We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Mordecai Ian, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Overcoming imposter syndrome in my personal journey required me to stop believing that I was not deserving of the success and opportunity afforded me. The most important step in this process was for me to evaluate my methods of personal validation. Too often, I sought the validation of others to confirm and affirm my thoughts, experiences, and personal sense of value. As a result, the biases and fears of others became the lens through which I viewed the world and myself. Freeing myself from those biases and fears opened the door to me realizing my own value and ultimately overcoming imposter syndrome.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I proudly serve as the sixth President of the Community College of Aurora in Colorado. In addition, I publish frequently, including serving as a columnist for EdSurge. I also teach for Lamar University within the College of Education & Human Development and serve as an international keynote speaker.
This year, I was named 40 Under 40 by the prestigious Denver Business Journal and the Community Leader of the Year by the Aurora Chamber of Commerce. In 2022, I was featured by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education Magazine as a “New School” leader representing the next generation of college presidents.
Within the first two years of my college presidency, I have led CCA through significant change and improved the student success agenda at the Community College of Aurora. These successes include CCA embarking upon its first capital project in 24 years, record-breaking capital and scholarship fundraising, the hiring of CCA’s largest and most diverse faculty ranks in the college’s history, improved student completions by more than 20%, and CCA becoming the first Achieving the Dream institution in the State of Colorado.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Vision – We must be able to dream and envision a desired state of being for ourselves.
Strategic Planning – Next, we must learn how to identify the objectives and actions that will bring us closer to our desired state of being.
Accountability – We have to be the first ones to acknowledge when a change in action is necessary.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
Higher education will never be the same as this country has known it over the past 300-plus years. As a community college president, I spend my days evaluating the demographic and workforce realities of my community. With this information in mind, I am charged with leading a college to ensure its market relevance and sustainability. This work is challenging, to say the least. However, it is fulfilling. Because I fully understand by creating a relevant and sustainable college, we are positioned to transform lives for years to come.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ItsDrMordecai.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsdrmordecai
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItsDrMordecai
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmordecaibrownlee
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ItsDrMordecai
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxHPtcMYertyr9YR2AEZV5Q
