Chief Executive Officer

Our Client

One of the oldest and most respected Boys & Girls Clubs in
California, they were originally established as the Boys Club of
San Pedro in 1937 by the San Pedro Civitan Club. The name was
changed to the Boys & Girls Club of San Pedro in 1994 to
reflect the hundreds of girls in their membership. In 2002, they
opened the Port of L.A. Boys & Girls Club and, in 2004, they
merged with the Wilmington Boys & Girls Club to create the Boys
& Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor. Today, they are the
largest private nonprofit, daily service provider to at-risk youth
in the Los Angeles Harbor area, operating programs at their eight
Clubhouses year-round and providing after-school programming on 16
public school campuses.

 

In response to the increasing demand and the needs of the youth
they serve, they greatly enhanced their academic, arts and
athletics enrichment programming for all members, grades K-12,
along with their workforce development center serving youths post
high school. The Los Angeles Harbor Clubs offer programs that
address not only member needs, but also their interests. The
“Triple A Strategy” provides high-quality programming and
activities in Academics, Arts and Athletics. The College Bound
program is enabling more of their youth to graduate high school and
start college and their Arts Academy provides expert instruction in
fine arts, music, dance and digital arts.

 

The Arts Academy was founded in 2013 in order to provide Club
youth in San Pedro, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway and Wilmington with
expert instruction options in fine arts, music, dance, recording
arts, film production, photography, 3D modeling, video game design
and graphic arts. Arts Academy offers extended instruction, field
trips, and hands-on experiences that go beyond that standard arts
programming. Daily athletic and fitness opportunities are vital to
a successful Clubhouse. The daily programs are focused on improving
the overall health of each of the Club members. They strive to
increase daily physical activity, teach good nutrition and stress
the importance of developing healthy relationships. To realize this
goal they encourage members to participate in daily fitness
activities. They offer affordable, competitive and organized sports
leagues. From tutoring and targeted subject programs to College
Bound and Career Bound, every member of the Club has access to
ensure that they are academically successfully. The College Bound
program serves over 1,700 with 99% of seniors graduating from high
school!

 

In 2023, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles
Harbor:

• Served 2,700 youth daily at 20 club sites
• Served 1,302 snacks and suppers daily to members
• Transported 400+ youth daily
• Served 8,500+ members throughout the year
• Sponsored 7 Food Pantries to address food insecurity in the
  greater community
• Opened its own Workforce Center to support alumni ages
  18-24
• Operated 7 stand-alone club houses (with another on the way)
  plus 16 LAUSD sites

 

 

For more information on BGCLAH, please visit:
https://www.bgclaharbor.org/aboutus

 

 

The Role

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) must possess a natural
connection and passion for BGCLAH’s mission: to enable all young
people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full
potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens. Achieving
this through a commitment to quality programs and services in an
environment that is safe, nurturing and inspiring. The successful
candidate will provide both vision and inspiration to this dynamic
organization, with a specific focus on setting a sustained program
strategy, advocating for staff and youths, fundraising, team
building, and amplifying impact in the LA Harbor Region. Reporting
to the Board of Directors, the CEO will build upon the
organization’s respected footprint and their rich history, led
expertly for the last 30 years by Mike Lansing.

 

With a current budget of $15mm and 250+ staff, BGCLAH is a
large, diverse, and highly motivated organization with programs
located in regions spanning Wilmington, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway
and San Pedro. The growth of the organization, recognized recently
through a gift from McKenzie Scott, has allowed BGCLAH to serve as
a vital, transformative and diverse community resource. After these
years of growth, the new successful candidate must help the
organization scale sustainably and manage the resources.

 

More specifically, the Chief Executive Officer
will:

• Serve as an internal and external champion and role model for
  BGCLAH’s mission, values, and organizational
• Lead with spirit to inspire a team that values community,
  transparency, collaboration, empowerment and
• Cultivate an inclusive environment and culture of belonging for
  staff, youths and
• Support the growth of a complex coalition of diverse,
  multi-sectoral stakeholders to achieve the organization’s mission
  by fundraising with individuals, foundations and corporations, and
  through advocacy and partnership with government agencies.
• Partner with senior management and staff to refine and evolve
  strategic
• Forge a close and trusted working relationship with the Board
  of Directors to develop and manage the organization’s $15mm budget,
  and shape and accomplish the organization’s goals.
• Provide professional leadership to the Board of Directors to
  ensure the development of an effective and motivated Board,
  including identification, recruitment, training, and involvement of
  Board members in meeting the goals of the organization.
• Actively convene with a community of leaders, practitioners and
  policy influencers to improve systems in BGCLAH’s communities.
• Improve sustainability and growth of BGCLAH while embracing
  strong club member experience and high program quality.
• Align organizational structure, operational systems, and
  business practices to bring cohesion and best practices between the
  sites and the regional offices.
• Ensure that the organization is in compliance with membership
  and requirements or standards of Boys & Girls Clubs of America,
  and other affiliated and regulatory agencies. Making sure standards
  and measures are in place that define effective safety practices,
  train to those annually, and identify vulnerabilities and
  strategies to mitigate risks.
• Bring charisma and intellect to recruiting, retaining,
  motivating, and inspiring professional staff, youths, alumni,
  families, partners, Board members, and the community.
• Understand how to engage graduates to create new traditions of
  involvement within the youth and alumni
• Encourage others to share the spotlight and visibly celebrate
  and support the success of the team. Creating a sense of
  purpose/meaning for the team that generates followership beyond
  their own personality and engages others to the greater purpose for
  the organization as a whole.

 

 

Candidate Profile

BGCLAH is seeking a leader who empowers all youths with the
belief that they have the ability to reach their full potential.
They must also be proven in leading a complex organization. This
next CEO must believe in quality programs and services in an
environment that is safe, nurturing and inspiring. The CEO will
have proven commitment to academic, athletic and art access, with
an understanding of racial equity and social justice. The
successful candidate must have strategic and notable management
experience in the nonprofit, academic, government, and/or business
sectors, as well as expertise or exposure to this brand of
programs. They will also have talent for fundraising among
individuals, foundations, and government agencies.

 

Ultimately, the successful candidate must exhibit a dedication
to the mission and values of BGCLAH and a passion for making a
significant and lasting impact on the lives of the youths. They
will have the credibility, confidence, and emotional intelligence
to be an encouraging and connected leader of an already
accomplished and committed staff.

 

In terms of the performance and personal competencies
required for the position, we would highlight the
following:

 

Operational Excellence in Execution: The next
CEO will be an entrepreneur with business instincts, who sees new
possibilities through technology and partnerships and is willing to
take reasonable risks. BGCLAH seeks a leader who can manage
ambiguity and focus on achieving desired outcomes for their club
members. Working closely with the Board, the CEO will manage the
development/refinement of overall performance measures and metrics
– both programmatic and financial – and work with Board and staff
to collect and analyze relevant data on a regular basis.

Assess the state of each program and the financial support for
each. Create robust and ongoing operational systems to track
programs.

 

Fundraising, Communications and Partnership:
The successful candidate will build upon BGCLAH’s current robust
funding base to increase financial support from major donors,
foundations, corporations, government agencies and other
stakeholder groups. It is essential that the new CEO can inspire
communities through the use of social media and other
communications tools, in order to champion the mission and promote
fundraising activities effectively. In partnership with the
development team, the CEO should develop and maintain systems for
donor stewardship and engagement. In particular, ensure the
leadership team and the Board are better engaged, positioned and
supported to share in the responsibility of revenue generation at
the local, regional and national level.

 

Management and Development of Staff: The CEO
will be able to work effectively with BGCLAH’s diverse
constituencies, including its Board, staff, youths, alumni and
families. The candidate will be able to build consensus and
navigate complex situations with grace and flexibility.
Aforementioned strategic planning should alleviate some of this
tension, but the CEO should demonstrate an intentional focus on
creating a team structure, specifically with the C- suite that
appropriately delegates responsibility, empowers staff and
clarifies roles. A focus on pay raises and increasing work-life
balance across the organization would go far for staff retention.
The next CEO should engage the C-suite in building the operational
systems and investing in operations to support the current scale of
the organization, prioritizing Human Resources.

 

Evolve the Vision and Implement Strategy: The
CEO will serve as the key leader of the strategy and growth goals
of the organization to successfully serve youths. The CEO will be
highly-networked with a broad understanding of the local trends
impacting LA County, and the organizations and stakeholders seeking
to impact and improve these communities. The new CEO should define
the organization’s vision and take the organization through
strategic planning, including Board and staff. The organization
also has opportunities to focus on sustainability and improving
existing programs first and growth second. Assessment of Board’s
role in management of organization under new leadership. Glean
support and expertise from the Board and bring them along across
strategic planning process.

 

Lead with Emotional Intelligence, IQ, Integrity and
Humility: They will be an individual who thoughtfully
builds trust across the organization and in the communities they
serve, with authenticity and humility. The next CEO will
understand, value and represent for the perspectives of youths,
families and staff. The CEO will be an active listener, demonstrate
respect for others and, in turn, gain their respect.

 

Create an Action Oriented and Positive Culture:
The CEO will work with the youths and staff to ensure that the
entire organization pursues excellence, and continuous learning and
consistently exhibits BGCLAH’s core organizational values. They
will ensure that the management, staffing and culture of the
organization are suitably aligned with BGCLAH’s mission while
pursuing strategic ambitions. The CEO will also nurture an
organizational culture that is inclusive and highly
collaborative—and that seeks to ensure that staff are healthy,
whole, and happy.

 

Compensation

The estimated salary range for this role is $280,000–$310,000.
This salary range represents BGCLAH’s good faith and reasonable
estimate of the possible base salary range at the time of posting
and is one part of the total rewards BGCLAH provides to
employees.

 

Contact

Russell Reynolds Associates has been exclusively retained for
this search. Given the need for confidentiality throughout this
process, prospective candidates are invited to apply directly by
sending their resume and brief expression of interest to BGCLAH@russellreynolds.com.

 

Trevor Hooper

Russell Reynolds Associates 101 California Street

Suite 4200

San Francisco, CA 94111 trevor.hooper@russellreynolds.com

Kimberly S Archer

Russell Reynolds Associates 1700 New York Avenue, NW Suite
400

Washington, DC 20006

kimberly.archer@russellreynolds.com