Chief Executive Officer

Aspen Leadership Group is proud to partner with the Wolf Conservation Center in the search for a Chief Executive Officer.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer will lead the Wolf Conservation Center (the Center) in its next phase of accelerated growth. The Chief Executive Officer will work in partnership with the Board of Directors to provide strategic vision and leadership for the organization. The Chief Executive Officer will oversee advocacy, research, wolf husbandry, education, fundraising, communication, and administrative functions while developing a strategic and operational plan that furthers the mission and vision of the Wolf Conservation Center. The Chief Executive Officer will lead culture change at both the staff and Board levels. Immediate priorities for the incoming Chief Executive Officer include completing a $14 million capital campaign, building a new education center, strengthening the governance capacity of the Board of Directors, assessing programs against a set of strategic priorities, and aligning staff and programs for the future.

The Wolf Conservation Center envisions a world where wolves thrive. Its mission is to advance the survival of wolves by inspiring a global community through education, advocacy, research, and recovery. The Wolf Conservation Center is driven by its values of respect, community, and passion. It respects wolves, their complex ecological role, the landscapes they shape, the people who care about them, and the people who live among them. The Wolf Conservation Center is inspired by the pack. It brings people together, nurtures, educates, aids, protects, organizes, and defends—always stronger together. It also has a passion for wolves, for the shared landscapes, and for the work of protecting them. This passion drives the Wolf Conservation Center to learn, see the big picture, and be diligent and tenacious in the long-term work of saving wolves.

The Center is a 26-acre environmental education center with “Ambassador” wolves that are part of its education programs and almost 20 critically endangered wolves that are part of a national recovery plan. Furthermore, the Center offers distance learning programs through both webinar and virtual field trip format which were expanded through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, continuing to serve as critical educational communication vehicles both nationally and globally. The Center’s education programs allow attendees to learn about North America’s wildest residents—wolves—during education sessions with Center wolf experts. Attendees are exposed to the history, ecology, and biology of wolves, and learn about the current challenges facing wolf recovery across the United States. An emphasis is placed on endangered species recovery programs for critically endangered red wolves and Mexican gray wolves.

The Wolf Conservation Center participates in the federal Species Survival Plan (SSP) recovery programs for the Mexican gray wolf and the red wolf, two of the rarest mammals in North America. Both species at one time were completely extinct in the wild. Since 2003 the Center has played a critical role in preserving and protecting these imperiled species through carefully managed breeding and reintroduction. To date the Center remains one of the three largest holding facilities for these rare species and seven wolves from the Center have been given the extraordinary opportunity to resume their rightful place on the wild landscape.

The Wolf Conservation Center seeks a Chief Executive Officer with a passion for its conservation mission and experience leading a rapidly growing nonprofit organization in the conservation arena. The Chief Executive Officer will have an ability to create visibility, lead organizational change, and raise contributed revenue. The Chief Executive Officer will be responsible for taking the Center and its talented team to the next level of organizational capacity in advancing wolf conservation, research, advocacy programs, and fundraising. A bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and at least six years of nonprofit leadership experience at an organization on a similar growth trajectory is preferred for this role. The Wolf Conservation Center will consider candidates with a broad range of backgrounds. If you are excited about this role and feel that you can contribute to the Center, but your experience does not exactly align with every qualification listed above, we encourage you to apply. All applications must be accompanied by a cover letter and résumé. Cover letters should be responsive to the mission of the Wolf Conservation Center as well as the responsibilities and qualifications presented in the prospectus.

The salary range for this position is $180,000 to $200,000 annually.

The Wolf Conservation Center is committed to the inclusion of all qualified candidates. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, or participating in the selection process, please contact Michael Carver at [email protected].