Executive Director, The Aspen-Kern Program for Leadership and Character in Higher Education

The Aspen-Kern Program for Leadership and Character in Higher Education seeks its inaugural Executive Director. A collaboration of the Aspen Institute and the Kern Family Foundation, this program seeks to support and embolden new college presidents (in their first to third years) of four-year institutions to embed and expand the non-technical elements of undergraduate education—liberal education directed toward character formation for democratic citizenship and greater human flourishing. In addition to providing character-based leadership development, the program will foster a greater understanding of the relationship between character and the purpose of education, a refined vocabulary for communicating the importance of character education, concrete support for applying and integrating insights into college life, and a cohort (and network) of mutual support and accountability to last a lifetime.

Building upon Aspen’s seven decades of humanities-based leadership development, the founding of more than a dozen fellowships across the globe, and existing work with college and university presidents, the Program will:

• build and connect a national cadre of servant leaders committed to undergraduate character education for democratic citizenship and greater human flourishing;
• foster a commitment to character education as a criterion for selection of college presidents;
• provide tangible support for the “how to” of leading an institution, incorporating character and flourishing in ways that are transformative for learners and teachers alike;
• disseminate existing and support current research on character education;
• provide national (and global) thought leadership about the role of character education in human flourishing.

The Executive Director is responsible for overseeing the strategic, programmatic, operational, and financial success of the Program. The Executive Director provides strong leadership to a program with one additional staff member and an annual budget of approximately $1.7M guaranteed for four cohorts across five years. Likewise, the Executive Director promotes cross-departmental and cross-Institute collaboration, including with the work of the Institute’s College Excellence Program. These responsibilities are achieved with an unwavering focus on viewpoint diversity, human flourishing, justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Executive Director is responsible for managing the Program, with the help of the Seminars Department and Institute staff, consistent with the vision and Program structure outlined above. The Executive Director will be responsible for recruiting, selecting, and strengthening each class of Fellows, advising on curriculum and other resources, fostering ongoing engagement among alumni, and expanding the Program’s networks of mutual support and learning.

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners. 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. The Aspen Institute has earned a reputation for gathering diverse, nonpartisan thought leaders, creatives, scholars, and members of the public to address some of the world’s most complex problems. To this end, the Aspen Institute’s various programs cover a wide array of topics and have achieved an international reputation as an effective and impartial forum for constructive dialogue on significant issues.

The compensation available for the role considers a variety of factors including, but is not limited to, work location, individual skill set, previous/applicable experience, and other organizational needs. The estimated salary range for this role is $200,000 - $230,000. This salary range represents the Aspen Institute’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the possible base salary and is one part of the total rewards the organization provides to employees. Preference is for a Washington-DC-based, hybrid, position.

Susan VanGilder and Lisa Solinsky have been exclusively retained for this search. To express interest in this role please submit a compelling cover letter and resume using [email protected]. Nominations are also welcome at this email address. All applications, inquiries, and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.