Location – Flexible

Racial Justice Program Director, Katz Amsterdam Foundation

The Organization

Rob Katz became the Chief Executive Officer of Vail Resorts in 2006 and has led the company through more than a decade of significant growth and incredible success. Elana Amsterdam is an entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author, and founder of Elana’s Pantry. Over the last several years, Rob and Elana have contributed nearly $150 million to their family foundation and charitable trust.

Rob and Elana are deeply focused on giving back. The initial focus of the Katz Amsterdam Foundation and Charitable Trust has been mental and behavioral health in mountain communities where Vail Resorts operates. Rob and Elana feel a strong connection to each mountain community, especially because it is where so many of the company’s employees and their families live and work. They understand that each community has felt a tremendous and personal impact from mental health and substance abuse issues, which has been amplified by a lack of services and stigma that is very real. With the utmost respect for the complexities involved in such critical issues, the Katz Amsterdam Foundation has focused on learning and partnering with community, non-profit, and local government leaders. Moving forward, the Foundation hopes to be part of the solution as these mountain communities put meaningful programs in place to have a direct impact on the people that need it most.

In June 2021, the Foundation announced a new nationwide focus area related to social and racial justice and is currently working through a supported strategic planning process that will identify key issue areas where the Foundation can make a meaningful impact and best align with current efforts to advance racial justice. The Foundation seeks to award grants to organizations across the country to support existing social and racial justice efforts, create proximity to lived experiences of others, and help build networks of BIPOC leadership. While this strategic planning process will be ongoing, the Foundation is narrowing in on issues of social well-being, including mental and behavioral health and food justice.

Position Overview

The Katz Amsterdam Foundation (KAF) is pleased to invite nominations and applications for the position of Racial Justice Program Director. The Foundation has spent the first few years striving to be a catalyst for eliminating the stigma of mental illness, increasing access to behavioral and mental healthcare and improving the quality of care for all. KAF believes that social and emotional well-being is essential for people and communities to thrive. The focus for this work thus far has been mountain resort communities, in some of the most iconic locations across North America.

As they continue to grow, KAF recognizes that people and communities of color in this country are greatly impacted by systemic injustices that hinder their ability to recognize their full potential. In response to this reality, the Foundation recently announced the launch of a new strategic initiative to address racial and social injustice at a national level. The Program Director will work closely with the Co-Founders and the Executive Director to stand up this new initiative and build out a strategy. The Foundation is currently working through a strategic planning process, with support from Jessyca Dudley and Bold Ventures, a strategic advisory firm that works to transform and democratize philanthropy and will identify key issue areas where the Foundation can make a meaningful impact and best align with current efforts to advance racial justice. KAF values teamwork and partnership in driving the mission and strategic priorities forward and sees opportunities for the Foundation to support racial justice change the areas of mental and behavioral health and food justice in particular. The new Program Director will join a small but ambitious team to move the work from vision to reality.

The new Program Director will be a systems thinker, strategic communicator, and partnership-builder who has achieved notable change and momentum to advance racial justice. They will bring knowledge of the landscape of strategies across sectors that are effectively moving the needle on racial justice, with the capacity to conduct effective diligence and discovery that generates and vets ideas, fosters relationships, and conceives action steps to drive the work forward. The Program Director will bring a broad network of leaders and influencers on racial justice issues at the national and/or state levels and an understanding of how to influence policy and systems change at the national and community levels. In concert with the Grants Manager, they will be responsible for recommending grants for Board approval and supporting grantee partnerships to success and impact.

The Katz Amsterdam Foundation is based in Colorado, but you don’t have to be. KAF will support this role to work remotely, but there will be some travel involved. The Program Director will get to visit some remarkable locations to engage with KAF’s stakeholders.

If this sounds like an exciting opportunity to explore, then apply today and let’s explore together how we can help you become the person who excels in this role.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

The new Program Director will join the Foundation during this unprecedented time to address timely social challenges in partnership with organizations working on intractable social issues. The Program Director will join a small and extraordinary team of individuals who are passionate about eradicating social disparities. Below are questions to consider for interested candidates:

  • Do you believe there are injustices against people of color in this country that need to be repaired?
  • Are you skilled at measuring and articulating the impact of the work organizations do?
  • Does communicating with your teammates and clients come easily to you?
  • Are you comfortable engaging with people from all sorts of cultural backgrounds?
  • Does writing come easily to you?
  • Are you able to synthesize lots of information into clear and condensed summaries?
  • Do you like working in start-up environments?
  • Are you motivated to take on new challenges?

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

While we value your educational and academic achievements, we want to focus on the great work experiences you’ve had in this field. We need our Program Director to be an innovative and strategic thinker with multiple years of experience implementing programs, grants, or other relevant initiatives in the racial justice space.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The salary range for the Program Director is approximately $130K to $160K, commensurate with experience, and a benefits package including health care benefits through QSEHRA (Qualified Small Employer HRA) plan that reimburses premiums and out-of-pocket expenses.

LOCATION: Flexible

How To Apply

More information about the Katz Amsterdam Foundation may be found at:  katzamsterdam.org

This search is being led by Allison Kupfer Poteet and Britni Russell Bianchi of NPAG. Candidates may submit their cover letter, outlining their interest and qualifications, along with their resume via NPAG’s website.

The Katz Amsterdam Foundation believes that long-standing systemic inequities in our culture continue to harm already marginalized populations in our country, especially people of color. In order to begin to repair these injustices, we believe that these communities must be centered in the work we do. We strongly encourage applications from people of color.

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