Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Patrice McClellan.
Hi Dr. McClellan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Well, I always wanted to be a teacher. But coming from a family of teachers and social workers, I was persuaded not to join the profession for various reasons. Mainly citing pay and stress. So instead of listening to my heart, I listened to my elders because they knew what was best and honoring their advice was very important in my family. Therefore, I majored in marketing with a minor in finance. I excelled in coursework. I was placed with a local bank during an internship program called INROADS, Inc and my path back to education began. I excelled in banking; going through the management trainee program getting to know all aspects of banking – commercial real estate, mortgage lending, retail banking, and personal finance. I settled in retail banking, becoming a branch manager and hated it (LOL)! Not because I wasn’t good at it, but I never stopped yearning to teach others. I left banking after 6 years, took a pay cut, and became an advisor at The University of Toledo in the College of Engineering. I loved every aspect of my job. I was able to help co-teach the introductory course for freshman and visit the classroom from time to time. I knew I had to do something with education. After being with UT about 2 years, I pursued my masters in Organization Development from Bowling Green State University. My department chair at the time Doug Nims, wrote my recommendation letter. He told me if this is what you want to do, then do it! The caveat to that is when I took the position at Lourdes, some 10 years later, I would be faculty with Dougs’ wife Liz. The Nims have been very supportive of me from day 1. He was pivotal in me stepping out on faith and pursuing my dreams of becoming a teacher. After my masters, I quit my job to pursue my doctorate full time.
I look back on all of the moments in my life that have led to me owning my own business, and I am in awe. It wasn’t by mistake that my path has been a winding road to success. So, once I finished my doctorate and I was finally a teacher – YAY! I became faculty at Miami University of Ohio in 2007 and in 2011 landed at Lourdes University as the Director of the Master of Organizational Leadership Program. I enjoyed 8 of the 10 years I was there. My tenure at Lourdes taught me to stand up for what is right, even if you have to risk it all. And that I did. I’ve always been this champion of integrity, authenticity, and diversity. Sometimes, hard times teach you the best things you need to know about yourself.
I left Lourdes in 2018 for a Director of Organization Development PHD programs at Fielding Graduate University. Santa Barbara was great when I had retreats or learning intensives, but remote work got the best of me. I was bored and kind of lonely, then COVID hit, and I had another epiphany. It was COVID, coupled with social justice upheaval that I decided to take another leap of faith to start my own business. I was already known in the area for leadership development as I ran the continuing education portion of training while at Lourdes and was on numerous boards doing similar work.
I try not to brag on myself, but I am really a dope leader (as the young people say). I’m a national leadership expert, diversity champion, and author. All of my experiences help me to be the best version of myself, but also share the “ah-ha” moment of leadership as well as the mistakes I’ve made. The authenticity is the leadership. I love people and making things right, especially in organizations. So, it was fitting to start a business that transforms organizations by leveraging employee expertise.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Heck no! It’s been a winding road. There have been definitely great moments along the way. But there have been challenges also. One challenge was my age. I was always the youngest leader whether being a manager at the bank, faculty to superintendents at Miami, and program director at Lourdes and Fielding. Sometimes, when people think of leadership or a leader, they think of someone who is older in age. I was 26 in banking and 30 as a new faculty member. Now keep in mind, I was supervising people double my age and it was not an easy feat. Winning them over, took a lot of emotional labor with building trust and collaborating at times when I just wanted to make a decision without all of the buy in. It taught me patience and empathy. Sometimes, you have to look at things from another perspective to appreciate your own.
There were also racial microaggressions along the way. I remember sitting in a faculty meeting on 1st generation college students and how to retain them. I was listening because I knew what the research said but didn’t have any direct experience with that particular student body. A faculty member who happened to be senior ranking, white, and woman asked me to explain what it was like as a first-generation college student. I was like oh no she didn’t in my head. I was offended because of her assumption AND I was not a first-generation college student. I was 3rd generation college student. I paused, which seemed like forever but was probably only a few seconds to ask to tell her I was not. I asked her where her family went to college as I told her my grandma went to THEE Ohio State University and my mother the university of toledo as well as my father. She fumbled over her words to say she was the first in her family to go to college. I replied well, please tell us your experience as a first-generation college student. She never talked to me after that. It didn’t bother me at all. I always think of that because she could have been very helpful being a senior ranking faculty member, but instead she chose emotional violence in a public meeting with my peers. It taught me to embrace those that embrace me, not to assume because assuming could be costly in terms of your credibility and integrity all because of a falsehood and bias. She lost credibility that day, whether she knew it or not or even cared. But I care. I care that when people leave my presence, they feel valued, seen, and loved
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about The Ronald Group, LLC?
The Ronald Group is named after my dad, who passed away when I was young. It’s my way of honoring his legacy. He was an impeccable writer and a strategic leader.
Our mission at The Ronald Group is to build intentional leaders who transform organizational culture to build capacity, disrupt disproportionate outcomes, and create a culture of belonging. We specialize in developing leaders, strategizing innovative solutions during crisis and leveraging leader expertise to build engaging work teams!
We believe thriving communities are surrounded by thriving organizations that promote inclusion and belonging. Our work begins where the goals of organizations and the needs of community intersect. Our primary focus is working with mission-driven organizations, school districts, and child protection agencies where success outcomes for children and families are a priority. We believe children are our future, and their success is our responsibility.
At The Ronald Group, we activate leaders! It is our goal and passion to build intentional leaders who see their work as an extension of community. Through our Contextualized Conversations®️ framework, B.L.O.C.K.S. leadership development program and change management strategies, leaders will be equipped to address leadership gaps, disproportionate outcomes, resistance to change, and create a culture of belonging that vibrates into surrounding communities.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
The key to finding a mentor is to do some research on who is the top in your field, whether it be locally, regionally, or nationally. Begin to study them and the skills they possess that you either want or need to advance. This will help you be intentional when seeking out a mentor. Then begin to look for organizations that speak to you and your career goals. As you begin to cultivate relationships, the door(s) of mentoring will open. A mentor needs to know what you need from they so that the relationship can be mutually beneficial for you both. Doing some research will aid in the intentionality of the search.
For example, once I began my doctoral studies, I would observe my department chair at the time, Dr. Judy Alston. She was a very thorough leader that had high standards but was approachable with all the staff. After being in the program for a year, I asked her how do I get into the academy and be a department chair. In other words, I asked her how do I get on your level. We scheduled a meeting, and she began to tell me about her path through tenure, academic teaching and becoming department chair. She recommended me for an early career program with the University Council of Education Administrators called Barbara Jackson Scholars. I was in the 1st or 2nd group of scholars who were paired with mentors to help us publish as doctoral students as well as prepare us for careers into the professorship. I was blessed to have Dr. Cynthia Dillard, Dr. Michael Dantley, and Dr Cynthia Tyson paired as mentors as well as Dr. Alston. I am still connected as mentor/mentee to these wonderful scholars. I still call Dr. Tyson and Alston some 18 years later to pick their brains about important decisions that I plan to make. I believe it was my intention that initially helped our mentoring relationship and over the years it has grown into a stronger bond.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theronaldgroup.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drp_tlc/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drp.theleadershipcoach/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drp-tlc/
Image Credits
Nick Amrhein
CYT Images
