The Ohio Humanities Council is engaged in a national search for an Executive Director to begin work in Ohio with the Council on or about January 4, 2011. The Board of Trustees seeks a leader with a vision and passion for the public humanities and who has:
• an appreciation for regional history and culture as well as local public policy issues;
• leadership experience in organizing and implementing public programs;
• an understanding of the value of diversity for the future of the Council;
• an understanding of how technology can be used to enhance and promote the public humanities;
• experience in partnering and collaborating with public, private, and nonprofit institutions; and
• an advanced degree in a humanities discipline (preferred).
A competitive applicant will have experience working with a volunteer board of trustees; hiring, managing, and retaining excellent staff; and strategic planning and assessment. S/he will be knowledgeable about budget planning and monitoring as well as legal requirements for non-profit organizations.
The Board also expects its Executive Director to be engaged in and enthusiastic about his/her involvement in fundraising, development, and advocacy for the Council. Therefore, a competitive candidate would have had experience in collaborating with board members in making solicitation requests; working with elected government officials and staff; obtaining individual and corporate support; and writing grants and being generally knowledgeable about foundations.
The Ohio Humanities Council, created in 1972, is a state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Council encourages all Ohioans to become explorers of the human story – to use history, literature, philosophy, and other humanities disciplines to arrive at new insights. Through its grant-making programs, the Council contributes to the cultural vitality of the state by supporting museums, libraries, local historical societies, and other nonprofit organizations as they develop exhibits, lectures, reading programs, and media projects. The Council has a strong record of producing public programs by partnering with other institutions to engage audiences with the humanities.
OHC programs include the Ohio Chautauqua, its most visible program, which travels to five communities each summer where people enjoy living history presentations; summer institutes for pre-collegiate teachers coordinated by universities with OHC grant support; an annual Oral History Institute, which provides training to a diverse cross-section of individuals representing local history organizations, community foundations, schools, corporations, and social service agencies; a speakers bureau; the Gateway to History, a website designed to capture and distribute curricular materials created by Teaching American History grants in Ohio; and a Civic Tourism initiative to help coalitions of community stakeholders evaluate the benefits of heritage tourism.
The Council has a $1.4 million budget, with substantial funding from the NEH, and is governed by a 25-member volunteer board which creates programs, awards grants, and sets policy. The work of the Council is conducted by eight full-time and one part-time staff members who manage Council programs, provide assistance to grant applicants, and promote the humanities through collaborations with other cultural and educational institutions.
The Executive Director Job Description and Position Application are available at www.ohiohumanities.org. To apply for the OHC Executive Director position, send a letter of application, resume, and names of three professional references by mail or e-mail, and complete the e-mail application on www.ohiohumanities.org by August 30, 2010 to:
Michael C. Griffaton, Esq.
Chair, Ohio Humanities Council
c/o Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP
52 East Gay Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
mcgriffaton@vorys.com
The salary is negotiable for a well-qualified candidate. The application process will be kept open until the position is filled, but the Council anticipates beginning first-stage phone interviews in September with an offer made on or about November 15, 2010. The Ohio Humanities Council is an equal-opportunity employer.
The Nebraska Humanities Council and the Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities are engaged in a national search for an Executive Director to begin work in Nebraska with the Council and its Foundation on or about January 4, 2011.
The boards of directors seek a leader with a passion for public humanities;
*An appreciation for regional history and culture as well as state and local public policy issues;
*Leadership experience in organizing and implementing public programs;
*An understanding of the value of ethnic and generational diversity for the future of the Council and Foundation;
*And an understanding of the far-reaching potential of technology for public humanities.
*An advanced degree in a humanities discipline is preferred.
A competitive applicant will have experience in:
*Working with a volunteer board of directors;
*Hiring, managing, and retaining excellent staff;
*And strategic planning and assessment.
*S/he will be knowledgeable about budget planning and monitoring as well as legal requirements for non-profit organizations.
The board also expects its executive director to be engaged in and enthusiastic about his/her involvement in fundraising and advocacy for the Council. Therefore, a competitive candidate would have had experience in:
*Collaborating with board members in making solicitation requests,
*Working with elected officials and staff,
*Obtaining corporate support, and
*Writing grants and general knowledge about foundations.
The Nebraska Humanities Council is a vibrant non-profit organization recognized nationally for serving the public humanities needs of Nebraska with a budget of $1.6 million annually. Funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities; the state of Nebraska; private funders including corporate, foundation, and individual donors; and earnings from the Nebraska Cultural Endowment provide a diverse base of financial support for the important humanities program opportunities offered to all Nebraskans by the Council and Foundation.
A staff of nine full-time professionals with two contract employees as well as short-term interns and volunteers have responsibility for a grants program, speaker bureau with over 400 bookings annually, summer chautauqua, statewide family literacy and reading program, touring exhibit program for small museums done in partnership with the Smithsonian, weekly public radio series, Nebraska Book Festival, various publications and web site, and the annual Governor's Lecture in the Humanities.
Send a letter of application, resume, and names of three professional references and complete the e-mail application on www.nebraskahumanities.org by June 30, 2010. The application process will be kept open until the position is filled, but the Council and Foundation anticipate beginning first-stage phone interviews in August with an offer made on or about Nov. 1, 2010. The Nebraska Humanities Council is an equal-opportunity employer.