Our History
The year was 1991. The place, a college in Minnesota. The inspiration, a 1990 women’s higher education leadership conference. While the conference was good, it did not address the unique challenges and concerns faced by women of color in the workplace.
With the help of Dr. Carolyn Desjardins, Associate Dean of Students at Maricopa Community College in Arizona, and a grant from the Ford Foundation, the first Kaleidoscope Leadership Institute forum was held working in close partnership with Dr. Jacquelyn Belcher, then President of Minneapolis Community College and other women of color in leadership there. The goal was to provide a forum using a cultural prism, tools for self-analysis, and more to help women of color aspiring to be leaders in their organizations. Additionally, the goal of the Institute was to give women of color an opportunity to see themselves more clearly and see the power of their diversity. The Institute believed that it is essential for women of color to understand, honor, and leverage their strengths and uniqueness as part of the “kaleidoscope” of diversity needed for both organizational and individual success.
Dr. Jacquelyn M. Belcher
Dr. Jacquelyn M. Belcher was given leadership of Kaleidoscope from Dr. Desjardins shortly before she tragically succumbed to cancer a few years later. Dr. Belcher led the Institute with passion and commitment for over 25 years. In that time, hundreds of African American, Asian/Pacific Islander American, Latina/Hispanic/Latinx, Indian, Native American, Indigenous, and other women of color at all levels of the organization in higher education have attended. Women in other professions have also attended the Institute.
Dr. Belcher handed the reins of the organization to her daughter, Toni Belcher who transitioned the organization to its current focus.