable strategies to navigate challenging organizational cultures.

I conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 Black women advancement professionals at elite PWIs: predominately white institutions. (In the U.S., there are six labels we use to describe minority-serving institutions based on the enrollment of the institutions or the mission to serve a specific group, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities or Tribal Colleges. PWI is not one of these formal designations but it is a common term.) The women I interviewed worked in alumni relations, fundraising, advancement services, marketing, or communications. They ranged in age from 25 to 69. All had bachelor’s degrees; 11 had master’s degrees. All provided pseudonyms. I asked them to reflect on their organizational landscapes, career challenges, and the strategies they used to succeed at their PWIs.

Hear their voices directly in the quotes throughout this article. And read on for themes of and takeaways from these conversations.