Hired! Charlotte Potter Joins Yestermorrow Design/Build School as Executive Director!

Pillar Search & HR Consulting is pleased to announce that Charlotte Potter has been hired by Yestermorrow Design/Build School as their new Executive Director.

Based Waitsfield, VT, Yestermorrow Design/Build School inspires people to create a better, more sustainable world by providing hands-on education that integrates design and craft as a creative, interactive process. Yestermorrow’s courses are specifically designed to demystify the designing and building processes using hands-on, experiential learning to teach students the art and wisdom of good design and the skill and savvy of enduring craftsmanship as a single, integrated process.

Raised in the Mad River Valley, Charlotte is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. She started her career as a glass artist and was most recently the Founding Programming Director of the Glass Studio at Chrysler Museum of Art. There, Charlotte founded and mentored the Assistantship program and has taught glass and new media courses at Universities and summer programs such as Penland School of Crafts and The Oxbow School.

Another facet to Potter’s practice is to bring contemporary art into the public and create opportunities for viewing art in the collective space. Potter has co-founded two performance glass troupes, Cirque de Verre and the Glass Theater as well as being a co-founder of the Neon Arts District in Norfolk, VA, the director of Grand Point Weird, a contemporary art component to the Grand Point North Music Festival in Burlington, VT. She has served on the Glass Art Society Board and was the co-chair of the 2017 Glass Art Society Conference. Her work has been exhibited internationally at galleries, museums and universities and is included in numerous public museum and private permanent collections.

As Charlotte joins Yestermorrow Design/Build School as Executive Director, she will be responsible for all aspects of the school’s operations, expanding programs and outreach while maintaining the high quality of current programs, and attracting significant new resources and talent to this well-established, growing nonprofit organization.

Hire the best!  Pillar provides search expertise for exceptional nonprofits and socially responsible for-profits, working with senior leaders and boards of directors to find the very best talent across all functional areas of the organization. For more information, please contact Pillar’s CEO, Cindy Joyce at cindy@pillarsearch.com.

New Search: Executive Director, Yestermorrow Design/Build School

Pillar Search is pleased to partner with Yestermorrow Design/Build school on their search for a new Executive Director.

About Yestermorrow Design/Build School:

Yestermorrow Design/Build School is a non-profit educational organization located in the Mad River Valley of Vermont offering an array of design/build programs shaped by sustainable and resilient design thinking. Programs offered include workshops, certificate programs and semester programs for adult students from around the country.  Yestermorrow’s mission is to inspire people to create a better, more sustainable world by providing hands-on education that integrates design and craft as a creative, interactive process.  The intensive and experiential curriculum includes a wide variety of topics related to sustainable design, green building, architectural craft, and furniture making. For more information about the school, please visit www.yestermorrow.org.

Job Overview:

The Executive Director is responsible for the fiscal, programmatic and functional health of Yestermorrow Design/Build School, in addition to advocating for its mission and being a steward of its reputation.

Specifically, the Executive Director is responsible for all aspects of the school’s operations, expanding programs and outreach while maintaining the high quality of current programs, and attracting significant new resources and talent to this well-established, growing nonprofit organization.

Operational responsibilities will include:

Operations & Staff Management

  • Management and development of the office and facility staff, which range from 8-18 members throughout the year, plus an additional 100+ external faculty members.
  • Direct supervision for all key staff across departments. Prioritize staff’s work plans, guide departmental budgeting/goal setting, ensure mission-alignment and financial sustainability with all staff and projects
  • Lead the organization on a day-to-day basis, troubleshooting and quickly responding to any issues that may arise
  • Manage all external vendors and operations-related contracts, including computer systems, office equipment, and facilities maintenance

Financial Management

  • Financial guidance and forecasting, in conjunction with the Board of Directors
  • Preparation of monthly Executive Committee and quarterly financial Board reports
  • Support the Financial and Administrative Assistant with accounts payable (vendor invoices), Accounts Receivable (student and client invoices and income), manage cash receipts and banking
  • Manage bi-weekly payroll, employee benefits, 941 monthly tax deposits, quarterly tax reports, annual W2 and 1099s
  • Oversee all organizational purchases and inventory management

Human Resources

  • Recruit, screen, interview and hire staff
  • Manage employee benefit plans (health, vision, dental, meal program, and PTO). Ensure all benefits programs are up to date and make annual recommendations
  • Maintain personnel records, on-board new employees
  • Conduct annual employee reviews

The annual budget for Yestermorrow is currently just over $1 million, and revenue includes earned income from programs as well as philanthropic dollars. The Executive Director will work to identify opportunities to increase revenues both from programs and philanthropy, including:

  • Develop and lead an active fundraising program, including major donor campaigns, special events, grant research and writing, annual appeals, and endowment growth and stewardship
  • Oversee and coordinate ongoing capital campaign
  • Guide efforts to reach new audiences by directing marketing and outreach strategy (with staff support). Travel to present to diverse audiences about Yestermorrow’s mission, programs, and impact.
  • Initiate, develop and support strategic initiatives, partnerships, and collaborations with appropriate institutions.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

Yestermorrow is a design school where design thinking is fully integrated with making – the way artists work. The successful ED will have experience and interest in the design/build process or related creative or artistic fields.

The Executive Director must be a strategic thinker, a decisive manager, a proven team builder, and a compelling communicator He/she must have demonstrated experience as an Executive Director or equivalent leadership position, managing comparable staff and budgets, contracts, fiscal reporting, fundraising, outreach and marketing, and organizational development, as well as liaising with boards. The position requires someone with a talent for articulating new opportunities, and a track record of implementing them.

Yestermorrow is part of the vibrant fabric of the Mad River Valley community, and as such there is a strong preference for the Executive Director to live in the Mad River Valley or the general area.

For Immediate Consideration:

The Board of Yestermorrow Design/Build School has partnered with Cindy Joyce of Pillar Search & HR Consulting on this search. For immediate consideration, please email your resume and cover letter directly to Cindy at cindy@pillarsearch.com.

Please Note:

Yestermorrow Design/Build School does not discriminate on the basis of an applicant’s race, color, religion, gender, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Pillar provides national executive search services for exceptional non-profits and foundations and socially responsible for-profit firms desiring top talent who want an occupassion, not just an occupation. In addition, Pillar offers human resources consulting services including leadership coaching, human resources audits, handbooks, assessing organizational design, training, team building, and employee communications. A woman-owned business, Pillar is based in Boston, MA, and works on both the local and national level.  For more information, please visit www.pillarsearch.com or email Pillar’s CEO, Cindy Joyce, at cindy@pillarsearch.com.

Executive Search Success! Announcing the New President of Yestermorrow Design/Build School

Pillar's Search Success

Pillar Search is proud to have successfully partnered with Yestermorrow Design/Build School on the search for their new President.

Yestermorrow Design/Build School welcomes Mike Crowley as its new President. Yestermorrow Design/Build School is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization located in the Mad River Valley of Vermont offering workshops, certificate programs and semester programs for adult students from around the country. Yestermorrow’s mission is to inspire people to create a better, more sustainable world by providing hands-on education that integrates design and craft as a creative, interactive process.  The intensive and experiential curriculum includes a wide variety of topics related to sustainable design, green building, architectural craft, and furniture making.

As President, Mike will be responsible for the fiscal, programmatic and functional health of the Yestermorrow, in addition to serving as the primary advocate for its mission and steward of its reputation.  As a school known for innovation, Mike will foster a culture of thinking outside the box and creative experimentation to help Yestermorrow continue to be a place of cutting-edge design education.

Mike joins Yestermorrow from the Institute for Sustainable Communities, where he held the role of Program Director, Resilient Regions Initiative. Prior roles included Climate and Sustainability Manager with Environmental Health & Engineering and Assistant Director of Harvard University’s Office for Sustainability. In addition, Mike was a professor of Planning for Carbon Neutrality at Harvard University Extension School. Mike holds a graduate degree in Environmental Science from Schumacher College/University of Plymouthand an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from University of Vermont.

With personalized service and proven results, Pillar is your partner in executive search and human resources consulting. With over 20 years of experience, Pillar provides national retained search services for exceptional non-profits and foundations and early-stage or rapid growth for-profit firms. All share the characteristic of desiring top talent who want an occupassion, not just an occupation.     In addition, Pillar offers human resources consulting services, which was born of clients requesting help on projects beyond executive search, and includes human resources audits, creating a handbook, assessing organizational design, training, team building, and employee communications.    A woman-owned business, Pillar is based in Boston, MA, and works on retained searches both a local and national level. To learn more about how Pillar can assist with your search needs, email cindy@pillarsearch.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Announcing the Search for the President of Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Waitsfield, VT

Pillar's New Search

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Pillar Search is pleased to announce the search for Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Vermont.

With personalized service and proven results, Pillar is your partner in executive search and human resources consulting. With over 20 years of experience, Pillar provides national retained search services for exceptional non-profits and foundations and early-stage or rapid growth for-profit firms. All share the characteristic of desiring top talent who want an occupassion, not just an occupation.     In addition, Pillar offers human resources consulting services, which was born of clients requesting help on projects beyond executive search, and includes human resources audits, creating a handbook, assessing organizational design, training, team building, and employee communications.    A woman-owned business, Pillar is based in Boston, MA, and works on both a local and national level.

To contact Pillar, please click here.

 

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President

Overview:

Yestermorrow Design/Build School is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization located in the Mad River Valley of Vermont offering workshops, certificate programs and semester programs for adult students from around the country.

Yestermorrow’s mission is to inspire people to create a better, more sustainable world by providing hands-on education that integrates design and craft as a creative, interactive process.  The intensive and experiential curriculum includes a wide variety of topics related to sustainable design, green building, architectural craft, and furniture making.

This is an exciting opportunity for a strong leader with a deep familiarity with and passion for architecture, design/build, sustainable and energy-conscious construction methods and experiential education. Positive, dynamic, and high energy, the President will be able to look at the big picture and identify future opportunities while managing the day-to-day activities and operations of Yestermorrow Design/Build School.

As an employer, Yestermorrow offers a supportive, collegial, entrepreneurial and inclusive working environment that fosters creativity of students, faculty and staff.

For more information about Yestermorrow, please visit www.yestermorrow.org.

Location:

Yestermorrow is located in Waitsfield, VT, which has been named “Best Town” and “Best Ski Town” by Outside Magazine. According to the New York Times, “”Well known as a winter skiing destination — it is home to the sprawling Sugarbush resort and ‘ski it if you can’ Mad River Glen — the valley reveals itself in warmer weather, when history, culture and a hyperlocal food scene come to the fore.”

Situated between the Sugarbush and Mad River Glen mountain resorts, Waitsfield is welcoming, easy going and breathtaking. For more information on Mad River Valley, please visit http://www.madrivervalley.com/.

The Opportunity:

The President is responsible for the fiscal, programmatic and functional health of the organization, in addition to serving as the primary advocate for its mission and steward of its reputation.  As a school known for innovation, the President will foster a culture of thinking outside the box and creative experimentation to help Yestermorrow continue to be a place of cutting-edge design education.

The President will report to the Board of Directors through its Executive Committee.

Specifically, the President is responsible for all aspects of the school’s operations, including:

  • Spearhead all fundraising activities for the school, including diversifying fundraising efforts to include major gifts, corporate and foundation giving, events, and planned giving
  • Supervise the ongoing, phased implementation of the new comprehensive master plan for the school’s campus, including the construction of new shop and studio spaces, residences and other site improvements.
  • Provide strong leadership and management to staff and faculty
  • Raise regional, national, and international visibility
  • Expand programs and outreach while maintaining the high quality of current programs
  • Develop, implement, and oversee a strategic plan for Yestermorrow

Please note that this is a year-round position.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

 Leadership, Management and Mentoring:

  • Inspire and motivate staff, the board, faculty, donors and others to advance and achieve Yestermorrow’s mission.
  • Hire, manage and leads Yestermorrow’s diverse administrative staff of seven (7) including individual staff managers for curriculum, enrollment, operations, facilities, development and communications, and semester programs.
  • Serve as the public face and chief spokesperson for Yestermorrow, and advocate for its mission and goals within the greater community served by the school.
  • Liaise with Board of Directors and work closely with all committees and working groups to ensure that board and committee meetings run smoothly and board efforts are coordinated and effectively targeted.
  • Develop a consensus-based strategic vision of the next phase of Yestermorrow’s growth, and build enduring support and relationships among diverse audiences and communities around it.
  • Manage with an inclusive and flexible style, combined with appropriate decisiveness, emphasis on accountability and ability to delegate.
  • Clearly define goals with each staff member and develop results-focused performance metrics to ensure that goals and expectations are clearly communicated and that each employee is given opportunities to grow and be challenged in their roles.
  • Regularly communicate with school’s faculty and incorporate their vision, interests and concerns into organizational planning.
  • Create and implement effective operating systems to achieve the goal of organizational excellence.

Development, Fundraising, Community Relations and Outreach:

  • Implement and complete an estimated $3 million capital campaign. This important fundraising effort will support the expansion of Yestermorrow’s campus, including new studio space, dormitories, and the restoration of existing buildings. The President will work closely with the Board of Directors, Development Manager, staff and faculty to carry out a broad-based fundraising plan targeting individuals, corporations, foundations and government agencies to support this initiative.
  • Establish fundraising priorities to reach new audiences by directing marketing and outreach strategy (including alumni, parents, and “friends of Yestermorrow”).
  • Develop and lead the fundraising efforts and identify ways to diversifying fundraising to include, in addition to annual giving, a major donor effort, special events, planned giving, grant research and writing, annual appeals, and endowment stewardship.
  • Initiate, develop and support strategic initiatives, partnerships, alliances and collaborations with relevant institutions.
  • Travel will be required to present to diverse audiences about Yestermorrow’s programs and impacts.

Administration & Finance:

  • Facilitate and manage Yestermorrow’s financial and administrative work, including overseeing the preparation, monitoring and reporting of annual budgets and work plans.

Qualifications, Skills & Abilities:

The President will be a strategic thinker, a decisive manager, a proven team builder, a compelling communicator, and an effective and enthusiastic fundraiser.

He/she must be capable of managing a complex organization during a time of significant growth and change. He/she must have demonstrated experience as an Executive Director, President or equivalent, managing comparable staff and budgets, contracts, fiscal reporting, fundraising, outreach and marketing, and organizational development, as well as liaising with the board.

The position demands an entrepreneurial spirit – someone with a talent for articulating new opportunities, and a track record of implementing them.

The successful candidate will have the following:

Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree. Advanced degree is strongly preferred.

  • At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience with private non-profit or public sector organizations.
  • Experience professionally, or passion personally, for design.
  • Proven experience in leadership roles, including the management of comparably sized staff and budget.
  • Strong fundraising experience is essential, including experience across the spectrum of development.
  • Experience either running a capital campaign or having participated in a significant manner in the successful completion of a capital campaign.
  • A track record with the outreach, community building, and public relations side of running a mission-driven institution.
  • Experience managing an institution during a time of major growth.
  • Excellent speaking, writing and presentation skills.
  • Computer literacy, Internet savvy, and comfort communicating in a variety of digital and other media.
  • Occasional travel and evening and weekend work is required.

The salary for this opportunity is competitive and commensurate with experience.

For Immediate Consideration:

This search is being managed by Pillar Search. To apply, please send your cover letter and resume, including salary requirements, to Cindy Joyce at cindy@pillarsearch.com.