Universities rely on Department Chairs as faculty, middle managers, and leaders. Chairs' professional development, which includes leadership training, can help them build the efficacy to tackle the demanding tasks required by the role. However, Chairs typically receive little to no preparation. This convergent parallel mixed methods study found that intentional, individualized, and ongoing professional development can enhance Leader Self and Means Efficacy beliefs among Chairs. Due to the nature of the role, Chair efficacy has implications for faculty, students, staff, senior leadership, and the institution overall. Universities face many challenges, including accountability pressures, dwindling budgets, "the Great Resignation," fluctuating enrollment, and adapting to post-pandemic learning. Overcoming these difficulties requires effective Chairs who can organize themselves and motivate others to achieve complex goals. This study found a positive correlation between the attitudes of department chairs toward Professional Development and their Leader Self and Means Efficacy, which measures both leaders' beliefs in their ability to motivate themselves and others to act, and their belief that they have the resources to do their jobs. Chairs in this study generally held positive attitudes toward future professional development, suggesting that, with the right opportunities, Chairs would participate and contribute to institutional capacity. This study thus provides a blueprint for creating and cementing a pipeline for this critical leadership role in higher education institutions. [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://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]