Director - Mississippi & New Orleans Programs Jackson, MS The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, a leading philanthropic force helping communities create the conditions children need to thrive and the nation s fifth largest foundation, is seeking nominations and applications for the role of Director of Mississippi & New Orleans Programs. In recent years the Foundation has sharpened its focus on improving conditions for vulnerable children, concentrating on three key factors of success and their intersections: education and learning; food, health and well-being; and family economic security. Across these three areas, WKKF has committed to approaches that undergird racial equity and healing, and community and civic engagement. Having recently opened a regional office in Jackson, Mississippi, the Foundation has made a generational commitment to grantmaking in the region that advances their vision of a future in which every child thrives. Reporting to Vice President for Program Strategy, Joe Scantlebury, the Director of Mississippi & New Orleans Programs will provide oversight for the strategic execution of the entire region s portfolio. S/he will be a skilled manager who will align the direction of regional programming with the overall strategy of the Foundation. The Director will be an advocate for racial and economic equity in the region, and bring expertise and familiarity with the strengths and growth areas of Mississippi and New Orleans within and across political, economic, social and historical contexts. S/he will develop and maintain innovative and strategic relationships to leverage the collaboration and support of cross-sector partners including governmental agencies, local and regional businesses, policymakers, and other key decision makers and stakeholders. S/he will work collaboratively with the programming team to coordinate and carry out all aspects of the grantmaking, evaluation, and learning process. The Director will collaborate with other WKKF teams and will support the coordination with directors of place-based programs in New Orleans, New Mexico, Mississippi, and Michigan to integrate strategy within these priority places. The ideal candidate will bring experience leveraging the diverse skills of an experienced team toward thoughtful collaboration within the team and across the Foundation. The candidate will have an entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to translate innovative concepts into action. S/he will have a thorough knowledge of systems change including and especially the socio-political contours of the region in the post- Katrina context. S/he will have the capacity, skill, and hunger to assume leadership and management of an extraordinary team in implementing this work. The ideal candidate will have an advanced degree and substantial work and leadership experience in one or more relevant fields and a comprehensive understanding of program design and development. The Director will be a holistic and interdisciplinary thinker with significant mastery of broad social and economic forces affecting communities and families in New Orleans and Mississippi. S/he will have a 1
demonstrated ability to oversee development and implementation of impactful programs that target racial disparities, poverty, an anemic and shifting education system, and gender inequities. S/he will possess the skills to facilitate authentic, productive dialogue within diverse communities and settings. The Director will possess a strong team orientation, a high tolerance for ambiguity, the ability to adapt quickly to change, and success working effectively with persons from diverse cultural, social, and ethnic backgrounds. The search committee is being assisted by Vice President Allison Kupfer Poteet and Senior Associate Erica Nicole Griffin of the Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group. Please see application instructions at the end of this document. HISTORY AND MISSION In 1930, breakfast cereal pioneer Will Keith Kellogg donated $66 million in Kellogg Company stock and other investments to help people help themselves launching the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The Foundation began its work in Michigan, but by the 1940s had expanded its work internationally and was breaking ground in areas such as rural children s health, mainstreaming children with disabilities, and the development of the healthcare profession. By its 50 th anniversary, the Foundation was among the world s largest private philanthropic organizations and, now in its 83 rd year, the Foundation celebrates over $7 billion spent toward helping people to help themselves. In 2007, the Foundation reviewed, revised, and refocused program goals toward helping vulnerable children and realigning with W.K. Kellogg s original intent. The new mission statement reads: The W.K. Kellogg Foundation supports children, families, and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society. To bring the vision of this refreshed mission into action, the Foundation unveiled a new strategic framework for its programming. Previously, both the organization and its grantmaking were structured around individual programming areas. The new framework, built on 80 years of grantmaking experience, recognizes that success for vulnerable children depends on an intricate weave of elements. The three program areas (Education and Learning; Food, Health, and Well-Being; and Family Economic Security) all play interconnected roles in creating an environment in which vulnerable children are protected, nurtured, equipped and stimulated to succeed. Moreover, the attention to racial equity, the eradication of structural racism, and the rigorous encouragement of civic and philanthropic engagement across each of these program areas is essential to the creation of a social context in which all children can thrive, particularly the most vulnerable. This sharpened focus on the nearly 30 million vulnerable children in the United States reaffirms the Foundation s commitment to W.K. Kellogg s goal to help children face the future with confidence, with health, and with a strong-rooted security in the trust of this country and its institutions. SUMMARY OF MISSISSIPPI & NEW ORLEANS PROGRAMS WKKF s relationships and grantmaking in Mississippi date back nearly 60 years, and are rooted in eliminating the educational disparities, poor health outcomes, pockets of poverty, and enduring racial inequity that limit opportunities for children, parents, and communities. Grantee partners are working to improve the lives of children and families throughout the state, with grants concentrated in the geographic areas of East Biloxi, 2
Sunflower County, and the city of Jackson. In 2007, 261,000 Mississippi children lived in poverty almost twice the national average. The Foundation committed to Mississippi as a priority place in 2007, and has brought a particular interest in programming related to Boys and Young Men of Color, racial healing, and educating young men on the nuances of structural racism. Total grantmaking in the state for 2014 was $21 million, up almost 22% from 2013, and supports efforts to improve the quality and delivery of education, including access to and funding for early education, nutrition and health care, birth outcomes, and to create sustainable economic security for all families. The regional office in Jackson was opened in 2013. WKKF has worked in New Orleans since 1942, but recommitted to priority grantmaking in 2004 following Hurricane Katrina. Focused primarily on the Central City neighborhood, the Foundation is working with residents to create a child-centered city with quality early education and child care, engaged parents, healthy food, quality schools and safe communities. Partners include community-based organizations, government entities, businesses and school systems throughout the city, working on numerous fronts to create a better future by removing the racially- income- and geography-based barriers that affect children and families. Total grantmaking for New Orleans in 2014 was just under $10 million. OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FACING THE DIRECTOR The new Director of Mississippi & New Orleans Programs will lead an extraordinary team, passionate about eradicating social disparities and improving well-being for all children. Reporting to the Vice President of Program Strategy, Joe Scantlebury, the new Director will have deep expertise in systems change, program strategy and development, and partnership building at the community level, with a particular focus on racial equity and the role of civic engagement in change making. S/he will identify and nurture opportunities for affecting positive systemic change within communities and lead a team of program officers in on-the-ground execution of program efforts as follows: Lead the innovative and strategic implementation of the Foundation s programmatic priorities of the Mississippi/New Orleans region in keeping with the overall vision of advancing a society in which every child thrives; Develop the capacity of the Mississippi & New Orleans Programs team to develop successful, enduring relationships with cross-sector partners; Strengthen and sustain program alignment with the WKKF mission and the vision of senior leadership; embody and reinforce the Foundation s values related to community-based leadership and change, racial equity and healing, and civic engagement; Serve as an ambassador for Mississippi and New Orleans throughout the Foundation, to grantees and national partners; and Build public support and awareness of issues affecting vulnerable children and families. Serve as a credible, articulate representative and spokesperson for the Foundation. Communicate the program s strategic direction and particular funding interests to various audiences, internal and external to the Foundation. 3
QUALIFICATIONS OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE The successful candidate will be first and foremost committed to the Foundation s mission and will have a current understanding of broad social-economic, systemic forces affecting the economic wellbeing of children, their families and their communities. S/he will be a distinguished leader in a relevant field of practice, with a strong team orientation, a high tolerance for ambiguity, the ability to adapt quickly to change, and success working effectively with persons from diverse cultural, social, and ethnic backgrounds. An advanced degree in a relevant field is preferred. While no one person will embody all of the qualities enumerated below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes and experiences: Master s degree and significant work experience (8-10 years) in fields relevant to the responsibilities outlined above, and a deep and comprehensive understanding of program design and development; Strategic communication skills and demonstrated experience cultivating and maintaining open channels to grantees, team members and senior leadership; Well established networks and contacts, and deep experience leveraging those contacts towards program design and development; depth of understanding of the culture and specific challenges faced by Mississippi and New Orleans; An entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to translate concept to action; innovation orientation and demonstrated courage to take calculated risks and respond with flexibility; Thorough knowledge and grasp of systems change and the ability to identify and orchestrate the levers of change; sound judgment and the ability to make complex, multi-dimensional decisions based on both facts and experience; Current knowledge of social justice movements, policies, and trends in the realms of education, health, and economic security in the region to stimulate appropriate programming directions and capitalize on emerging opportunities; demonstrated ability to develop and implement programs that have impact; The ability to think globally while working locally, representing WKKF to a variety of stakeholders in a respectful and credible manner focusing on the Foundation s core values and the greater good; ability to forge public and private partnerships with businesses, NGOs and government; Comfort with and the ability to work effectively within low-income families and communities, including appreciating historical contexts, discerning nuances of relationships and power dynamics, understanding racial/ethnic realities, and respecting community needs and desires; Successful experience working as part of a multidisciplinary team and working effectively with persons from diverse cultural, social and ethnic backgrounds. Willingness to set aside a personal agenda in favor of organizational and community goals and objectives; 4
Highly developed facilitation, coaching, and engagement skills; comfort with managing diverse group dynamics and leading toward common desired outcomes. Highly developed emotional intelligence and active listening skills, and the ability to use interpersonal skills and political acumen in collaborative, diplomatic ways; Excellent writing, editing, analytical, and oral communication skills including the ability to collect, review, synthesize, and present information and findings; Ability to multitask and meet deadlines, and demonstrated resourcefulness in setting priorities. Strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail with the ability to work independently, take initiative, and contribute ideas for enhancing performance; Knowledge of human resources management/supervision, philosophy, policy, and legal compliance matters. Budgeting and contract negotiation skills; Team effectiveness skills and the ability to use interpersonal and political skills in cooperative, collaborative, and diplomatic ways. Organizational and community savvy and constructive political skills; An optimistic outlook and the humor, integrity, and patience necessary to work within a transformative environment; and The ability and willingness to travel. APPLICATIONS AND NOMINATIONS This search is being conducted with the assistance of Allison Kupfer Poteet and Erica Nicole Griffin of Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group. More information about The Kellogg Foundation may be found at http://www.wkkf.org. Due to the pace of this search, candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Applications including a cover letter describing your interest and qualifications, your resume (in Word format), salary history and where you learned of the position should be sent to: wkkf-msnola@nonprofitprofessionals.com. In order to expedite the internal sorting and reviewing process, please type your name (Last, First) as the only contents in the subject line of your e-mail. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and proudly values diversity. Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. 5