The 2022 winner of the Linda C. Tillman Social and Racial Justice Award is Dr. Lenford Sutton, chair of the Department of Educational Administration and Foundations at Illinois State.
It’s one of the top honors handed out by the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) and recognizes leaders who spearhead opportunity and progress in the areas of diversity, equity, and social justice in PreK-20 educational organizations.
Sutton was the second annual winner. The award’s namesake, Tillman, was the inaugural honoree in 2021. She is Professor Emerita of Educational Leadership in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Sutton was one of her many mentees and was named a UCEA Jackson Scholar while earning his Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Florida.
“Len has been a fierce advocate for providing mentorship and professional development opportunities for all students, but especially students of color.”
Dr. DiaNNE RENN
During eight years as chair of EAF, Sutton has helped to increase the diversity of its student population to better realize the department’s mission of preparing diverse leaders for PreK-20 education and beyond. The department’s enrollment is significantly more diverse (40% underrepresented students) than the University as a whole (27%). In addition, the department now possesses the largest doctoral enrollment on campus and over 60% of EAF’s students are women, an important stat for a field where men still hold the vast majority of leadership positions.
Under Sutton’s leadership, and in collaboration with the now-retired coordinator of P-12 programs Brad Hutchison, 74% of EAF’s principal preparation graduates have been appointed to school leadership positions (2014–2020). Sutton also partnered with the college’s development director, Wilma Bates, to secure a gift earmarked for a new cohort of aspiring school leaders that will begin in the spring of 2023. The effort will help to address the shortages of current school leaders.
Sutton has worked with Drs. Linsay DeMartino, Dianne Renn, and other faculty to identify and nominate quality candidates for the mentorship opportunity. Over a dozen EAF students have joined the network of diverse scholars during his tenure as chair.
“Len has been a fierce advocate for providing mentorship and professional development opportunities for all students, but especially students of color,” said Associate Professor Dr. Renn, who also serves as EAF’s associate chair. “He has helped to introduce them to new experiences in the profession and to realize their capabilities.”
This work is consistent with the University’s Educate Elevate Connect strategic plan, and specifically its commitment to “fostering an inclusive environment characterized by cultural understanding and engagement, ethical behavior, and commitment to social justice.”
From a program standpoint, Sutton also ushered in program improvements targeted at preparing social justice and equity-minded leadership preparation in PK-20 education. Foundations courses steeped in these concepts were added to each of EAF’s graduate programs, including two master’s and three doctoral degrees.
To make this work an even greater point of emphasis, Sutton teamed with EAF’s foundation’s faculty to develop a new Ph.D. program titled Leadership, Equity, and Inquiry (LEI). Together, they fostered partnerships with Chicago-area schools and universities to establish multiple LEI cohorts close to students. Graduates of the program are prepared to be critical consumers and producers of research with the ability to promote positive change both locally and nationally.
In collaboration with P-12 faculty and staff, Sutton supported efforts to redesign the department’s P-12 administration Ed.D. doctorate with a focus on graduating practitioners capable of solving school, district, and state-wide problems of practice through thoughtful cycles of inquiry. The program aligns with the Carnegie Project for the Education Doctorate (CPED), a nationwide movement that’s producing leaders who have the tools to collaborate and identify systemic issues within P-12 institutions that are applicable both locally and in schools nationwide. Students and alumni of the updated program have moved on to become leaders at regional offices of education, district offices, and the Illinois State Board of Education.
“When Len stepped back in 2014, he immediately saw the possibilities of an equity-based framework for PreK-12 administrators,” Renn said. “He kept the program going for our college and now the School of Teaching and Learning and Department of Special Education have followed suit in creating CPED doctorates in their units.”
Sutton and several EAF faculty identified the need and value of cohort-based models for each program in the department. The switch resulted in stronger student communities.
“My cohort members are people I trust with my life. We spent a lot of time together, but it was really comfortable,” said Laura O’Donnell, Ed.D. ’20, graduate of the P-12 Administration program. “It was a network, a little family, and we still utilize each other as resources and professional learning partners.”
Renn said Sutton has also taught multiple courses and chaired over a dozen dissertations, sharing that he is always eager to support students in any way that’s necessary. In the absence of a Lat-Crit scholar within the department, he retained content experts to support student research interests. Finally, this past summer, Sutton and the entire office staff completed an eight-week course in American Sign Language to expand the unit’s capacity to make stronger connections with student communities.
“I can’t think of a better person than Len to receive this award. His efforts truly embody what the Dr. Linda C. Tillman Racial and Social Justice Award is all about,” Renn said.
