Leading by example: new ACCT chairwoman Brenda Knight points to her own story as evidence of the importance of community colleges - Association of Community College Trustees

Black Issues in Higher Education, August 29, 2002 by Pamela Burdman

After an 18-month program, both will graduate this month.

On the Peralta board, where Knight is serving a second term as president, her leadership style also generally wins people over.

"There are times when we have 3-4 votes," says Vice President Darryl Moore. "But they are rare. Brenda works for consensus."

She does the same with the college community as well, holding regular conversations with union leaders, student leaders, college staff and the public to make sure their concerns are heard.

Her selection to the executive committee, setting her on track to become chair, was a landmark for African Americans in higher education, according to Lenore Croudy, chairwoman of the Mott Community College Board of Trustees and a former ACCT member.

"It was very emotional for me," recalls Croudy, who had sought the position a few years earlier. "We have a policy statement on equity, diversity, multicultural education and all that. She can set an example for others that this can be a reality. She's a thoughtful person who will be objective in dealing with issues as opposed to personalities. She deserves it."

As an advocate for the African American community, Knight's focus is on building bridges. "She's considered a sister of our group," says Paul Fong, a trustee at the nearby Foothill-DeAnza Community College district and leader of the Asian Pacific Islanders Trustees Association. Fong credits his own seat on ACCT to Knight, who urged him to run when a vacancy opened up.

"She's representative of the people we serve on almost all fronts," Fong says. "She walks her talk. It makes us feel good to be associated with someone like Brenda.... She gets right to the point. She's a no-nonsense kind of person."

Among the issues ACCT will confront under Knight's leadership is the role of community colleges in welfare reform as well as in fostering multicultural understanding. Knight is perfectly suited for tackling both, says ACCT President Dr. Ray Taylor.

"She's an extremely capable politician," he says. "She's a conciliator, a mediator, she's a lets-sit-down-and search-for-common-ground kind of politician rather than damn-the-torpedoes-full-steam-ahead.

"It seems to me that Brenda exemplifies what community colleges are all about," Taylor says. "In that regard, she provides not only the political leadership for the organization, but also the moral leadership. I think it's an extraordinary combination."

Brenda Knight

Age: 50
Title: Chair-Elect, Association of
Community College Trustees

Associations:

* President, Peralta Community College
Board

* Community and Government Relations
Specialist, Oakland Unified School
District

* Advisory Board, Babe Ruth Baseball
League

* Board Member, Allen Temple Baptist
Church

* Past Board Member, Oakland Museum
of California

* Member, National Council of Negro
Women

* Member, Oakland Alliance of Black
School Educators

Education:
Associate's Degree: Peralta Community
College
Bachelor's Degree: St. Mary's College,
August, 2002

Family:
Married 29 years to Harvey Knight, three
sons, four granddaughters

Hometown:
Oakland, Calif.

What you'd be surprised to know about
Knight: That she's a grandmother.
("They don't realize I'm actually 50.")

Words to live by:
To be successful in anything requires
courage and commitment.