As the Director, Equitable Leadership Development, you are responsible for helping build a diverse staff, corps and alumni base; cultivating an inclusive culture in which all members of our family regardless of background feel valued and at home; and building our organizational ethos and capabilities to act more consistently with a lens and commitment to equity. As such, you strive to create inclusive, welcoming spaces and believe diversity is a core tenant of teacher education. You believe relationships and community matter, and you are build authentic relationships across lines of difference, with people inside and outside of Teach For America, and with people whose views differ from yours. You have a strong vision for culturally responsive teaching and enjoy partnering with others to develop excellent student lessons. You build strategic partnerships across the Nashville landscape to strengthen our program’s development of diversity, equity and inclusiveness skills and approach to culturally responsive teaching, and to widen the impact and reach of our approach to leadership development and teacher preparation. As an excellent project manager, you are comfortable balancing multiple projects at once, and thrive in an entrepreneurial, self-starter environment. You believe that teacher learning experiences can be powerful and can lead to amazing experiences for students.
Ongoing Corps Member and Alumni Equitable Leadership Development (45%)
Plan
- Reflect on successes and opportunities in regional and national DEI programming in order to inform future planning
- Serve as representative of TFA Nashville at national DEI regional round table, and bring back learning, i.e. The Lens
Design
- Manage and design the scope and sequence of corps member learning experiences at institute related to equitable classroom management, effective family engagement, student and family relationship-building, and diversity and inclusion development (i.e. facilitator guides for affinity spaces, update small group D&I trainings, collaborate w/Dr. Ford to design scope & sequence of sessions, etc.)
- Revise, design, and develop spring training sessions for Justice Fellows and D&I small group facilitators/ institute staff.
- Collaborate with national team members to revise, design, and develop customized classroom management sessions based on our regional needs and context. (i.e. Learning Environment approach)
Collaborate
- Partner with the Program Continuum team members to ensure corps member and alumni equitable leadership development aligns to the vision of the TLD, PLE, and Alumni teams
- Partner with Director, Professional Learning & Design to ensure pre-service instructional and pre-service D&I scope & sequence are cohesive and complementary
- Support design and partnerships for ongoing corps member development and quarterly Leadership Summits
- Cultivate partnerships with community members, community organizations, and alumni aligned to our vision for corps member development and experiences and manage community member and external partnerships during institute, (i.e. Dr. Donna Ford, Family Engagement University, Project Renaissance, Catholic Charities, etc.)
Execute Learning Experiences
The Collective
- Serve as staff liaison to support the ongoing development of the Nashville Chapter of The Collective for corps members and alumni of color. Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Managing 8 Collective Chairs to execute towards their self-created vision (Recruit, Retain, Equip, Empower)
- Acting as the TFA Nashville point of contact for The Collective
- Sending quarterly newsletter and responding to Collective related inquiries from alums/corps members/other regional teams
- Maintaining Facebook page and ensuring email list is updated and accurate
- Tracking membership, ongoing engagement, and budget, and reporting progress towards goals to the Leadership Team
- Oversee the strategy and execution work of The Collective Recruitment Fellows as they manage relationships and create plans to increase the racial diversity of the Nashville corps member applicant pool.
- Participate in monthly Collective staff liaison trainings,and bring back learnings and information about upcoming leadership opportunities for People of Color.
- Partner closely with Program Continuum team to gain additional support and coordination for large scale Collective events and recruitment strategies, and collaborate to ensure alumni/CM development via The Collective supports and works in harmony with the vision of the Program Continuum team
Justice Journey
- Plan, coordinate, and support execution of Justice Journey experience for incoming corps members.
- Create vision and direction for logistics, handouts, learning goals, and facilitator training and support.
- Revise and design sessions as needed to meet Nashville specific context.
Part-time Staff Development & Management (40%)
Overall Seasonal Staff Training and Development
- Serve on the fulltime Institute Leadership Team
- Work with ILT members to step back on seasonal staff equity goals, and to plan for seasonal summer staff development
- Support in the revision, design, development, and execution of institute staff member spring training and conferences.
- Revise, design, develop, and execute trainings for seasonal staff that will enable them to be aware of the classroom management approach, and successfully and skillfully facilitate small group D&I sessions and affinity spaces for corps members during summer pre-service training.
- Monitor progress towards student achievement, corps member, and staff goals
- Partner closely with Institute Leadership team and School Directors to track the effectiveness of corps member learnings and staff training, making revisions as necessary
- Coach staff members towards institute student and corps member goals
Seasonal Staff Hiring and Training for Direct Reports
- Work closely with D, Institute Operations to design seasonal staff onboarding programming series for Culture Specialists and Justice Fellows
- Cultivate, hire, train, and directly manage a team of 3 – 4 Culture specialists to excel in their roles and provide excellent corps member development that meets outcomes related to classroom culture and developing skills to build relationships with students and families
- Support their professional development and growth throughout the spring and summer by providing regular feedback, meeting regularly to track progress-to-goals, and serving as a thought partner and coach.
- Cultivate, hire, train, and manage 16 - 20 Justice Fellows to lead the Justice Journey for incoming corps members.
Regional and Organizational Stewardship (15%)
Support team-wide priorities for Greater Nashville and organizational-wide initiatives. Examples include:
- Participating in staff committees and task forces
- Corps member recruitment, admissions, and matriculation
- Team meetings and professional development
- Regional events and programming (such as teacher orientation and end-of-year celebration)
Prior Experience
- 5+ years professional experience preferred
- Experience on Nashville’s Teacher Leadership Development or Alumni teams highly preferred
- Experience professionally developing adults is a must
Work Demands
- Ability to work some weekends and evenings
Skills
- Build and maintain deep relationships and connect with others, including those who are quite different from you, across all levels in the organization
- Excellent communication both verbal and written
- Good judgment, strong initiative, and a quick learner
- Make smart choices about what to prioritize and what matters most, especially when things get busy
- A record of excellence, pursuing results, and teamwork
- Exceptionally strong strategic thinking
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
- Exceptional customer service orientation
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to tailor approach toward the perspective of others