The value and practice of cultivating a departmental culture that supports student and faculty success is critical to its effectiveness and sustainability in institutions of higher education. In this qualitative study, we apply a pedagogy of intentionality as our theoretical lens. Methodologically, we utilized a collaborative autoethnographic approach to explore experiences of departmental culture among educational leadership faculty at a public university in the southeastern United States. We were particularly interested in gathering qualitative data to increase our understanding regarding how a shift in departmental values and priorities impacted how faculty felt and assessed their individual experiences during their time within the department. Overall findings reveal the transformational process of a purposeful departmental culture shift from toxic to healthy. Evidence demonstrates (a) faculty's initial toxic culture experience characterized by a hostile, inequitable, and hierarchical working environment; (b) ways key faculty members utilized the opportunity of departmental personnel change to intentionally envision and effect a cultural transformational shift characterized by community and collegial interdependence and relationships; and (c) evidence of faculty's current experiences within a healthy culture, whose core features are professional, familial, diverse, and authentic. Faculty as guardians of culture was an associated finding.