Hope, Liberation, and Love: What Higher Ed Leaders Must Practice to Support an Inclusive Democracy

What if leadership in higher education prioritized collective flourishing over hierarchy and control? In this powerful and thought-provoking session, AAC&U President Lynn Pasquerella will moderate a discussion with three higher education leaders and authors—Annmarie Caño (Leading Toward Liberation), Jessica Riddell (Hope Circuits), and Mary Dana Hinton (Leading from the Margins)—and invite participants to reimagine leadership as a practice rooted in justice, inclusion, and hope.

Drawing on their distinct professional roles (faculty, senior administrator, university president, and higher education association president) and institutional contexts (research-intensive, liberal arts, and mission-driven universities), the moderator and panelists will share personal stories, research-informed frameworks, and transformative practices that challenge traditional leadership models.

The session will include short presentations, dynamic panel dialogue, and interactive small-group conversations and is ideal for those who are ready to embrace leadership approaches that center human dignity, collaboration, and systemic transformation in support of an inclusive democracy.