Our Mission

The mission of the LEADER Consortium is to identify, research, and implement best practices to increase the recruitment, advancement, and retention of STEM women among the partner institutions.

Our Vision

The vision of the LEADER Consortium is for the Dayton region to gain renown as a STEM community that welcomes women scientists and engineers and provides an environment that promotes equity, satisfaction, and success in the academy.

The LEADER Consortium is a partnership of four diverse institutions of higher education in the Dayton, Ohio, region: the Air Force Institute of Technology, Central State University, University of Dayton, and Wright State University. The cultural norms and institutional policies at our partner institutions are as diverse as our histories and demographics.

The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) traces its roots to the early days of powered flight, when the Air School of Application was established at McCook Field in Dayton in 1919. Today, AFIT is the Air Force's graduate school of engineering and management as well as its institution for technical professional continuing education.

Central State University, which gained full independent status as a state university in 1965, is a public, Carnegie Bac/Diverse Historically Black College/University (HBCU) with approximately 2,000 students. Central State is an open access institution with emphasis on programs of importance to African American students. Among these are programs in scientific and technological fields where minorities have traditionally been underrepresented and in which there is excellent future growth potential. Central State has Colleges of Education, Arts and Sciences, and Business and Industry, the latter of which includes Departments of Manufacturing Engineering and Water Resources Management.

University of Dayton (UD), a Carnegie RU/H institution, was founded in 1850 by the Marianists. With approximately 11,000 students, it is the largest private university in Ohio and a top ten Catholic institution. UD is committed to transformative education, preparing students for lives of personal and civic responsibility. STEM units at the university reside in the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering.

Wright State University, established in 1968, is a young, comprehensive institution with 17,000 students and a Carnegie classification of RU/H. Wright State’s mission is to be a catalyst for educational excellence in the Miami Valley region with an emphasis on access to scholarship and learning. STEM units at Wright State reside in the Colleges of Science & Mathematics, Engineering & Computer Science, and the Boonshoft School of Medicine.

Coming together as the LEADER Consortium, we have many exciting opportunities to change the existing landscape across our institution, especially since the Dayton region is emerging as a model for STEM collaboration within the state and across the nation. Along with neighboring Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Air Force Research Laboratory, we are uniquely positioned to implement specifically targeted initiatives known to enhance the recruitment, advancement, retention, and success of STEM women faculty in a region that is committed to growing STEM employment and economic development.