Academic department chairs are middle managers in higher education that have unique positions within an institution. This study examined novice department chairs' leadership identity within eastern United States community colleges. Novice was defined as a person having three or fewer years of experience in the department chair position. The gap in the literature related to department chairs was specifically on novice department chairs' leadership identity. The research question was: How do novice department chairs describe their identity as a leader within the eastern United States community college setting? The researcher utilized the basic qualitative methodology with data gathered through semi-structured interviews from a sample of six novice department chairs, all of whom were women from community colleges in the eastern United States. The researcher analyzed the data by using thematic analysis with open coding and axial coding. The data analysis resulted in three themes: leadership identity, leadership experience, and leadership development. The theme of leadership identity had subthemes: leading by example, listening and understanding, and getting buy-in. The theme of leadership experience had subthemes: fulfillment, challenges, and surprises. The theme of leadership development had subthemes: the impact of significant individuals and the various ways in which participants developed their leadership skills. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]