Executive Director

NOCCA
FOUNDATION

SEARCH FOR THE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR

New Orleans, Louisiana

 

The NOCCA Foundation champions the New Orleans Center for
Creative Arts. We build philanthropic, lasting partnerships. We
invest in young artists, their mentors, alumni, and the community
through programs that encourage educational excellence and artistic
innovation.

 

THE SEARCH

 

The NOCCA Foundation – the support organization for the New
Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), Louisiana’s widely
acclaimed arts conservatory – is seeking a dynamic and innovative
professional to serve as its next Executive Director. Reporting to
the NOCCA Foundation Board of Directors and overseeing an annual
operating budget of $4.1M and a staff of seven, the Executive
Director will play an instrumental role in advancing NOCCA’s
mission and vision, spearheading the Foundation’s efforts to raise
supplemental funding for NOCCA and advocating for the school’s
world-class program within the broader community. The ideal
incumbent will possess an impressive combination of lived and
professional experiences that will set them on a path to success in
the role, including experience in an executive- or leadership-level
position; a track record of generating contributed and earned
revenue from local and national sources; political savvy; an
inclination for collaboration; business acumen; and compelling
communication skills.

 

ABOUT NOCCA AND THE NOCCA FOUNDATION

 

The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts
(NOCCA), celebrating its 50th anniversary, was chartered in 1973 by
the State of Louisiana and opened its doors to students in 1974.
Today, NOCCA is Louisiana’s premier arts conservatory for high
school students, offering intensive instruction in Classical Music,
Creative Writing, Culinary Arts, Dance, Drama, Entertainment
Production Design, Jazz, Media Arts, Musical Theatre, Vocal Music,
Visual Arts, and academics. Students come to NOCCA from across
Louisiana, attending via full-day, afternoon, and after school
sessions. Admission to NOCCA is by audition, and there is no
tuition.

 

For more information about NOCCA, please visit www.nocca.com.

 

As NOCCA’s nonprofit partner, the NOCCA
Foundation (the Foundation) provides financial support for
the school, its programs, its facilities, and its students. Some of
the Foundation’s more notable endeavors include: a Student Success
Program that pays for students’ classroom supplies as well as
fees associated with important summer training programs across the
country; an Artists-in-Residence
Program that brings more than 100 professional visiting artists
into NOCCA’s classrooms each year; the capital campaign for NOCCA’s
current home and expansion projects like Press Street Gardens; a
wide array of arts classes for adults; and concert, gallery, and
literary events for the community.

 

The Foundation currently owns the Chevron Forum, one of two
buildings on NOCCA’s campus, of which 70% is leased to the school
for its academic and culinary arts program. The Foundation oversees
rentals of the NOCCA
campus, making it available to arts organizations, individuals,
corporations, and other groups.

 

For more information about the Foundation, please visit www.noccafoundation.org.

 

THE ROLE

 

The Executive Director serves as the strategic leader of the
Foundation, directing the organization’s comprehensive efforts to
generate financial support for NOCCA from both contributed and
earned revenue sources.

 

The Executive Director leads, manages, and mentors a staff of
seven, which includes the Director of Advancement; the Director of
Development and Communications; the Director of Alumni Affairs; the
Director of Finance and Operations; the Business and Human
Resources Manager; the Facilities Manager; and a part-time
Development Assistant.

 

The Executive Director reports to the Foundation’s Board of
Directors, a diverse group of 45 community leaders. The
Foundation’s leader works closely with all Board committees,
including Nominating, Finance/Investment, DEI, Real Estate,
Gala/Special Events, Major Gifts, and 50th Anniversary. The
Executive Director is responsible for implementing a Strategic Plan
adopted in 2021 and coordinating with staff to adjust or complete
goals and timelines as indicated.

 

The Foundation’s leader works in partnership with the President
and CEO of NOCCA to support the school’s areas of greatest need,
including programs, capital, FF&E, direct student support,
faculty and staff professional development, and legislative
advocacy. Importantly, the Executive Director maintains productive
relationships with NOCCA’s department chairs, the directors of arts
and academics, and faculty members.

 

The Executive Director is highly engaged within the community,
developing and nurturing relationships with peer organizations
across the local arts and education sector, serving as an advocate
for NOCCA and its extraordinary offerings, and fostering a
supportive ecosystem for NOCCA’s mission and work.

 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPACT

 

Drive increases in contributed and earned annual revenue
to support NOCCA.

The Executive Director will formulate and direct strategies to
strengthen the Foundation’s contributed revenue streams – which are
primarily focused on annual giving and special event sponsorships
at present – while, equally as important, developing innovative
strategies and cultivating new opportunities for philanthropic
growth, particularly in the areas of alumni giving, major giving,
mid-level individual giving, and institutional giving. The
Foundation generates earned revenue from Chevron Forum tenants,
facility and garden rentals on the NOCCA campus, and culinary
services; the Executive Director will seek new avenues to augment
sources of earned revenue for the Foundation. In all efforts to
expand financial support for NOCCA, the Executive Director will
continue to cultivate support from the local New Orleans community,
while also broadening the Foundation’s donor base to include
individual and institutional givers with both regional and national
footprints.

 

Commemorate NOCCA’s 50th anniversary.

The Executive Director will be responsible for executing the
Foundation’s 50th anniversary commemoration – a multi-faceted
effort focused on celebrating NOCCA’s storied history and progress
over the past five decades; increasing awareness of the school
within the broader community; generating augmented financial
support; and engaging the school’s base of diverse and talented
alumni.

 

Secure public funds to complete the purchase of NOCCA’s
flagship facility.

In Spring 2023, the Louisiana State Legislature approved a $8.1
million capital outlay appropriation which will enable the NOCCA
Foundation to pay off the remaining interest-free debt on NOCCA’s
Chevron Forum building – the fully renovated, 60,000-square-foot
facility that provides essential classroom, lab, and studio space
for NOCCA, while also generating rental revenue. The Executive
Director will play a leading role in ensuring that these funds
become available to NOCCA.

 

THE CANDIDATE

 

While no one candidate will possess every experience and
characteristic outlined within the position profile, the ideal
candidate will possess a compelling combination of the following
personal and professional traits, skills, and qualifications:

 

• Previous experience in an executive- or leadership-level role
  in a nonprofit organization.
• Knowledge of the arts and culture sector; a familiarity with
  arts education; an understanding of the local arts and culture
  context and environment.
• Proven ability to build fruitful funding relationships and
  generate revenue, both contributed and earned, for a nonprofit
  organization. Knowledge of the local philanthropic landscape is
  essential; experience securing funding from state, regional, and
  national sources is highly desired.
• Experience working with a nonprofit Board of Directors; basic
  knowledge of nonprofit governance structures and best practices is
  essential.
• Familiarity with the Louisiana legislative process; experience
  influencing public policy and advocating for arts funding would be
  additive.
• A propensity for collaboration; recognition of the role that
  the NOCCA Foundation plays as an organization that exists to
  provide support for NOCCA.
• An appreciation for NOCCA’s central role in the perpetuation of
  New Orleans’ cultural formation and identity.
• Business and/or operational acumen; experience managing a
  place-based organization would be additive.
• A convincing public presence; the ability to inspire and
  motivate others.
• Concrete experience building, supporting, and mentoring a
  high-performing staff team.
• In word and in deed, a demonstrated commitment to diversity,
  equity, and inclusion.
• Unwavering enthusiasm regarding NOCCA, its mission, and the
  students, alumni, constituents, and broader community it
  serves.

 

COMPENSATION, BENEFITS, AND LOCATION

 

The salary range for the Executive Director position begins at
$185,000, commensurate with experience. The Foundation offers a
competitive benefits package. The Executive Director must be
located in, or willing to relocate to, the Greater New Orleans
area.

 

APPLICATIONS, NOMINATIONS, AND INQUIRIES

 

The NOCCA Foundation search committee is partnering with The
Jones Group of New Orleans to recruit the Foundation’s next
Executive Director. Applications, including a resume and cover
letter; nominations; and/or inquiries should be directed to Yvette
Jones and Brinkley Serkedakis, in confidence, at brinkley@thejonesgroupnola.com.
No calls, please. For priority consideration, application materials
should be received by March 29, 2024.

 

The NOCCA Foundation is an equal-opportunity employer. The
NOCCA Foundation hires, trains, and promotes qualified employees
without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin,
sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, or
any other protected status.