Interview with UMBC President Valerie Sheares Ashby

Not even a year into her presidency role at UMBC, President Valerie Sheares Ashby feels right at home. The privilege of serving so many students, staff, and faculty is not lost on President Sheares Ashby. Always having had a central value around leadership, she has said if you turn a triangle upside down, the leader should be the point at the bottom. Everyone above you, you should be in service to. This is just one quality that President Sheares Ashby has learned from the many good examples in her life, including her parents. Her father was a minister as well as a math and science teacher. Her mother, who was an English teacher, went on to run a homeless shelter after retiring. Through their compassion and dedication, President Sheares Ashby learned that service should feel like a privilege.

While President Sheares Ashby shares that every job she has held has been her favorite job at the time, she says the UMBC presidency was the right role at the right institution with the right values at the right time.

If you are comfortable in your own skin, and you show up authentically, it’s easy to find the job you’re supposed to be in, she explains. When you find that perfect fit, President Sheares Ashby says you should spend everyday working to make it better than you found it. That way, when it’s your time to leave, you can do so well. President Sheares Ashby appreciates how former UMBC President Freeman handed over the reins. He introduced her to the people, the city, and helped her make connections, and then handed it off for President Ashby to lead.

To stay grounded as a leader, President Sheares Ashby relies on her people: a leadership coach and 4 mentors. Beyond that, she prioritizes self-care because she knows everyone she meets deserves the best version of herself. She utilizes exercise, church, time with friends, music, and more to take care of herself. Sometimes, she admits, self-care means saying no to requests. On her desk you’ll find ‘20 Ways to Say No’. While your job should bring you joy, it should not be everything to you, she notes, asserting that it’s important for leaders to have a whole life.

At the end of the day, leadership isn’t for everyone. President Sheares Ashby reminds us that you need a servant's heart and the right assets for the role. When it comes to keeping her leadership strong, she turns to her mentors and a few good books. For anyone who is looking at how to be an authentic leader, President Sheares Ashby recommends the books- The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni and Leading With Heart by John Baird.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why self-care is so important for leaders.
• What inclusive excellence means and why it’s important.
• Why everyone should have a mentor.

Favorite Quote:

“It is a privilege to be in leadership, and we are indeed in service to people.”

-President Valerie Sheares Ashby