Abstract Dr. Irene Pinkard, former Mayor Pro Tem for the City of Oxnard, educator and community leader, is an education consultant for secondary/community college districts. She was the first woman to be elected to the Oxnard City Council in 20 years; the first African American woman elected to the council; and the first African American woman elected to the Oxnard school board. Dr. Pinkard graduated from California State University, Long Beach, with a bachelor's degree in business and a master's in...

Abstract This interview focuses on Dr. Perkins's career, as an African American female professor, her graduate school experience, the challenges that she faced, and the power of mentorship. She shares how she became interested in African American women in Higher Education. She also speaks candidly about her experiences at Harvard, and at the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana. Dr. Perkins is a trailblazer and has used her life to tell the stories of Black women in Higher Education, who are often...