On September 12th, Mary Dana Hinton, President of Hollins University, joined Batten School Dean Ian Solomon for an engaging discussion on women in leadership. Approximately 60 community members gathered in the Great Hall of Garrett Hall to listen to the conversation, where President Hinton and Dean Solomon touched on topics including being authentic and vulnerable, showing compassion towards oneself and others, being willing to fail, demonstrating courage amidst uncertainty and cultivating leadership in others. The conversation was lively, inspirational and sprinkled with thought-provoking anecdotes and insights.

President Hinton mused about why the word “love” is often missing from theories on effective leadership. She became the thirteenth president of Hollins University on August 1, 2020, after six years as the president of the College of Saint Benedict (Saint Ben’s) in Saint Joseph, Minnesota. Her scholarship has focused on higher education leadership, strategic planning, the role of education in peace building, African American religious history, and inclusion in higher education. She is the author of The Commercial Church: Black Churches and the New Religious Marketplace in America and a frequent op-ed contributor across higher education publications.

President Hinton touched on topics from her popular TEDx talk, Leading From the Margins, and shared openly about past leadership mistakes she has made -- and what she learned from them.

The crowd, which included Jane Batten and Dorothy Batten of the Batten family which established the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy fifteen years ago, asked engaging questions about how to lead from anywhere and during any season of life.

“I cherish opportunities to learn from President Hinton whenever I can,” said Dean Solomon.  “I am so glad the Batten Community had the chance to watch her in action and hear her stories about leading from anywhere -- including from society’s margins -- with love, humility, forgiveness and extraordinary courage.”

Watch the entire conversation below: