Why We Learn, Lead & Succeed

The definition of good leadership is broad, and often is in the eyes of the beholder. However, successful leadership in Higher Ed is inherently informed by academic disciplines. Social scientists, who are dedicated to the study of human society and social relationships, are especially well-positioned to investigate the characteristics of successful leadership.

However, as busy academics, we don’t always pause to consider what inspired us to pursue our fields or how the traits that helped us succeed in our scholarship might inform our perspective on leadership.

The Breaking the M.O.L.D. initiative fosters this type of reflection. The program aims to provide its faculty participants with leadership skills informed by the arts, humanities and social sciences - helping them expand their leadership potential and discover new professional opportunities.

 In Why We Learn, Lead & Succeed? we will explore what motivates us in our fields, how our academic interests may inform our leadership considerations, and even more importantly how, as educators, we can use our knowledge to guide and inform people around us in these challenging times.

Dr. Tatiana Mann

Breaking the M.O.L.D. Project Manager
D.M.A. in Piano Performance

Dr. Tatiana Mann is a passionate advocate and leader in music and the arts. A classical pianist and professor of piano, Dr. Mann has performed and taught throughout the US and in Europe. As an arts administrator with more than 20 years of experience, she enjoys bringing abstract ideas into tangible reality.  Dr. Mann was the founding executive director of the Wildwood Academy for Music and the Arts (WAMA) in Little Rock, AR – a summer program that provides arts and music instruction, with a focus on children with limited opportunities. In 2021 she founded a registered chapter of American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and advocated for freedom of speech on behalf of her colleagues in TX.  As a recording artist, Tatiana can be heard on Finding Home, released on SONY Classical Korea, as well as American Jazz Nocturne, on the Naxos Label.  Dr. Mann holds graduate degrees in piano performance from the University of MN (DMA), London’s Royal Academy of Music (PGDip) and Manhattan School of Music (MM).

Breaking the M.O.L.D. is a leadership development program that aims to help the faculty consider administration from the arts and humanities perspective.  As humanists, we tend to ask questions, including what motivates us to do what we do in our disciplines - beyond the initial curiosity or professional interests. In “Why We Learn, Lead & Succeed”we will examine the larger motivating principles behind our work. By asking “What do we do?”, “How do we do it?” and therefore “Why do we do it?”, we will explore the reasons we engage in our fields of study.  As a professional musician who grew up in contrasting socio-political environments, I will share how my upbringing, and journey as a professional musician inform my work as an administrator and inspire my leadership.

Dr. Carolyn Forestiere

Professor of Political Science

Dr. Forestiere is a  Professor of Political Science, having been at UMBC since 2004. Her research focuses on comparative politics (European and Italian Politics in particular), undergraduate research pedagogy, and more recently, the political implications of the growing decline of religiosity in industrialized democracies. Recently, she has published the second edition of her 2021 textbook, Beginning Research in Political Science. As a professor, Dr. Forestiere works intensely with undergraduate research and international education. For her, teaching and student-oriented university service are closely intertwined. On the student research side, she has developed an undergraduate research conference in Political Science (the 14th conference will be on April 9, 2025) and she has served as UMBC’s Undergraduate Research Award Faculty Chair since 2018. On the international education side, to date, Dr. Forestiere has led four study abroad programs, the last one being to Rome in January 2025. Having first participated in the MOLD program as a participant, she transitioned to become a leader in residence and now serves as the program’s co-PI.

According to Dr. Forestiere, discerning ‘Why We Learn, Lead & Succeed?' doesn’t have to be hard. It requires that you define your core values and look for the opportunities that help you achieve what you want for yourself and the people around you.

Dr. Forestiere believes that the motivation for leadership should prioritize building others in one’s sphere. ‘Why We Learn, Lead & Succeed?’ involves a process of discovery regarding what motivates individuals at key moments in time to find agency in making a positive difference where they can. Strong teachers who are accustomed to respond to ongoing challenges, for example the AI revolution, are uniquely positioned to transfer their skills into leadership.

Dr. Felipe Filomeno

Associate Professor of Political Science
Director of Global Studies Program

He is a higher education leader experienced in academic affairs, global education, campus-community engagement, deliberative dialogue, and research capacity development. His research investigates immigrant integration, intergroup relations, Latin America, and the Latin American diaspora in the United States. He is the author of four books, most recently Christian Cosmopolitanism: Faith Communities Talk Immigration, published by Temple University Press in 2024.

Dr. Filomeno's talk will explore how key social science practices—social critique, reflexivity, and the scientific study of social behavior—uniquely equip social scientists for leadership roles. Their ability to analyze and question social norms and structures fosters transformative leadership that challenges the status quo in higher education. By promoting critical self-reflection in both students and themselves, social scientists identify strengths, areas for growth, and the broader social impact of their work. Their expertise in group dynamics, power relations, and communication further enhances their capacity to navigate and influence institutional environments effectively.

Hosted by the Breaking the M.O.L.D. Program.  Moderated by Dr. Eric Stokan, Director of the Center for Social Science Scholarship, a cosponsor. 

CS3 sponsored events are open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University’s nondiscrimination policy.