Grassroots Leadership for Inclusive Change: Transforming STEM Faculty Culture in a Primarily Undergraduate Institution

Gender inequities and toxic workplace climates remain persistent challenges in STEM academia, disproportionately affecting faculty with marginalized identities (mainly women, people of color, and LGBTQ faculty and staff). This presentation discusses the development and implementation of a shared leadership initiative at a regional comprehensive primarily undergraduate institution. Grounded in the collective impact model, the initiative planned to drive systemic change in institutional policies and culture. By fostering cross-campus collaboration among faculty, administrators, and staff, the initiative leveraged structured partnerships, shared measurement systems, and continuous communication and data sharing to address inequities in hiring, promotion, and workplace climate. Key strategies include calling for inclusive decision-making structures, transparency in leadership practices, and accountability measures to challenge entrenched biases. Using institutional human resource data and qualitative data from faculty surveys and interviews, the project assessed the initiative's impact on faculty retention, career advancement, and departmental culture. Preliminary findings highlight the potential of shared leadership and collective impact frameworks to dismantle structural barriers, offering insights for institutions seeking to create more equitable and supportive environments for STEM faculty.