The Mosaic Leadership Academy (MLA) is a year-long leadership development program designed to build community and leverage campus resources to enhance the knowledge, skills, and professional networks of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) employees. The academy’s primary goal is to support employee promotion and retention by helping participants identify and pursue pathways to administrative and academic leadership roles. The program includes professional development workshops tailored to the leadership interests and needs of participating fellows, as well as individualized mentoring, job-shadowing opportunities, panel discussions, and structured reflection activities. Since its launch in 2022 with an inaugural cohort of 10 UWM employees, the MLA has continued to grow. With the addition of the 2026-2027 cohort, a total of 51 UWM employees have participated in this leadership development program.
For Dr. Pamela Estephania Harris, a 2023-2024 fellow, the MLA became a catalyst for reimagining her career trajectory. Reflecting on the experience, Dr. Harris shared, “It allowed me to see myself beyond what I envisioned,” explaining that the program opened her eyes to leadership trajectories outside the traditional step-by-step progression she had always assumed was necessary. She discovered that advancement could take multiple forms and that leadership opportunities were more accessible than she had imagined. The MLA not only helped her gain knowledge about institutional processes, budgets, and governance, but also provided trusted advisors she could turn to for guidance as new opportunities emerged. A defining feature of Dr. Harris’s experience was the mentorship and network she built. Harris described the impact as immediate and transformative: “It prepared me in a way that I had hoped but didn’t anticipate it would pay dividends so quickly.”
Equally impactful was the MLA’s emphasis on community and leadership at every level of the institution. By learning alongside faculty and staff from across campus, Harris gained a broader perspective on how leadership is practiced throughout the university. “We all can be leaders where we are,” she reflected, emphasizing that leadership is not defined by title but by action and initiative. She also highlighted the importance of personal initiative, noting that fellows “are going to get as much as you put into this.” The MLA was more than a leadership program for Dr. Harris. It was a powerful reminder that leadership begins with seeing your own potential and having the community and support to pursue opportunities with greater confidence and purpose.