KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Reports to: Senior Vice President for Education

Direct reports
• Education for Environment and Community Program Coordinator
• Practicum Supervisor
• Garden Education Faculty
• Arts Integration Faculty
• Affiliate or visiting faculty

Other key relationships
• Director for Youth and Community Education
• Director Urban Environmental Education Graduate Program
• Director for Urban School Programs
• Director of Program Impact

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Program Vision – Preparing the next generation of environmental educators for formal and informal settings requires that the Director keep current with trends and envision future needs in environmental education.
• Program Leadership – Engage faculty in providing high quality graduate instruction that is consistent with IslandWood’s project-based constructivist model. Oversee curriculum development and program improvement.
• University Partnership Engagement – Engage with the affiliated faculty at University of Washington College of Education toward a mutually beneficial relationship. Manage all university paperwork in a timely and proactive manner.
• Program Integration – Work closely with other IslandWood Program Directors to ensure that there is thoughtful integration of program objectives including sharing of instructors and supporting outcome for each program.
• Financial Stewardship – Ensure that the EEC program maintains financial health. This is directly connected to maintaining a full program enrollment and thoughtfully managing expenditures.
• Research, Publishing and Outreach – Maintain a robust schedule of publishing regarding the impact of the EEC programs.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• Earned doctorate (or equivalent) in Environmental Education, Teacher Education, Education, or related field.
• Track record of success in graduate program design and sustainability, and staff leadership.
• Previous work experience demonstrates a growth mindset and aligns with IslandWood’s strategic focus: to be a leader in innovative and inclusive education for the planet.
• Experience working with individuals from a variety of cultural and economic backgrounds.

CRITICAL LEADERSHIP CAPABILITIES

Cultural Capacity
The new Director will show an authentic interest in continual cultural capacity growth on both a personal and programmatic level, and will lead in a way that honors IslandWood’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion by:

• Seeking out and elevating diverse voices;
• Understanding and acknowledging the implicit biases that can undermine the impact of instruction and of an organization’s work with and on behalf of diverse communities;
• Speaking with humility and demonstrated self-awareness, and showing comfort and authenticity with difficult conversations;
• Ensuring inclusive and equitable practices, policies, and programs in the EEC program.

Advocate for Nontraditional Learning and Teacher Education
The primary focus of the EEC graduate program is to nurture educators in their development toward instructional proficiency and mastery. The Director will be the leader of the EEC learning community and will model excellence in instruction as well as the mentoring of novice educator graduate students.

• Experience designing nontraditional education programs for adult learners, ideally for educators.
• Ability to work nimbly between University, community-based, and not-for-profit organizations.
• Savvy with organizational change.

Environmental Education Expertise
The Director will possess a substantial background in environmental education instruction, leadership,and research:

• Possess a firm grasp of the foundational ideas and practices of environmental education.
• Embrace a vision for 21st century environmental learning and a skillset necessary foreducators.
• Pursue questions of the enduring efficacy of environmental education across sectors.

DESIRED PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
• Demonstrate IslandWood’s core values that enable teams and individuals to succeed with shared respect and purpose;
• Advocate for children, education, and the environment;
• Support IslandWood’s strategic plan to expand mission and impact;
• Listen attentively with a collaborative approach;
• Possess a restless pursuit of excellence;
• Model sincere ethics and integrity.