Executive Director - Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults (HKNC), Sands Point, NY
Posted: Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Background:
The mission of Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults ("HKNC" or "Center") is "to enable each person who is deaf-blind in the United States to live and work in the community of their choice." Operated by Helen Keller Services for Blind and authorized by an Act of Congress in 1967, HKNC is the only national vocational and rehabilitation organization that exclusively services individuals with combined vision and hearing loss.
HKNC's array of programs include comprehensive vocational rehabilitation training at its headquarters just outside New York City, in Sands Point, New York and assistance with job and residential placements when training is completed. Services in the field include 10 regional offices, over 40 affiliated agencies, a National Training Team (NTT) which conducts professional training seminars both on campus and in the community, and Senior Adult Services. HKNC is a partner in the National Technical Assistance Consortium for Deaf-Blindness and supports the National Family Association for Deaf-Blind. HKNC also maintains a national registry of individuals who are deaf-blind, has an expanding research portfolio focused on areas such as assistive technology and diseases that cause deaf-blindness, and operates an international internship program for undergraduate and graduate students in the field of deaf-blindness.
The Center has provided services for more than 40 years and, with recent and tremendously increasing demand, has expanded its programming. In 2012, HKNC received a $6 million gift from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to create a research, information dissemination and professional training department. Also in 2012, the Center was selected by the Federal Communications Commission, along with two other organizations, to provide support for the local distribution of accessible communications technology and to conduct a national outreach campaign to educate the public about the new program. In 2013, the U.S. Department of Education announced a $10.5 million grant over five years to the National Center on Deaf-Blindness, of which HKNC is one of three partners along with the Teaching Research Institute at Oregon University, and Perkins School for the Blind, to continue and improve services that help children who are deaf-blind.
HKNC has an annual operating budget of more than $13 million, the majority of which is appropriated by Congress. The Center also receives funding from a variety of States and other Federal sources. In recent years, has actively expanded its efforts to raise funds from multiple public and private sources, including charitable foundations.
The Position:
The Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults is seeking an Executive Director ("ED") who is a dynamic leader and manager with the power and presence to advocate successfully and passionately on behalf of HKNC in the public and private sectors. Reporting to the President and CEO of Helen Keller Services for the Blind, the position of the Executive Director is a critical, highly visible position requiring demonstrated program ability, broad and in-depth knowledge of deaf-blind issues, strong business skills and managerial experience, exceptional leadership ability and a successful track record of working with or for government, quasi-public agencies, the public at large and not-for-profit organizations.
The Executive Director must be highly intelligent, a leader and a self-starter who shares the Center's view of the opportunity, dedication and commitment to HKNC's core mission. He or she should have substantial experience with persons with disabilities and/or healthcare, Medicare, Medicaid and other public health and education programs, and must demonstrate significant accomplishments and past successes. In addition, he or she must be a hands-on manager, experienced in the sensitive, delicate and complex relations between HKNC and the governmental agencies and the public private sector, a strategic thinker and planner, a problem solver, and be able to respond to and resolve crises quickly, amicably and effectively.
The successful candidate will have excellent written and oral communication skills, a hands-on management style and the ability to address and solve problems or issues as they arise. The individual must be able to represent the Center with very high profile funders in public settings and with other organizations in the New York area and across the nation. He or she must be comfortable interacting with the deaf-blind community and its network of supporters and must be able to work closely with the senior management of Helen Keller Services for the Blind in a supportive and direct manner with a minimum of ego. In addition, he or she will be diplomatic, of the highest integrity, and possess sound judgment as well as a sense of humor.
Position Responsibilities:
- Continue to keep HKNC at the forefront of delivering services to the deaf-blind community by thoughtfully and strategically educating and promoting the Center to a national audience.
- Manage an effective advocacy program with, and on behalf of, the deaf-blind community by developing and maintaining relationships with key figures in government, private agencies and other stakeholder organizations.
- Lead national initiatives to improve the quality of rehabilitative and educational services and the quality of life for all individuals who are deaf-blind; develop, lead, implement and evaluate demonstration projects, innovative service delivery and local capacity building utilizing collaborative strategies with consumer organizations, professional service providers, family organizations, national disabilities organizations, colleges and universities, public officials and other stakeholders.
- Together with the President and CEO, the Board of Trustees and the HKNC Board of Governors, develop, communicate and sustain a clear vision, mission and strategy for the organization.
- Provide strong leadership to the professional staff, including overseeing operations, program evaluation and quality assurance efforts, guiding professional development and performance review and supervising and hiring of new staff. Promote a culture of transparency, inclusiveness, and openness that fosters opportunities for career growth for the staff.
- Act as primary liaison to the U.S. Department of Education ensuring accountability for KHNC grant objectives through Government Performance Review Act (GPRA), annual reporting, and financial management of appropriated federal dollars.
Qualifications:
- Master's degree from an accredited school in Rehabilitation Counseling, Special Education, Public Administration or related discipline.
- Passion for the mission of HKNC.
- A minimum of 15 years' of increasingly responsible executive experience in a large community, governmental, and/or policy/advocacy, non-profit organization for persons with disabilities, healthcare or related field.
- Excellent leadership, management and team-building skills, including the ability to motivate, align efforts, set goals, delegate and monitor effectively.
- Strong proven experience in managing complex fiscal resources.
- Knowledge and experience in developing relationships with government agencies and other stakeholders.
- Exceptional oral and written communication skills, including experience with public speaking and presentations.
- Knowledge and understanding of methodologies used to educate deaf-blind community.
For more information about the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults, please visit their website at www.hknc.org
To Apply:
Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults has retained the services of Harris Rand Lusk to conduct this search. Inquiries, nominations and applications may be directed in confidence to:
Jack Lusk, Managing Partner
Or
Anne McCarthy, Senior Director
Harris Rand Lusk
261 Madison Avenue, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10016
[email protected]
