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WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. – Scholar and author Dr. Lea E. Williams will speak on the topic “Race, Genderand Leadership” during a lecture and awards presentation hosted by the Catherine T. MacArthur School of Leadership at Palm Beach Atlantic University and the PBA Alumni Association at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 29, in the University’s DeSantis Family Chapel, 300 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach. Theevent is free and open to the public. Prior to the lecture, the alumni association will present PBA alumna Ivette Miranda ’97, associate administrator for Tenet Health Systems, with the OutstandingMacArthur School of Leadership Alumni Award. The lecture is part of the MacArthur Leadership Speaker Series. Dr. Williams, who presently serves as associate vice chancellor for academic affairs/institutional planning, assessment and research at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, will walk the audience through the lives of a select group of women of color who exemplified theprinciples of servant leadership as defined by Robert K. Greenleaf and as seen in the traditions ofcommunities of color that predate Greenleaf. Dr. Williams will discuss the strong role played by faith in leadership journeys of these women and their commitment to causes of social justice and equal rights. Dr. Williams has pursued African American and women’s studies from numerous vantage points. She worked at the United Negro College Fund for 11 years early in her career, concluding as vicepresident of educational services, and is former founding executive director of the National African-American Women’s Leadership Institute, Inc. As an independent scholar, she is the author of Servants of the People: The 1960s Legacy of African American Leadership, which was published by St. Martin’s Press in 1996. Palgrave-Macmillan published a second edition in 2009. She also has authored morethan two dozen articles on education, often minority-themed. Dr. Williams has won the Paducah (Ky.) Black Historian Achievement Award in Education and the Hilda A. Davis Award for Educational Leadership from the National Association for Women in Education. Her community service includes serving onthe board of the Greensboro Historical Museum and the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Kentucky State University; a master’sdegree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; and a master’s degree in educational systems and a doctorate in higher and adult education from Columbia University. The evening’s Outstanding Alumni Award recipient, Miranda, has been described as “an amazing rolemodel” who has mentored many along the way. Miranda has served at Tenet Health Systems in Palm Beach Gardens since 2009, first as manager of patient access and then later in her current role as associate administrator. She previously served for 10 years as director of staff management for Avega/MedAssets in West Palm Beach, and before that she spent eight years with Intracoastal Health Systems inWest Palm Beach. After earning her bachelor’s degree in organizational management from PBA in 1997, the mother of three went on to earn an MBA in 2007 from the University of Phoenix. Established in1989, Catherine T. MacArthur School of Leadership currently serves about 450 adults and non-traditional students. Presently, the school offers the Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management andMaster of Science in Leadership degree programs in West Palm Beach, Orlando and Wellington. In addition, the Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management is offered online. Palm Beach Atlantic University is a private, independent university offering undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees, with campuses in West Palm Beach, Orlando and Wellington. The University is dedicated to the integration of Christian principles to prepare students for learning, leadership and service.