BUILDING COMMUNITY

A SHARED VISION IS THE CORNERSTONE OF DR. LETIZIA GAMBRELL-BOONE’S LEADERSHIP

Biblically, faith is de ned as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. ese words and her faith have remained the foundation of Dr. Letizia Gambrell-Boone’s professional and personal pursuits. How tting it is, she notes, that she’s now serving in a capacity that allows her to regard her faith both professionally and personally on the campus of Salve Regina.

“I know how far the strength of my faith has gotten me and how much it has undergirded me in all that I do, daily,” says Gambrell-Boone, vice president for student a airs. “I’m thrilled to be partnered with an educational institution that also prioritizes a belief system that champions academic ambitions and a tradition of mercy.”

As a rst-generation college graduate, Gambrell-Boone knows the equalizing power of an education. She is driven to use knowledge acquisition and persistence to transcend circumstances and envision and work toward a brighter future. External factors such as grades, socioeconomic status, and peer groups serve as descriptors in her story. Yet what is most important is the narrative around those descriptors, which is part of what drives her to lead.

“Formal learning experiences in and outside of the classroom should make no assumptions or place limitations upon the student consumer,” says Gambrell-Boone. Formal learning experiences should hold space for the student to use knowledge acquisition to imagine a new reality that enhances growth and development.”

For more than 30 years, Gambrell-Boone has served as a leader in the higher education arena. Her titles have ranged from professor to vice president of student success and engagement to global summer residential program director. ose experiences helped her steady and galvanize a student body abruptly a ected by the Covid-19 pandemic. As a solution to some of the challenges the pandemic created, she now prioritizes reaching out to students and encourages them to be intentional in curating their student experience.

Strategic thinking is also an essential component of her work at Salve. It includes listening and then cultivating experiences that showcase what’s needed and necessary on and around campus.

To that end, Gambrell-Boone and a cross-disciplinary team are leading an intercultural competence initiative that aims to create a shared narrative about the value of di erence in the human experience. ey will use the data collected during the pilot year as a baseline to inform future diversity, equity and inclusion e orts.

“We are thrilled that 76 faculty, sta , and students are part of our initial cohort focused on contributing to the improvement of the campus climate,” says Gambrell-Boone. “Our goal is to build an inclusive community in which all members can thrive.”

It’s a gracious and gregarious goal, which is in alignment with the four divisional pillars: sense of belonging, health and wellness, active and vibrant campus life, and DEI.

“ ere are di erent types of social activities that we o er, not just for the extroverted, outgoing student, but for those who are a bit more reserved,” she continues. “We are creating opportunities for everyone to engage and lead, if desired. Every day, I have the opportunity to come and create an experience that makes life better for our future generations. at’s pretty motivational and inspiring for me.”

Even when she’s not on campus, as a wife and the mother of a recent college graduate and a sophomore at Salve, Gambrell-Boone is always building community. Building a shared vision as opposed to utilizing a totalitarian approach is her cornerstone, and the way to demonstrate commitment to shared governance, communion and not missing the mark.

“It’s the way I live my life,” she explains. “I can have faith, but I also have to work that faith and believe that if I do my best for every student, every member of the Salve community, that it will manifest in grand ways that better not only students’ lives, but the community and the world. And that applies not just to my personal family, but my Seahawks family.”

Originally from Columbia, South Carolina, Gambrell-Boone earned both her bachelor’s degree in marketing and her master’s degree in counseling, with a concentration in college student development, at Hampton University. She continued her education and earned her Doctor of Education from e George Washington University.

But it’s not her education alone that makes her e ective, she notes.

“With my education backing me, I still can’t do my best work if I don’t do it with compassion and the heart to help my students do their best and experience scholarly and social development,” she says. “ at’s my goal. at’s my faith.”