presents Bush Foundation

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1 presents Education Portfolio Director Ballinger Leafblad is proud to present the following information on behalf of our client, the, in its search for an Education Portfolio Director.

2 presenting our client ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW The is a private foundation based in St. Paul, Minnesota focused on investing in great ideas and the people who power them. Established in 1953 by 3M executive Archibald Bush and his wife, Edyth, the Foundation works in communities across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and the 23 Native nations that share the same geography. Learn more about their work at BushFoundation.org. WHAT THE FOUNDATION DOES The Foundation uses its resources financial and otherwise to inspire and support creative problem solving, within and across sectors, to make our region better for everyone. The Foundation does this in two primary ways: 1. by supporting people and organizations working on the issues that are most important to their communities. The primary programs in this area include: o Communications and Convenings, where the Foundation shares stories of the people and organizations they invest in, and creates and supports events that inspire, equip and connect people across the regions served. o Community Innovation grants and the Bush Prize, where the Foundation supports organizations who are trying or demonstrating innovative approaches to solving community problems. o Leadership Programs, connecting leaders with people and ideas through the Bush Fellowship Program and Change Network. 2. by advancing specific strategic issues that are a priority to the Foundation through our strategic initiatives. Their current strategic initiatives include: o Education The guiding goal for our Education initiative is to make our region the national leader in providing individualized education that meets the needs and ambitions of all students. o Nation Building and Government Redesign The goal of our Native Nation Building and Government Redesign initiative is to support Native self determination and help governments solve problems by better understanding and designing for the people they serve. o Community Creativity The guiding goal of our Community Creativity initiative is to make art a central element of problem solving on more issues, across more sectors and in more communities throughout the region. o Social Business Ventures The guiding goal of our Social Business Ventures initiative is to make our region the best place in the country to launch and grow social purpose businesses.

3 presenting our client BUSH FOUNDATION VALUES In 2013, the adopted five operating values that guide the way we work. They are: Spread Optimism. We encourage individuals and organizations to think bigger and think differently about what is possible. We are positive and supportive in our internal and external interactions. Work Beyond Ourselves. We actively seek opportunities to work in true collaboration with others to have more impact. We are willing to both lead and follow. We candidly share what we learn with others. Everybody Matters. We are a champion for both excellence and equity inside and out of the Foundation. We have fair, open and inclusive processes. We work to raise overall quality of life while also closing opportunity and achievement gaps. Steward Well. We demonstrate appreciation for the Foundation s history and thoughtfully build on its legacy. We hold ourselves to high standards of integrity and accountability and conduct ourselves in a way that we hope would make our founders proud. More Good Every Year. We are a true learning organization and work to be smarter and more effective every year. We never lose sight of the reason we exist: to do the most possible good with the resources left to the community by Archibald G. Bush.

4 presenting our client EQUITY STATEMENT Equity is central to the s purpose: to inspire and support creative problem solving, within and across sectors, to make the region better for everyone. TO INSPIRE AND SUPPORT CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING Diversity of thought is a critical ingredient in creativity and innovation. Communities are smarter and stronger when they draw from a wide variety of experience, perspective and wisdom. TO MAKE OUR REGION BETTER FOR EVERYONE The is about place a region of three states and 23 Native nations. This region s future will be defined by how well every person in it does at home, in school, at work and in the community. This region s future, therefore, depends on institutions and systems that work well for all people. Too many do not. This is not just about whether organizations are intentionally excluding or disadvantaging people. Racism, for example, is not only hateful acts. Racism, can also be embedded in policies and practices that are well intended and meant to work for all, but just don t. Organizational failings, big and small, combine to systemically exclude and disadvantage people. These barriers limit individual opportunity and limit our collective regional potential. Every person in our region can impact institutions and systems. Institutions and systems are created and perpetuated by people. To change institutions and systems is to change the minds and the actions of people. There is a role for all of us to play. At the, we believe that bridging cultural differences and adapting organizations to work well for everyone are essential skills for leaders to be relevant and effective whatever their purpose and whatever their politics. These are skills one has to learn and practice. It is learning about and understanding your own history and context and why you think and act the way you do. It is learning about and understanding other people s history and context and why they think and act the way they do. And it is empathetically adapting to work effectively across differences. It is the ability to examine policies and practices to see who may be excluded or disadvantaged by them, regardless of the intent. And it is the ability to work with those affected by policies and practices to design and redesign them to work well for everyone.

5 presenting our client Within the, we are working on these skills to bring an equity lens to all we do. Without a doubt, definitions of and conversations about equity and inclusion have changed since Archibald Bush s generation. Our stated commitment to uplifting the whole region has not. We have struggled at times to live up to our aspirations; at times our actions have contributed to social, economic and racial disparities. Those shortcomings are real opportunities for us to think and act differently about how we advance equity in our region. As a charitable foundation, we have a particular obligation to live up to high standards of diversity, equity and inclusion. We have a power in the issues we raise, the questions we ask, and the people and organizations we fund. For us to be effective in addressing issues in communities throughout the region, we must be sensitive to and savvy about differences such as culture, race, income, gender identity, geography, physical ability, religious belief, or any other difference that is meaningful in understanding an issue and how it might be addressed. We see equity as part and parcel of excellence. And we are committed to becoming excellent. As we work toward being more equitable, we plan to publicly share our successes and setbacks in hopes we can be useful to others. We do so with humility and recognition that we are and will always be a work in progress.

6 presenting the position of Education Portfolio Director OVERVIEW OF POSITION The Education Portfolio Director is a member of the Strategy and Learning team the home for the strategic initiatives. Each of these initiatives (currently Education, Nation Building and Government Redesign, Community Creativity and Social Business Ventures) advances a particular goal to make the region better for everyone. These portfolios are at varying degrees of development; when fully implemented, each will include 1) investments in major partnerships with innovative organizations that are achieving results 2) ecosystem grants where the Foundation provides operating support to organizations that create the environment where change can flourish, and 3) support for movement building activities, communications and evaluation to advance the goals. Job Purpose The Education Portfolio Director develops and executes strategies to advance the Foundation s guiding education goal of making our region the national leader in providing individualized education that meets the needs and ambitions of all students. PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES Lead strategy development and execution of the Foundation s Education strategy including shaping the approach, criteria and process for selecting and managing both existing and new investments. Cultivate and manage relationships with existing grantees and partners. Oversee the selection and management of Education ecosystem grants and collaborate in the cross Foundation ecosystem grants process. Work with the Strategy & Learning team to set portfolio management strategy and processes across focus areas. Share functional responsibilities such as grants selection and evaluation with other Strategic Initiative Portfolio Directors. Develop and implement evaluation and learning strategies for the Foundation s Education investments. Supervise strategy and learning staff who support the work of multiple strategic initiatives. Represent the Foundation in external leadership roles to advance the Education goal and other strategic initiatives. Serve on the Foundation s Management Team to ensure cross team alignment on strategic direction and operations. Participate in recruiting and selection of grantees and Fellows on other teams as needed. Actively demonstrate core organizational values in performing all duties.

7 presenting the position of Education Portfolio Director DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS At least seven years of experience in relevant public, nonprofit or related private sector fields with significant experience leading or managing initiatives related to education. Deep knowledge of Education issues and ecosystem in the Upper Midwest. We expect that the successful candidate will have experience leading, developing or implementing individualized learning strategies. Strong network of relevant relationships within the funding region. Exceptional strategic and analytical skills with demonstrated success developing new strategies. Effective and adaptable communication and interpersonal skills. Demonstrated success working with teams and within highly inclusive and participatory decision making processes. Demonstrated ability to effectively interact, communicate and collaborate with people from a wide range of cultural backgrounds. Deep interest in diversity, equity and inclusion issues. Supervisory experience is required with demonstrated ability to motivate and inspire people to meet their goals. Able to work independently, interpreting and applying strategic guidelines with minimal direction and incomplete information. Comfortable in fluid and dynamic work settings. ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT The Education Portfolio Director reports to Strategy & Learning Vice President Allison Barmann, serves on the Foundation s Management Team and supervises one or more Strategy & Learning team members. Some travel and schedule adjustments will be necessary in this position.

8 presenting the position of Education Portfolio Director ADDITIONAL INFORMATION For more information about this position, please join Strategy & Learning Vice President Allison Barmann and Talent Development Director Stephanie Andrews for an informational webinar on Friday, May 18 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. central time. Click this link to register for the webinar. If you wish to remain anonymous as an attendee during the webinar, please register as Archibald Bush. A recording of the webinar will be available at a few days after the webinar airs live. For additional information and/or to apply for the position please a cover letter, current resume and compensation requirements to Lars Leafblad via lars at. Review of candidates will begin immediately. The is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer