Letter from the Editor

A wise woman once quoted a familiar proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” It just so happens this wise woman is Crystal E. Ashby, Interim President and CEO at The Executive Leadership Council (ELC) and those words couldn’t be any truer. Since 1986, the mission of The ELC has been to increase the number of black professionals in the C-Suite and on corporate boards by providing development programs to strengthen the pipeline and by providing research for the black community. The ELC is moving together with its members and partners to go far and to go successfully. It is our members who have allowed this journal to take flight and who will ensure its value for years to come as we continue to advance blacks in business.

The ELC’s Institute for Leadership Development and Research presents this peer reviewed research journal with pride, as an extension of our mission, to share the information that is the experience of black professionals. As the preeminent membership organization for black professionals, The ELC feels it is our duty to provide research that speaks to the black professional experience and that of our community. The focus of this first edition is on workforce development with articles written by contributors who lay the foundation of need for greater exposure to the black corporate experience. Whether it is the absence of black representation in corporate board positions, the marginalization of and lack of support for black women, black men in corporate America or the balancing act of being authentic at your job, the articles in this edition cover a variety of topics that are sure to spark initiatives to implement the strategies highlighted in each of them. Future editions of this journal will cover varied topics toward specific industries.

Thank you to The ELC Board and ELC members for their ongoing support and contributions to this journal and the journals of the future. A special thank you to ELC staff, especially Justina Victor, and to our Interim President and CEO for guiding the path to ensure we go far together.

Christopher Butts, Ed.D. Vice President/Chief Learning Officer for the Institute for Leadership Development & Research The Executive Leadership Council