The profession of nursing occurs in complicated work environments that require individuals to be immersed in areas with vulnerable populations that demand nurturing relationships between patients, family, friends, and employees. With the majority of nurses obtaining their initial education at a community college, strong leadership at the helm of the nursing programs is critical. The community college nurse leader is charged with tackling the challenges of: staying abreast of a rapidly changing healthcare system, providing quality educational programs for future nurses, addressing a national nursing shortage, and confronting a nurse educator shortage that oftentimes supplies the pool of future nurse leaders in higher education. Yet, there appears to be a dearth of literature about community college nursing directors and their professional pathways. The purpose of this study was to describe the extent to which community college nursing directors differ by demographics, educational preparation, career pathways, competencies and characteristics, and theoretical frameworks guiding their leadership philosophies and to better understand how these differences influence their self-perceptions of leadership effectiveness and job satisfaction. Dr. Jean Watson's theory of caring served as the theoretical framework for the study and was used to examine its applicability for serving as the foundation of effective community college nursing leadership development.