Job Title: Director of Education & Community Engagement

Department: Education and Community Engagement

Reports To: President & CEO

FLSA Status: Exempt

Revised Date: 9-12-16

Summary:

The Director is responsible for the development, execution and oversight of the daily operations, long-term vision and goals, and tactical strategies for the Education & Community Engagement programs of Luther Burbank Center for the Arts (LBC). In addition, the Director cultivates and maintains relationships in Sonoma County and beyond to further the arts integration and community engagement work of the Center. The Director is responsible for ensuring that the LBC’s education programming, outreach services and engagement activities, and public use spaces are meeting the needs of our diverse community.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Manage and oversee the on-going operation, improvement, and future growth of an education and community engagement program that: 1) involves audiences of all ages and backgrounds in learning about and through the arts; 2) demonstrates the Center’s commitment to and regional leadership role in arts integration; and 3) reflects the LBC’s long-term strategic vision.
  • Provide responsive and nimble leadership to ensure that programs align with community-identified priorities—such as A Portrait of Sonoma, Upstream Investments, and Cradle to Career—which address critical equity issues regarding quality of life, education, income and health.
  • Play a leadership role in nurturing new partnerships and managing on-going relationships between the Center, community organizations and educational groups—such as Sonoma County Latino Leaders: Los Cien, Creative Sonoma, the Center’s Latino Advisory Council (LAC), resident performing arts companies, Arts Education Alliance, and Adopt-A-School—to inform, extend and deepen the impact of the LBC’s programs.
  • Research and apply arts integration best practices; regularly evaluate the efficacy of the department’s various programs; and advocate for changes and programmatic growth when organizationally and strategically beneficial.
  • Create and administer measurable and meaningful program evaluations and assessments, and provide relevant data analysis.
  • Oversee and manage on-going relationships with teaching artists, schools, school districts, and other educators.
  • Manage the Education & Community Engagement staff as well as related volunteers and contract labor; follow and fairly apply all employment and safety policies, and provide informational and inspirational leadership.
  • Develop, oversee, and manage execution of detailed budgets; and reduce risk exposure through meticulous contract negotiations and attentive revenue and expense management.
  • Work closely with fundraising staff—through such means as clear communication of priorities, goals and data; cross-departmental meetings and learning opportunities; donor cultivation events; and public speaking opportunities—to help secure on-going support for programs.
  • Work closely with the marketing, communications, and patron services staff members to coordinate efforts in sales, promotion, and press relations for education and community engagement programs and activities.
  • Maintain close and supportive relationships with other department heads, and attend regularly scheduled Senior Leadership Team (SLT) meetings.
  • Other duties may be assigned by the President & CEO as needed.

Current Portfolio of Education and Community Engagement Programs:

  • Professional Development: Arts Integration Tools for Teachers enhances professional learning for K-12 teachers. The program is in cooperation with the nationally renowned John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Partners In Education program.
  • School Shows make it possible for nearly 30,000 K-12th grade students each year to experience the educational enrichment of live performance. These age-appropriate, culturally diverse programs performed in the mainstage Ruth Finley Person Theater feature a range of experiences including drama, dance, music, and acrobatics. School Shows serve as the cornerstone of a set of complementary and innovative programs that radiate from the LBC throughout the community.
  • Literacy Initiative brings reading assistance, support materials and School Show attendance opportunities to underserved 3rd and 4th grade students.
  • Evert Person ArtReach Free and Reduced Price Ticket Program provides over 12,000 free and reduced-priced tickets annually to low-income students and other area residents living in the North Bay. Through this program thousands of students have the opportunity to experience the Center’s School Shows along with the rest of their classmates. Additionally, by working with local service providers such as the operators of women’s shelters and group homes, LBC places free tickets into the hands of local residents who cannot afford the cost to attend, helping make the arts accessible for all.
  • Evert Person Bus Fund offers a subsidy to schools for the cost of transportation to the Center’s School Shows. Title One schools from the most underserved schools receive the highest awards.
  • Artists in the Schools is a residency program that places teaching artists into local classrooms for in-depth artist-led lessons and hands-on workshops
  • One City Arts is a free, three-week, off-site summer camp that offers arts classes for underserved youth, allowing opportunities for creative self-expression.
  • Mariachi Camps teach low-income students basic music skills while providing opportunities to make positive connections with their peers, their family, and their cultural heritage. This lively, free three-week music education camp is being offered at multiple locations around the county.
  • Missoula Children’s Theater offers a free one-week theater camp, on-site at the Center, which culminates in the performance of a family-friendly, low-ticket-price performance in the East Auditorium.
  • New Song Music Camp is a one-week, on-site, paid camp that introduces youth entering 3rd to 6th grade to different musical genres and instruments with hands-on projects.
  • Music for Schools is a free lending library of refurbished musical instruments for students wishing to participate in the school’s band or orchestra who cannot afford to buy or rent their own instrument.
  • Family Fun Series performances, designed for families with children ages 3 to 12, serve to spark the imagination and delight the senses with live theater. “Free Fun with Art” events presented before each performance allow parents and grandparents to bond with their children and grandchildren, as well as other families, while making art together. Post-show autograph sessions with the casts allow children to meet artists and learn more about theatre and the performance they experienced.
  • Special projects of the Latino Advisory Council (LAC) include the annual Fiesta de Independencia and the Posada Navideñ.
    • Fiesta de Independencia kicks off and celebrates Latino Heritage Month with a free day-long festival featuring authentic food, music, dance, games and activities for the entire family.
    • Posada Navideñ celebrates the folk culture of Mexico and its unique customs and traditions during this Christmas production and traditional Posada celebration.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Education or a related field (e.g., Arts Education, Music Education) required; an advanced business or academic degree is preferred; plus at least 5 years’ related experience with a similar program. Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered, if all other requirements are met.

Critical Skills:

  • Strong knowledge of Arts Integration and Common Core; working knowledge of California’s Academic Content Standards; and knowledge of the state and local education systems as they relate to the services the Center provides.
  • Familiarity with a variety of art forms from a range of cultures and traditions.
  • Multi-cultural awareness and sensitivity; direct experience with Hispanic and Latino communities and institutions, and fluency in Spanish, are strongly preferred.
  • Exceptional organizational and time management skills, along with a tenacious attention to detail, to: 1) manage complex strategic plans and programs; and 2) work effectively even while juggling multiple projects and under strict deadlines.
  • Ability to study, evaluate and analyze Arts & Education trends, and to interpret data and make informed recommendations.
  • Outstanding interpersonal skills; ability to communicate ideas clearly, confidently and concisely, in both written andoral presentations, to a wide spectrum of constituencies; and comfortable editing the work of others as needed.
  • Strong executive and business skills: negotiating, project management, budgeting, and risk/benefit analysis.
  • Competence with Microsoft Office suite and other programs as needed (i.e. Access, Eventbooking, and Tessitura).
  • Ability and willingness to travel frequently by personal vehicle locally, and occasionally by car or air to regional or national meetings and events.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Luther Burbank Center for the Arts is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

To apply: Send your resume and a cover letter summarizing your interest and qualifications for this position toHR@lutherburbankcenter.org. No phone calls, please.