Executive Director, Association for Teaching Black History in Kentucky (SAL)

Executive Director, Association for Teaching Black History in Kentucky (SAL)

 Summary:

The Association for Teaching Black History in Kentucky whose founding member organizations include Berea College, the Muhammad Ali Center, Kentucky State University, and the Thomas D. Clark Foundation) was organized in 2022 to recover the social, historical, and cultural contributions of black Kentuckians and to make these materials readily available to teachers in the Commonwealth, thereby promoting quality K-12 instruction in history. The goal of the Association is to provide an inclusive educational experience for all students that enhances their academic success. Berea College serves as the fiscal agent for the Association.

The Executive Director is the primary administrative officer of the Association for Teaching Black History in Kentucky with responsibility for overseeing all programs and activities of the Association. The Executive Director is responsible for organizing the development of K-12 curricular materials which constitute the main objective of the Association and devises appropriate means for sharing them digitally with educators in the state. The Executive Director develops and maintains programs for and builds relationships with constituent educators from around the State to support adoption and use of the curricular materials. The Executive Director participates in the necessary fundraising to sustain the effort of the Association. The Executive Director supports and guides the advocacy work of the Association in concert with the Association Board of Directors and Advisory Board. The Executive Director promotes the sharing of best practices and is responsive to the ongoing and changing needs of member institutions and the state. The Association for Teaching Black History has moved beyond the startup phase and the Executive Director is expected to progress the program beyond its current foundation.

The Executive Director is hired by and reports to the Governing Board of the Association and receives compensation and benefits as a nominal employee of Berea College as fiscal agent for the Association. As such, the Executive Director will receive an annual review from both the Governing Board of the Association and through the Human Resources policies of Berea College.

Primary duties and responsibilities:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Regular and predictable attendance is essential. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Planning
•    Develop and maintain strategy, operations, and programming trajectory for the Association utilizing input from K-12 stakeholders, member institutions, and the Advisory Board.
•    Develop and maintain policy records for the Association;
•    In collaboration with the advisory board, establish a strategic plan for the Association that includes programmatic outcomes, fundraising goals, curriculum resource expansion and metrics for evaluating the impact and success of the program.

Operations
•    Formulate and implement the Association budget, subject to the approval of the Governing Board.
•    Develop and maintain templates and instructions for the development of curricular materials;
•    Develop and maintain a platform on the Berea College network for housing and distributing curricular materials;
•    Recruit in-service teachers for the development of curricular materials;
•    Develop and maintain data collection processes for stewardship and reporting on program outcomes;
•    Oversee continued expansion of Association created educational materials designed to allow a synthesis of traditional as well as modern, research-based tools to facilitate teaching of Black History in the Commonwealth;
•    Travel as needed, to ascertain the functions, needs, and impact of the Association on the people and organizations it is designed to support;
•    Support all Association boards and working groups;

Outreach and Communications
•    Provide ongoing oversight of program delivery and financial accountability in close communication with all stakeholders in the Association, including, funders, school partners (students, teachers & administrators), collaborating agencies and organizations, and the Kentucky Department of Education and Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education;
•    Advocate on behalf of the Association for Teaching Black History in Kentucky on issues related to state funding and legislation;
•    Organize opportunities for mutual learning for in-service teachers and Association partners through events such as Teach the Teachers workshops and symposia;
•    Assist other institutions interested in participation in the Association
•    Promote the Association through external communications and participation in conferences and meetings of state-wide and national organizations;

Fundraising and stewardship
•    Participate in fundraising efforts in association with the Advancement department of Berea College; coordinate fundraising efforts with the member institutions;
•    Provide quarterly progress reports to the member organizations of the Association;
•    Provide additional reporting as needed to all supporting organizations and individuals for the purpose of stewardship;

•    In support of Berea College’s Great Commitments, this position may occasionally require student supervision. The fourth great commitment is to promote learning and serving in community through the student labor program, honoring the dignity and utility of all work, mental and manual, and taking pride in work well done. The supervision would include scheduling, assigning and approving work performed. Developing students about common workplace acumen and giving them tangible work experience is an expected outcome. To learn more about the student labor program and requirements on this position see: Labor Program Goals

Other roles/duties will be assigned as necessary to assist the College in the attainment of the goals set forth and the enhancement of a positive, respectful learning environment for all staff, faculty and students.

Minimum Qualifications Required:

Education to ensure success in this position:
•    Preferred: Ph.D. in field related to this project or Ed.D.
•    Minimum Required: Master’s Degree in related field

Experience required to ensure success in this position:
•    5-10 years of Administrative/Professional experience in Primary, Secondary, or Higher Education
•    Experience in the creation or management of a non-profit

Special skills, knowledge and abilities:

•    Knowledge of Black History and willingness to expand that knowledge in regard to the experience of Black Kentuckians
•    Ability to develop and maintain infrastructure, programming, and assessment/evaluation;
•    Coordinate programming consultants and excellent project management skills
•    Understanding of and experience in fundraising and development
•    Strong communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills, computer proficiency
•    Collaborative leadership work style
•    Ability to work with a diverse group of institutions and interests.

License, certification, or registration necessary:
•    Valid Driver’s License
•    Required Background Check
Physical requirements:
•    Ability to operate a computer and related equipment
•    Ability to navigate campus and public buildings/grounds
•    Ability to travel frequently and independently, occasionally for long distances
•    Ability to convene/arrange and attend meetings across campus and in the program’s service region

Environmental conditions:
•    Professional office environment with interruptions and noise due to frequent visitors, students, staff and faculty
•    Regular field travel required for meetings and workshops in Kentucky

Ability to operate the following vehicles or equipment:
•    Standard office equipment
•    College or personal vans/cars

Founded in 1855, Berea College achieved national distinction as the first coeducational and interracial college in the South. Berea has a longstanding commitment to interracial education and is one of the most racially diverse private liberal arts colleges in the United States. With an emphasis on service to Appalachia and beyond, Berea enrolls 1,600 students from 43 states and U.S. territories and more than 70 countries. Berea College admits students who are unable to afford tuition and provides all of them a no-tuition promise, valued at more than $178,000. Berea’s students excel in the College’s supportive yet demanding academic environment, and many are the first in their families to attend college. As one of only nine federally recognized Work Colleges, all Berea students are expected to work 10-12 hours weekly in various positions across campus. Berea College was again named one of the nation’s “Best Institutions for Undergraduates to Earn their College Degree” in the 2022 edition of The Princeton Review’s book, The Best 387 Colleges. Berea also appeared on four other lists within the publication: Best Colleges in the Southeast; Best Value Colleges; Best Green Colleges; and Tuition Free Schools. Berea College is ranked #148 by The Princeton Review – the highest-ranked Kentucky college, and the #3 “Best Value College” in the nation. Berea is one of only two private institutions ranked in the Top 10 for Value in the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education (THE) 2022 College Rankings. The Washington Monthly ranks Berea College #13 among the nation’s liberal arts colleges, recognizing Berea for maintaining “consistently high rankings thanks to their economic diversity, relatively strong graduation rates, and commitment to meeting students’ financial need.” U.S. News and World Report Rankings lists Berea as #30 among National Liberal Arts Colleges, including ranking Berea #1 in Service Learning, #2 for Most Innovative Schools, #3 in Co-ops/Internships, #4 in First-year Experiences, and tied for #13 in Best Undergraduate Teaching.

Located where the Bluegrass Region meets the Cumberland Mountains, the town of Berea (pop. 16,000) lies forty miles south of Lexington and is approximately two hours from Cincinnati, Louisville, and Knoxville. More information about Berea College is available at www.berea.edu.

Berea College, in light of its mission in the tradition of impartial love and social equality, welcomes all people of the earth to learn and work here.

Berea College is always looking for talented, self-motivated individuals to join our team. If you think you are ready to be a part of an exciting team, then we encourage you to continue with this applicant friendly, online job application!

Berea College is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, or veteran status.

Note to Prospective Employees:

Each year, Berea College Public Safety publishes an annual report to the campus to make public crime statistics, policies, and procedures for Berea College.  This Annual Security Report, required by the Jeane Clery Act, Minger Act, and the Student Right To Know Act is now available for review.  For a full, printable version of the ASR, you can click here: https://www.berea.edu/public-safety/annual-security-report-2019/

For a policy-by-policy version that is easier to read and browse, please visit Public Safety’s website here: https://www.berea.edu/public-safety/annual-security-report-2019/