Chief Executive Officer for the Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION:

The mission of the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida is to use the history and lessons of the Holocaust to build a just and caring community free of antisemitism and all forms of bigotry and prejudice.

Founded in 1981 by Holocaust survivor Tess Wise, the Center opened in 1986, predating the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC by seven years. Through extensive outreach of educational and cultural programs and exhibits, for over 40 years the Center has used the lessons of the Holocaust as a tool, teaching the principles of good citizenship to thousands of people of all ages, religions, races, sexual orientations, abilities and backgrounds each year.

Today, with disturbing acts of hate happening every single day, and overt and systemic prejudice continuing to marginalize and oppress members of our society, the Center’s work is as critical as ever. Perhaps more so. That’s why the organization has embarked on the development of a new museum: the Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity.  Building upon the 40-year history of the Center, this new state-of-the-art museum is projected to open in 2025. The City of Orlando has gifted a prime location in the heart of the downtown skyline on Lake Ivanhoe, visible from I-4, the main highway traveled by thousands every day. Further, Orange County has pledged $10M to the new museum. And, a one-of-a-kind strategic partnership was formed with the USC Shoah Foundation (USCSF) to create the new national-level museum using the USCSF interactive testimonial archive as the museum’s heartbeat.  The new museum will uniquely tell the story of the Holocaust experience through the words of survivors, as well as express their observations about the challenges in today’s world through the lens of survivor experiences. 

The new 40,000 square foot modern museum -- and its technological engaging educational experience -- is intended to be a destination both for the Florida community (students and adults alike) as well as for the 75 million annual visitors to Orlando, from across the US and overseas. It is envisioned that the museum will use Holocaust education in many innovative ways as a tool to build an engaged citizenry committed to civic responsibility, and to understanding the importance of a solid and stable democracy to eliminate bigotry and prejudice. The museum will also serve as an important national center for research, convening and timely engagement and conversation.

REPORTING

The CEO will report to the Board of Directors. They will lead the Center’s current nine-person team and will grow the team to support the development and operation of the planned new museum, the Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity.

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY:

The CEO will lead the strategy and development, and ultimately the operations, of this new museum.  With the projected opening in 2025, over the next three years the CEO will simultaneously lead and manage the current Center and its staff, while also planning for the new museum. This will include fundraising for the $75M capital campaign and strong partnership with the Board, the USC Shoah Foundation and multiple other partners and community stakeholders on all aspects of the new museum’s development. 

Critically, the CEO will also be a public, respected, and timely voice in the Orlando community and beyond, on Holocaust education and antisemitism, as well as on the broader issues of all types of prejudice, bigotry, and human rights.

This is an exciting leadership opportunity for someone to build and grow a premier educational and cultural institution to have tremendous reach and impact in Orlando/Florida, across the US and globally.

Key Responsibilities Include:

Strategy & Leadership

• Lead, develop, and implement the bold vision and strategy for the development of the new museum, with the history and current Center operations as the critical foundation.
• Lead and grow the organization in conjunction with the Board of Directors and multiple strategic partners and stakeholders, exponentially increasing the reach and impact of the organization.
• Cultivate a strong working relationship with the Board of Directors; with an important focus on the new museum’s development.
• Inspire, lead, grow and manage the team for the current Center and future museum, ensuring increasingly impactful programming and reach.

 New Museum Planning & Start-up

• Lead all aspects of planning and development of the new museum, from building construction through program development.
• Oversee and manage the new museum project with multiple committees, consultants, companies and municipal entities.

 Center Management, Operations & Administration

• Lead Center team for all current and on-going programming, exhibition curation and operations, ensuring increasingly high standards of professional museum practice. Includes all educational outreach, programming and public engagement.
• Provide day-to-day leadership and management for the Center team, leading and modeling effective communications and workplace culture, accountability, and teamwork.

 External Affairs, Community Engagement, and Partnerships

• Serve as chief spokesperson and be highly visible in the community (Orlando, statewide, and beyond). Includes role as a respected thought leader in the fields of antisemitism, human rights, diversity, equity and inclusion, civic engagement, and democratic principles.
• Lead and collaborate with multiple and diverse strategic partners for various aspects of current and future work; key relationships include the USC Shoah Foundation and the Orange County Public Schools, for example.
• Effectively represent the organization to all governmental, professional, civic, educational, and private agencies as well as the media, enhancing image and reputation.

 Fundraising & Financial Management

• Oversee and lead all fundraising, in collaboration with the development team and the Board. Inspire a rigorous yet innovative culture for overall fundraising initiatives.
• Personally identify, cultivate, and solicit major individual and institutional gifts, with a critical focus on $75M capital campaign.
• Prepare, present, and monitor annual, capital, and project budgets and provide the Board with timely financial data for budgeting decisions and fundraising plans.

ABOUT THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE:

The CEO position calls for a leader aligned with the vision and values of the Center and planned new museum, with demonstrated interest and commitment to eliminating bigotry and prejudice in all forms, and a strong belief in the power of using Holocaust education as a tool for this critical work. Expertise in antisemitism and Holocaust education preferred but not required.

This CEO opportunity requires entrepreneurial leadership and management experience, as well as fundraising, excellent communications skills, and the ability to engage many diverse stakeholders.  The CEO must possess the ability to thrive at the highest levels of philanthropy, education, and community engagement. The museum is looking for a versatile executive able to lead, operate, and manage at multiple levels simultaneously, both internally and externally, and critically balance the current Center’s priorities and operations with the new museum’s development.

The successful candidate will be a visionary, strategic, imaginative, and collaborative leader. They will have big hopes and dreams and an ability to execute them.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Key Professional Experience and Personal Attributes Include:

• Deep belief and commitment to the Center and museum’s mission, vision and values
• Inspirational and strategic leadership, and big-picture visionary with a passion for education and public engagement
• Outstanding communications and interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate externally as a respected thought leader in the field
• Leadership and management experience. Open to direct museum or educational leadership experience; or other relevant and transferable leadership in different public or private sector organizations
• Preferred specific experience may include: overseeing completion of a new facility, exhibition/program design, museum education and experiential learning, technology innovation
• Entrepreneurial leader and builder of teams and organizational culture, ideally with a growing organization
• Experience in strategic planning and financial management
• Experience fundraising for a capital campaign and a proven closer of major gifts (six and seven figures)
• Experience working in close partnership with a Board of Directors
• Expertise in Holocaust Education, Human Rights, and/or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Skilled at stakeholder and partner engagement at the local community, national, and international levels

COMPENSATION: Salary commensurate with experience. Benefits include medical; dental; life; long- and short-term disability; employee 401k plan; and a generous PTO plan including holidays, vacation, and sick days. Relocation allowance, if needed.

The Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity and the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida are committed to building a diverse and inclusive community. We support a broadly diverse team who will contribute to our organizations. We are an equal opportunity employer regardless of race, color, citizenship, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran or reservist status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.

Please email cover letter and resume or nominations in confidence to: HMHH@sandlersearch.org