S2. E1 - Dr. Francesca Boschetti: The Tie and the Pin

In this segment of From the Director’s Chair, Farnaz has an insightful conversation with Francesca Boschetti⁠⁠ (PhD, English) about what it means to lead in a profession where perceptions of credibility and authority are often influenced by factors beyond expertise. They explore how assumptions about age and gender can shape professional experiences, leadership journeys, and the ways individuals are seen and heard within institutions. Additionally, drawing from her own journey as a multilingual learner and educator, Francesca shares how navigating new educational systems has influenced the way she approaches leadership, student support, and other professional relationships.

Dr. Francesca Boschetti is the Associate Director at York University’s School of Continuing Studies, where she oversees language programs and operations. With extensive leadership experience in language education, internationalization, career development, and student services, she has worked across post-secondary institutions in Canada, designing and managing programs that support diverse learner communities. An Italian-Canadian educator, Certified Gallup Strengths Coach, and firm believer in the power of good food to bring people together, Francesca is passionate about adult learning, strengths-based leadership, and building collaborative environments where individuals and teams can thrive.Literature mentioned in the episode:

• Sieghart, M. A. (2021). The Authority Gap: Why women are still taken less seriously than men, and what we can do about it. Random House.
• Mercer, S., Gregersen, T., Thompson, A.S. and Yim, S.Y. (2026), It's Not You, It's the System: Women Professors in TESOL and the Persistence of Gender Bias. TESOL J. https://lnkd.in/gjhrfGpR
• Rashed, D. (2024). "Chapter 1 Female Leadership Identity in English Language Teaching: Autoethnographies of Global Perspectives – Framing the Conversation". In Female Leadership Identity in English Language Teaching. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. https://lnkd.in/gKNNwRE9

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Theme music:

Periscope by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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