When We Lead: An Examination of Conditions That Support Black Women Senior Executive Thriving

Abstract

City Year Inc. is the partner organization for this project. City Year has overseen a significant increase in its recruitment of Black women leaders into Senior Vice President roles throughout the organization. However, little is known about the conditions that create an environment in which these senior executives can thrive and be retained. Research on thriving from the psychology literature defines thriving at work as a psychological state composed of the joint experience of vitality and learning.I surveyed 226 Black women senior nonprofit executives including 14 of City Year's SVPs (who were also interviewed) to understand the degree to which they report thriving within their workplace and to examine if certain organizational strategies might increase their reports of thriving.