Purposeful educational leadership and intersectionality: a conceptual insight for enhancing inclusive and climate-responsive schooling in Ghana Available to Purchase

Dr Ernest Mensah Abraham is the Dean of the Faculty of Management Studies, University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA). He oversees academic policy formulation and implementation in the Faculty. He ensures effective teaching and learning in the Faculty. He previously served as the vice dean of the faculty and the head of the Department of Business Administration. He holds a PhD in Development Studies from the University of Greenwich, UK. He has published in reputable journals in his field of interest. He has taught courses in sustainability, environmental management, entrepreneurship development, and business policy and strategy, among others. His research interests are in the areas that he lectures in. This article is his first contribution to International Journal of Educational Management.

Linda Zusong Arezak is a practitioner-scholar whose work examines the intersections of leadership, gender, and institutional transformation in education and security contexts. She holds an MSc in Defence and International Politics and an MA in Gender, Peace, and Security (Valedictorian). She is currently a PhD candidate in Interdisciplinary Studies and an MA student in Alternative Dispute Resolution. Linda's research focuses on how discourse, power, and organisational practices shape inclusive leadership, participation, and knowledge production within institutions. She adopts a multidisciplinary approach to the study of educational management, gender, governance, and institutional reform, drawing on African contexts while engaging broader questions of sustainable development. With over a decade of professional experience in the Ghana Armed Forces, including service in United Nations missions in Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, she bridges empirical insight and theoretical analysis. Her work contributes to advancing inclusive educational leadership, sustainable development, and transformative institutional change. This article is her first contribution to International Journal of Educational Management.

Erika Mamley Osae is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Work, Employment and Society at the University of Professional Studies, Accra. She possesses more than twenty-five years of experience in development practice across both local and international contexts, working collaboratively with civil society organisations, local stakeholders, and the private sector. She has a PhD in Development Studies from the School for Development Studies, UCC, and a Master of Arts degree in Public Policy and Administration, as well as an Executive Master's degree with an Advanced Certificate in Leadership and NGO Management from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University in New York, USA. She also holds a Master of Arts degree in Development Studies from the Institute of Social Studies at Erasmus University, The Hague, The Netherlands, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography and Resource Development with Philosophy from the University of Ghana, Legon – Accra. Erika is a certified organisation and systems development practitioner. She worked for multinational and international organisations and institutions before joining UPSA. Her research focuses on three areas: women and governance (information technology, NGO, and corporate); organisation and systems development (leadership and human resource management); and urbanisation with an emphasis on slums/informality and inner-city development. She also has some published chapters in books and periodicals to her credit. This article is her first contribution to International Journal of Educational Management.

Dr Michael Kwame Mickson is a seasoned educationist, Human Resource (HR) practitioner, and management consultant with extensive managerial and academic experience spanning banking, oil marketing, hospitality, and HR consultancy. He is a senior lecturer in the Department of Business Administration at the UPSA and currently serves as the acting dean of the School of Graduate Studies. His key competencies are research, consulting, training, and development. Mickson holds a PhD in Business Administration from CASS Europe and an MPhil in Educational Administration from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. His academic qualifications are complemented by rich industry experience; he has held key leadership roles, including general manager and human resource manager in oil marketing companies, HR manager in the hospitality sector, and HR and training officer in the banking sector, where he laid a strong foundation for his commitment to organisational development and human capital advancement. Mickson's research interests are in leadership, management, and educational administration. He teaches a range of postgraduate and undergraduate courses, including organisational behaviour and management; innovation and change management; business leadership and ethics; corporate governance; and advanced human resource management. His dual exposure to academia and industry enables him to mentor students in becoming industry-relevant professionals. He has published articles in peer-reviewed journals, including the World Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, International Journal of Public Leadership, and European Journal of Business and Management, among others. This article represents his first contribution to the International Journal of Educational Management.

Samuel Koomson holds a PhD in business administration from the award-winning University of Cape Coast, Ghana. As a multidisciplinary expert, he has contributed to the fields of sustainability, strategy management, operations and supply chain, innovation, leadership, psychology, and ethics. Samuel heads the Centre for Climate, Law and Policy (CCLAP) at UPSA. In Ghana and beyond, he teaches philosophy of scientific research, operations management, supply chain management, project management, innovation and change management, productivity and growth, ethics and social justice, engaging differences, and poverty, wealth, and development at UPSA at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Samuel has made scholarly contributions to several top-tier journals, including, but not limited to, Business Strategy and the Environment, European Business Review, International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, Business Process Management Journal, The TQM Journal, International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Society and Business Review, Management Research Review, International Journal of Innovation Science, Cogent Business and Management, International Journal of Ethics and Systems, Journal of Global Responsibility, Prince Sultan University (PSU) Research Review, International Journal of Energy Sector Management, British Journal of Healthcare Management, African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, International Journal of Public Leadership, and Social Sciences and Humanities Open. This article represents his first contribution to International Journal of Educational Management.