The Client

The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership (the ACSJL) is an initiative of Kalamazoo College (K College) whose mission is to develop and sustain leaders in human rights and social justice through education and capacity-building. First opened in 2014, the Center ensures students, faculty, staff and leaders from across the globe learn and practice radical social justice and apply critical thinking to global structures. The goal of the ACSJL is to infuse social justice into curriculum and programming at the College and dismantle systems of oppression on campus locally and globally. Since opening, it has served as a focal point attracting students and faculty to the school and community and serving as a space of co-creation and strategy sharing for global activists.

Initial funding for the Center was granted by K College alumnus Jon Stryker. Operations and programming of the ACSJL are supported by the Center’s $20MM endowment which is administered by K College. The Center’s seven staff support the work of esteemed faculty, fellows, student leaders and activists from across the globe.

Founded in 1833, Kalamazoo College boasts a student body of 1,398 students from 39 states and 29 countries and is one of the oldest colleges in the United States. In this setting, the ACSJL serves as a gathering place for leaders to think radically and creatively about systemic issues and solutions. It also produces a cadre of public fellowships, programming and exhibitions.  Former visiting Fellows of the ACSJL include Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, Mariame Kaba (activist & author) and Adrienne Maree Brown (activist & author).  Former guests of the center include Activist & Professor Angela Davis, Anthropologist and Immigration Activist Jason De Leon, and Intersex Activist Pidgeon Pagonis. The ACSJL is also a grant making institution offering stipends, small grants and space to students, faculty and aligned community partners.

For more information on The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, please visit: https://arcuscenter.kzoo.edu/ and view https://vimeo.com/177430225 

Mission, Vision and Values

The mission of the ACSJL is to develop and sustain leaders in human rights and social justice through education and capacity-building. “Social justice recognizes the inherent dignity of all people and values every life equally. It calls for both personal reflection and social change to ensure that each of us has the right and the opportunity to thrive in our communities, regardless of our identities. When we acknowledge that oppression exists and work together to end systemic discrimination and structural inequities, we increase the promise of a more just world.”

The Opportunity

Given the enduring impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the next Executive Director will strengthen relationships with the student body, the general public and the Center’s mission. This is a remarkable opportunity to take responsibility for molding an institution dedicated to radical change in individuals and systems. The new leader, in collaboration with the ACSJL staff, will craft vision, management, design programs, engage the campus around diverse issues in social justice and activate their networks to make meaningful connections to the ACSJL.

The Position

The Executive Director serves as the public representative of the Center, working with the College’s administration, faculty, staff and students and advocating for change. This principal role is accountable to the Provost of Kalamazoo College, Danette Ifert Johnson.

Internal management of the ACSJL is nonhierarchical; staff assume collective responsibility for success, work collaboratively to achieve outcomes and are committed to exercising practices in equitable leadership. As a team, staff initiate conversations that promote progress towards liberation through a variety of conferences, programs, and activities, including: The biannual gathering “Without Borders” and “The Radical Futures Now Podcast.” The team also manages a range of fellowships which serve practitioners, academics, aspiring leaders and students. All programming is guided by a social justice rubric which seeks to recognize, invite and value the contributions of groups impacted by oppression.

Responsibilities of this position will require the Executive Director to:

Strategy and Vision

• Be forward thinking; Access history, analyze the landscape and execute next steps. The person will design and lead a strategic planning effort that involves a diverse and multifaceted set of stakeholders.
• Think creatively about space, connectivity and engagement; Determine how the Center effectively amplifies radical social justice, develops more purposeful engagement with a digitally native public, while honoring and further enhancing use of the Center’s physical space.

Public Leadership

• Inspire, collaborate and build trust with an intergenerational community of talented, diverse and driven leaders and stakeholders through a period of planning, program development, and reengagement. 
• Develop and mature relationships, serving as a foremost thought leader, mentor and mediator.
• Connect the Center to prominent and grassroots critical thinkers, movement builders and activists. Be open and excited to bridge a network of leaders to advance the Center as a preeminent hub for radical social justice.

Organizational Management  

• Manage ACSJL’s annual budget of $1MM, work with the Provost and Center staff to create new processes, innovations and partnerships to ensure the Center’s success.
• Develop systems that enhance the Center’s internal capacity and ability to deepen external engagement. Collaborate with K College administration on development and implementation of policy, procedures and practices.
• Partner with the College administration to think through issues in social justice, identity, equity.
• Manage effective communications, marketing and partnership strategies.

Solidarity Building

• Serve as an ambassador and key spokesperson for the Center, its programs, conferences and activities.
• Develop and promote initiatives which create solutions to social justice problems on campus and in the broader community.
• Collaborate with a broad range of critical stakeholders including Faculty Advisory Board, Arcus Center Advisory Board, Global Advisory Board, student groups, and other Centers at K College.

Professional Requirements

The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership is seeking a change agent with extensive knowledge and practice in social justice. The successful candidate will have a deep appreciation for collaboration and the practices of inclusivity to effectively serve as a mentor, advocate and ambassador for the Center. The role requires a leader with vision and skills in planning.  They will work to develop robust, healthy relationships at K College and in the world in order to deliver programs, make connections and solve inequity. Additionally, the new Executive Director will have the following:

• General practice of demonstrating inclusivity and building trust with individuals of diverse racial, ethnic, religious, sexual, generational, political and socioeconomic backgrounds and lived experiences.
• A deep commitment to solving systemic injustices including practices in radical change.  
• A deep belief in crafting a more just world and desire to collaborate with diverse leaders on a broad spectrum of social justice issues.
• An extensive national and international network of leaders.
• Skilled in organizing, mobilization and advocacy.
• Practice working in, collaborating on and/or developing partnerships within an institution of higher education.
• A creative outlook, including the ability to vision, articulate strategy and execute complex plans.
• Experience in management, including taking responsibility for talent, directing finances, managing resources and operating facilities.
• Background in program development and events management.

Personal Characteristics

The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership is seeking an Executive Director willing to imagine new realities while working within preexisting structures. This leader will be an advocate for social justice pedagogy and work to craft strategies that amplify leadership. The selected candidate enjoys working with diverse perspectives and opinions and sees challenges as opportunities to create radical change in the world. The ideal candidate will:

• Be a values aligned leader who operates with an understanding of inequities within systems and leads with love, compassion, humility and empathy in their work;
• Cultivate and build meaningful relationships with all people and actively seek opportunities to collaborate;
• Simultaneously center mentorship, sponsorship and leadership;
• Unite diverse stakeholders;
• Understand and be willing to negotiate intricate power dynamics;
• Be curious, innovative and driven by value-based outcomes and,
• Have a strong understanding of how education, art, history and community play a role in movement work.

Compensation

The salary range for this position is $90,000 – $110,000 per annum. K College provides an excellent benefits package, including a generous PTO policy and holiday schedule. The Center’s practices prioritize people over work and emphasizes the humanity of all people.

Location

K College is in Kalamazoo, Michigan; The ACSJL acknowledges this land as stolen and honors the sovereignty of the Three Fires Confederacy. Kalamazoo College itself is located on a part of the reservation established for Match-e-be-nash-she-wish and his band of Potawatomi. Please refer to the entire Land Acknowledgement at land.kzoo.edu/

Just 140 miles from both Detroit and Chicago, Kalamazoo is home to three institutions for higher learning. The city is known for being entrepreneurial, filled with art, activism, and unbridled access to natural trails. The ACSJL’s edifice is a contemporary conversion of a centuries old structure. It is located on the highest point of K College’s campus providing impressive views and borders Kalamazoo’s West Main Hill Historic District. Read more about the Center’s award-winning architecture here.

Contact

Please submit a résumé and original cover letter that describes your interest in ACSJL’s mission and qualifications for the position as attachments via e-mail to:

Michelle Kristel, Managing Partner

Bryan Epps, Consultant

McCormack+Kristel

1740 Broadway, 15th Floor

New York, NY 10019

Phone: 212.531.5003 | Fax: 212.203.9599        

Email: search@mccormackkristel.com | Website www.mccormackkristel.com

All inquiries will be held in strict confidence.  Please note that your education, dates of employment and other information will be verified prior to an offer.

Kalamazoo College is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in its community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.