ABOUT US

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Since its founding in 1949, the Institute has been driving change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most critical challenges facing communities in the United States and around the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

To achieve our mission of a more free, just, and equitable society, we commit to working proactively to advance the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion across our myriad endeavors such as the recruitment, compensation, training, and advancement of staff. The best people-serving institutions make this commitment, and we seek to be a leader in the ways that we do so and learn from others. Visit our website to learn more about our commitment and recent actions taken toward building and nurturing a diverse and inclusive environment.

The Center for Rising Generations

The Aspen Institute’s Center for Rising Generations (CRG) is dedicated to ensuring that civil dialogue, civic engagement, and leadership development become a predictable part of the journey to adulthood in our society and around the world. Inspired by the Aspen Institute’s strategic plan and supported by a generous endowment from the Bezos Family Foundation, the Center for Rising Generations:

• Works to expand opportunities for, and elevate the voices of, youth and young adults at the Aspen Institute
• Creates opportunities to convene and build community beyond the Aspen Institute
• Encourages innovation that helps emphasize the assets that young people bring to help address today’s challenges

The Education and Society Program

The Aspen Institute Education & Society Program (ESP) improves public education by inspiring, informing, and influencing education leaders across policy and practice, with an emphasis on achieving equity for students of color and students from low-income families. The program supports leaders at all levels, from networks of urban superintendents and their teams, to state chiefs and their cabinets, to elected officials and their staffers.

ABOUT THIS ROLE

The Executive Director of the Education and Society program will report to the Executive Director of the Center for Rising Generations at the Aspen Institute. The ED will have primary responsibility for setting the vision and direction for the Education and Society Program and leading that program to ensure its impact on the national education conversation.

The salary range for this position is $220,000 - $300,000. In accordance with our Reimagining Work policy, the Executive Director should be willing to be in-person out of the Washington D.C. office with colleagues a minimum of 40% of the time while having the flexibility to work remotely for the balance.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Build on the long-standing program’s strengths while creating new opportunities to exert meaningful influence on the national education conversation. Specifically, the Executive Director will: Set the vision and direction for the Education and Society Program. Establish the Education and Society organization structure and recruit and hire to build that structure. Raise funding to support Education and Society work, with the assistance of the Center for Rising Generations leadership.
• Create and lead the Education Strategy Group to influence the national discussion of the student experience and outcomes for schools. Included in this work, the Executive Director will: Identify and recruit members and chairpersons of the Education Strategy Group (ESG) With the Commission chairpersons, establish the curriculum, cadence of meetings, topics, format of meetings, and agendas for ESG meetings Manage the public communications and presence of the ESG Establish a method for wide public engagement with the ESG’s work including, potentially, social media engagement, school- and community-based activities, and outreach to community organizations
• Review and revise existing work under the Education and Society Program. Included in this work the Executive Director will: Review existing E&S cohorts and convenings to determine how each fits with the broader E&S goals and how they connect to the public work of the ESG. Craft a research agenda and recruit E&S research fellows Establish a national agenda to support E&S’ vision for youth experience such that E&S can build tools to support that agenda, with a focus on credentialing student leadership experiences Serve as the public face for the Education and Society program, establishing a brand, perspective, and voice for the program and serving as an important contributor to the Center for Rising Generations’ broader messaging. Engage with other Center for Rising Generations programs, joining leadership team meetings and working collaboratively with programs with shared interests.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO THRIVE

Our ideal candidate will be an established voice in education with a track record of success and a passion for elevating the voices and opportunities of youth. They will have significant, practical experience in large scale and/or nationally prominent roles related to public education. In addition they will have:

• A minimum of 15 years of relevant professional experience
• Experience leading large teams made up of experienced professionals
• A track record of success in creating broadscale change to produce meaningful outcomes for young people
• Connections and gravity that attract influential participants in Education and Society programs
• The ability and experience to lead national conversations
• Strong communications skills and the ability to command media and public attention
• A nuanced understanding of the role of public schools in the lives of young people and the ability to speak knowledgeably about both the in-school and out-of-school experience
• A willingness to engage in innovative, challenging discussions about the student experience with a disposition toward initiating new thinking and building unique coalitions
• The ability to raise funds to support the Education and Society program’s work
• A fluency in education research and ability to engage in policy conversations
• Wide respect from established education leaders and the ability to work across sectors
• A readiness to engage deeply with complex issues and diverse perspectives
• A demonstrated commitment to the mission and vision of the Aspen Institute’s Center for Rising Generations

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants should submit a resume and a cover letter.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Aspen Institute offers a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, and prescription benefits, retirement benefits, and paid leave.

The Aspen Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all District and federal laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or protected veteran or disabled status and will not be discriminated against.

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