NACCU NetworX: Women in Credential Leadership

NACCU NetworX:  Women in Credential Leadership

Friday, December 5, 2025
1:00 PM Eastern / 10:00 AM Pacific

NACCU NetworX are virtual meetings that take place on a quarterly basis for the purpose of engaging members with common professional circumstances. These meetings provide opportunities for professional development and information sharing geared toward the unique needs of those institutions.

If you're a woman working in the campus card industry, you are welcome to join this event.

Topic: The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown is a powerful guide offering a compelling, research-based framework for women seeking to lead their lives with authenticity and self-compassion. Through ten guideposts for wholehearted living, Brown encourages women to let go of unrealistic expectations and embrace their worthiness in both personal and professional spaces. Join us for a “book club” discussion that will empower participants to share insights and reflective tools or strategies to support personal growth and well-being.  

1. Brown emphasizes the courage to be authentic. How do you balance showing up as your authentic self at work while also navigating the expectations of a university setting that may value authority, neutrality, or compliance?
2. Card offices often operate under high stakes demands (funds, access, security). How do you distinguish between striving for excellence in your work and perfectionism that may lead to stress, burnout, or self-criticism?
3. Brown highlights vulnerability as a strength. What does vulnerability look like in our roles on your campuses, especially when we’re leading staff, implementing policy, or responding to student/parent frustrations?
4. As women in credential leadership, how do we create a sense of belonging and connection among our teams or within male-dominated areas of higher ed administration? What practices help us extend that same sense of belonging to students and campus partners?
5. The nature of our jobs often means managing constant change (new tech, new policies, student needs). What strategies have you used—or could use—that align with Brown’s idea of self-compassion to stay resilient when facing professional setbacks or overwhelming demands?

 The Gifts of Imperfection is available new and used online and at your local bookstore and library.  It's 125 pages.  

Facilitators:
Rachel Herrington, Louisiana State University
Kym Bridgers, Howard University Connect on LinkedIn
Emily Dieker, George Washington University
Nicole Kerns, University of Southern California Connect on LinkedIn
Staff Liaison:  Jorrun Liston, NACCU Research and Education Director Connect on LinkedIn