Cabrillo College professor Skye Gentile says recent meetings of the school’s board of trustees have offered students a real-time lesson in poor communication and bad leadership. The meetings, she writes, have allowed students to see examples of tokenism and microaggressions and to discuss the importance of timing, apologies and public accountability. Effective leadership depends less on intent and more on listening, reflection and awareness of impact. Her students, she writes, have been left wondering if the current board represents their interests and values.
