Executive Director

MISSION: To recruit, mentor, and
train culturally diverse and economically challenged students from
high school through college and place them as effective teachers
and committed leaders who strengthen schools and
communities.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Are you inspired to address the national crisis of educational
inequity in underserved communities to change the lives of children
and enhance their life chances?

Will you lead with a sense of urgency to eliminate the gap and
acute shortage of teachers of color in low-income diverse
communities?

Are you committed to a powerful model that regenerates itself by
transforming the lives of middle school and high school students to
become teachers so that they strengthen schools and communities and
inspire the next generation of teachers in their communities?

Do you have the determination, tenacity, ambition, and
entrepreneurial spirit to grow an organization, scaling programs,
outreach, and strengthening impact? Are you a builder of teams and
strategic partnerships? 

Are you driven to apply your experience to grow with energy and
creativity a comprehensive and diversified fundraising strategy of
identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and securing major gifts for
the organization?

Are you focused on results and organizational efficiency? To
expand TSTT’s model and share best practices?

If so, we invite you to keep reading and think about the
untapped opportunities for you to make a lasting difference in the
lives of young people.

ABOUT TODAY’S STUDENTS TOMORROW’S
TEACHERS

In 1994, Dr. Bettye Perkins founded Today’s Student Tomorrow’s
Teachers (“TSTT”) as a national career development model that
addresses teacher shortages and increases the number of culturally
diverse educators and other professionals in public schools.
Started with just seven students and an ambitious mission to
diversify and strengthen the education workforce, TSTT has trained
over 1,200 middle and high school students and placed more than 300
graduates back in their communities as teachers, school
administrators, and other educational professionals. TSTT alumni
attain graduate degrees and 90 percent remain in the teaching
profession for five or more years, compared to the national average
of 50 percent.

TSTT currently serves over 600 middle and high students
representing 35 school district partners in New York and
Connecticut, and an additional 220 college students. Nearly all
TSTT high school students are accepted into college – over 95
percent each year. Students receive scholarships covering a minimum
of 50 percent of total tuition from numerous partner colleges and
universities. The TSTT college graduation rate of 80 percent far
exceeds the national average of 40 percent for students of
color. 

TSTT has been helping to close the racial gap in the teaching
profession by recruiting and equipping students to succeed. TSTT is
transforming families and communities by helping first-generation
college students find stable employment and remain in their home
communities as teachers and leaders.

With its headquarters on Westchester Avenue in White Plains, New
York, TSTT has a staff of 16 and an annual operating budget of
approximately $2.1 million.  

RESPONSIBILITIES AND PRIORITIES

The Executive Director partners closely with the Board of
Directors to achieve the organization’s mission and vision. They
demonstrate passion for the mission and dedication to the customers
while maintaining excellent client and partner relations. Basic
accountabilities include managing human capital, financial
operations, public relations, fundraising, marketing, information
technology, event planning, and delivery of TSTT’s student-centered
programs. The Executive Director leads organizational effectiveness
and supervises staff and contractors in these areas.

• Leadership – Lead with an inspirational strategic
  vision that fully embraces the mission while keeping a finger on
  the pulse internally of day-to-day operations, services, and
  activities. Create and support a caring and responsive culture and
  community of learners where staff are encouraged to continue
  learning and developing as professionals.
• Resource Development – Grow and broaden a sound and
  diversified funding base from individual donors, foundations, and
  corporations in partnership with the board. Identify, plan, and
  execute new and innovative ways to raise money. Cultivate and seize
  opportunities from new funders so that development activities meet
  the requirements of an expanding organization. Most importantly,
  ensure fiscal sustainability and create a plan for the development
  of an annual campaign.

• Staff – Attract, build, and lead a highly motivated,
  competent, and responsible team with a common vision, sense of
  purpose, and shared objectives with cultural sensitivity and
  dedication to collaboration, caring, equity, and diversity.
  Evaluate the talent structure of the organization. Manage and
  support staff and the overall team. Foster cohesiveness. Set
  benchmarks and expectations with staff and hold them accountable.
  Develop appropriate professional development opportunities for
  staff.

• Board Relations – Establish a strong working
  partnership with the Board of Directors. Gain their trust and
  confidence as a strong peer, and forge relationships that will
  bring forth their best ideas and efforts in support of TSTT’s
  programs and fundraising activities. Maintain a regular
  communications system for informing Board members of the
  organization’s activities and programs. Coordinate and support
  efforts of various Board committees. Help attract new Board
  members.

• Growth – Build upon TSTT’s history of success and its
  strong foundation as the gold standard for diversifying the
  educational workforce. Develop a plan for continued excellence and
  growth. Develop a plan for growth and scaling the enterprise.

• Evaluation – Assess and evaluate the organizational
  structure, staff, processes, and procedures to ensure
  organizational goals and objectives are met. Make changes where
  necessary to ensure that programs and operations are effective and
  that collaboration, communication, and accountability are the norm.
  Measure efficacy of service delivery with a clear sense of
  metrics.

• General Management, Administration, and Finance –
  Assess TSTT’s administrative and management systems, internal
  policies, and procedures, making and implementing recommendations
  for their continued enhancement. Oversee and manage the development
  of TSTT’s budgets. Ensure that sound financial controls are in
  place and that funds are spent wisely.

• Relationship Building – Engage stakeholders,
  customers, and contractors around TSTT’s activities. Build upon
  existing partnerships and seek new strategic alliances to promote
  TSTT’s mission and work.
• Public Role – Represent TSTT to the outside world.
  Serve as a spokesperson. Make effective presentations, both orally
  and in writing, to the external community, staff, Board, school
  districts, donors, and media on the effectiveness of TSTT’s model
  and programs. Attract additional attention and resources. Build the
  brand.

• Strategic Planning – Support, manage, and implement a
  strategic planning process fully integrated into the organization’s
  operating and business plans and ensure that the strategic plan is
  implemented in a timely and cost-effective manner.

IDEAL EXPERIENCE AND CHARACTERISTICS

The Executive Director and CEO will be and have:

• A passionate commitment to education as an empowering tool to
  uplift children and their communities.

• A strong, caring leader and catalyst able to articulate a
  vision and motivate and engage others. An individual with a
  naturally consultative and inclusive management style experienced
  in working with a wide range of culturally diverse groups and a
  deep commitment to equity at all levels.

• A positive go-getter with impeccable ethics and a demonstrated
  ability to respect, listen, and work well with internal and
  external constituencies.

• Proven managerial, problem-solving, and strategic-planning
  skills and commensurate fiscal responsibilities as an executive
  (preferably in an educational/school setting or youth development
  nonprofit organization or in the private sector, provided the
  individual has served as a volunteer or nonprofit board member).
  Demonstrated ability to balance long-term strategic vision with
  daily operational issues.

• A fundraising track record and the ability to attract financial
  resources by building effective relationships and networks with
  potential donors at all levels.

• Demonstrable success as a steward for responsible
  organizational growth and sustainability.

• Experience working effectively and in partnership with a board
  of directors.

• A history of communicating effectively in writing and verbally,
  including excellent public- speaking skills for formal and
  extemporaneous presentations. Demonstrated ability to identify and
  capitalize on public relations opportunities as they arise.

The estimated salary for this position is $150,000.

TSTT seeks a diverse pool of candidates and will offer a
competitive salary. Applications, including cover letters and
resumes, and nominations should be sent to the attention of Paul
Spivey at [email protected].

For further information about TSTT, please visit https://tstt.org/.