Emory UniversityDirector, Michael C. Carlos Museum

 

Our Client

 

About the Michael C. Carlos Museum

Set in the heart of campus on the quadrangle at Emory University, the Michael C. Carlos Museum is a dynamic center for the study of art and culture, serving the University and larger community. Its collections span the art of Africa; ancient Egypt, Nubia, and the Near East; Greece and Rome; Indigenous arts of the Americas; South Asia; and works on paper from the Renaissance to the present. Formally established on Emory University's Atlanta campus in 1919, the museum began a period of significant development in the 1980s, with the reconfiguration and expansion of the collections into the Emory University Museum of Art and Archaeology.  In 1993, Michael Graves designed a major expansion of the museum building to coincide with its re-naming as the Michael C. Carlos Museum. The Carlos Museum has been accredited by American Alliance of Museums (AAM) since 2001.

Through its collections, critically acclaimed special exhibitions, innovative public programming, and scholarly and technical research, the Carlos Museum serves as a portal where the university and the community meet. The Carlos Museum hosts more than 83,000 visitors in a typical year, serving university faculty, students, and staff, as well as the greater Atlanta community, hosting a wide array of visitors of all ages. More than 80 Emory faculty members and 48 departments or programs actively use museum resources. During the 2020-21 academic year, the Carlos Museum served over 35,000 people through COVID-safe in-person university classes and online programs.

The museum’s collections, exhibitions, and programs are a major resource for teaching and research at Emory. University faculty, staff, and students access collections and exhibitions as primary materials, and they use museum programming to expand learning opportunities outside the classroom. Museum staff work closely with faculty to develop tours, projects, lectures, classes, and courses centered on collections and exhibitions. The museum also provides a robust internship program for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.

The Carlos Museum’s permanent collections are overseen by specialist staff and faculty curators, who are engaged in research, teaching, and exhibition development. The museum produces four exhibitions per year, including two rotations in its Works on Paper gallery, as well as smaller installations in its other permanent collection galleries. Exhibition projects feature original content, interdisciplinary research, innovative installation design, and digital and print publications. They are developed both by staff curators and by faculty and students, with community representatives where possible. The museum regularly hosts touring exhibitions and has experience touring its own exhibitions. Carlos Museum staff are committed to diversity and inclusion, and to the ethical stewardship of collections, including consultation and collaboration with descendant communities, Tribal Nations, and countries of modern discovery of items in the collection.

The Carlos Museum’s conservation laboratory and staff provide preventive care, technical research, and treatment for the collection. Through innovative curricula and internships, the conservation teaching program offers opportunities for students to study art materials, historical techniques, and cultural heritage preservation. The conservation lab’s resources and outreach complement STEAM education initiatives. The conservation lab is actively engaged in research, collaborating with scholars and facilities at Emory and other institutions.

The Office of Educational Programs works across the museum, the campus, and the city to develop a rich array of programs designed to engage the intellect and the imagination, serving university students and faculty, PreK-12 students and educators, and the larger Atlanta community. With the Carlos’s collections and exhibitions at the center, the museum’s expansive approach to programming emphasizes multiple and diverse voices, perspectives, and disciplines. It aims to connect the past and the present and to strengthen the ties between the university and the community.

The Michael C. Carlos Museum has an annual operating expense budget of approximately $4.1 million. The Carlos Museum receives annual university budget support of approximately $2.6 million and approximately $0.7 million in annual endowment and trust income. The museum also generates additional revenue from museum operations and contributions. During the last full academic year of regular operations in 2018-2019, the museum generated approximately $4.6 million in revenue through contributions and museum operations such as admission fees, paid programs, facility rental, bookshop sales, and membership to support higher programming expenses. The Carlos Museum has endowments totaling approximately $23 million that support its mission, and it has been awarded grants for programs, exhibitions, publications, and teaching from several private foundations as well as leading public foundations and government agencies, including National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Georgia Council for the Arts, and Georgia Humanities.

The museum employs 33 full-time staff members and three part-time staff members.

 

About Emory University

Emory University is a leading institution of higher education. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, the university has an international reputation for world-renowned scholarship and research, unparalleled teaching, and a preeminent medical center that provides students with the access to and opportunity for hands-on learning experiences with top medical researchers and scholars.

 

Emory traces its roots to the 1836 founding of Emory College of Oxford, Georgia. Emory was founded during a period of sustained oppression, land dispossession, and forced removal of Muskogee (Creek), Cherokee and other original peoples from Georgia and the Southeast. Emory owes an immense debt to the Muskogee, Cherokee, and other original peoples and their descendants, who have cared for and inhabited these lands, and is taking steps to acknowledge Emory’s past and create opportunities for belonging by recognizing and amplifying Native voices. Asa Candler, founder of The Coca-Cola Company, provided a generous gift that included land in Atlanta and Oxford, on which Emory could expand. This support transformed Emory College into Emory University and set the university on a path to become a recognized leading research university. Emory’s programs are rooted in the conviction that education is a strong moral force in both society and the lives of individuals as reflected in the university’s mission “to create, preserve, teach, and apply knowledge in the service of humanity.”

A member of the Association of American Universities (AAU) since 1995, the university benefits from collaboration across its nine undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools. These schools include Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Oxford College, Goizueta Business School, Laney Graduate School, School of Law, School of Medicine, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Rollins School of Public Health, and Candler School of Theology. With approximately 16,000 students, including 8,500 undergraduates and 7,500 graduate and professional students, Emory attracts students from every state and more than 100 countries. More than seventy percent of all students receive financial aid.

 

The Role

The Director of the Michael C. Carlos Museum reports to the Vice Provost for Libraries and Museum of Emory University, a new administrative structure intended to strengthen the relationship between the museum and the university’s highest ranking academic leader. Working in partnership with staff, faculty, and the members of the National Leadership Board, the Director is responsible for developing vision and strategic leadership for the Museum in its mission as an academic and public-facing institution (in collaboration with staff, the National Board, and university leadership), and for overseeing its daily operations. The Director serves as the lead ambassador for the museum locally, nationally, and globally.

 

Drawing on a substantial collection of more than 25,000 artifacts and works of art from diverse cultures spanning five continents and nine millennia, the Director fosters a deep appreciation for material culture across cultures and the connections between the past, present, and imagined futures as explored through engaging exhibitions, research projects, and public programming. Prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); ethical collections management; collaboration; and sustainability, the Director articulates a vision for the museum that advances the university’s research and teaching mission, as well as its engagement with and service to communities beyond the campus. The Director leads the staff to create and present exhibitions and programs that are ambitious, engage with critical and timely ideas, enhance university priorities, and highlight faculty, staff, and community expertise.

The Director of the Carlos Museum is responsible for strategic planning and budget. In collaboration with university leaders and museum staff, the Director oversees museum policies and best practices, fundraising, external affairs, and personnel matters. The Director ensures that the museum’s staffing, facility, operations, and digital initiatives support the Museum’s mission. Working in close concert with the university leadership, museum staff, and the museum’s advisory board, the Director is charged with expanding the museum’s impact, value, and opportunity for growth.

The Director has support from and access to a team of development professionals who support fundraising and donor stewardship. In the fall of 2021, Emory launched its campaign “2036: The Future Starts Here”. Included are goals and ambitions for the Michael C. Carlos Museum, and the new Director will be supported in contributing to campaign efforts.

 

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will have proven ability to lead, collaborate, and inspire. The candidate should be a dynamic and effective communicator who can be the principal advocate for the Carlos Museum and its initiatives. Through education, professional development, and experiences relevant to the museum field and arts and cultural leadership, candidates should demonstrate an understanding of the role of museums in the 21^st century. The candidate will have a record of success cultivating relationships among diverse constituencies as well as engagement in an academic setting. Candidates are expected to have knowledge and experience across museum functions. Strong interpersonal skills are critical.

An enthusiasm for working within the context of a university and the capacity to engage intellectually with a wide range of disciplines are essential. The candidate is expected to lead, encourage and tap the leadership of others within the museum, and collaborate with other partners and leaders on campus. The candidate should have a demonstrated commitment to DEI, ethical collections stewardship, and environmental sustainability in all aspects of museum operation, including but not limited to collections and exhibitions, interpretation, staffing, and audience engagement and participation.

The most attractive candidates will be able to demonstrate a history of the following skills and competencies:

• Strategic Vision: The ideal candidate will have a record of innovative thinking and successful implementation. They will have the discernment and judgment to lead the Carlos toward a coherent and compelling vision that will strengthen museum, University, and community relationships. They will demonstrate knowledge of the key issues facing museums broadly and those that are specific to academic museums. They will be aware of and willing to engage with the unique challenges confronting museums with permanent collections of ancient and Indigenous art. They will facilitate re-framing and expanding museum narratives, partnering with various stakeholders in the stewardship and interpretation of collections.
• Communicating, Influencing, and Building Relationships: The candidate will demonstrate the capacity to build collaborative partnerships across campus and in the community. The candidate must be able to engage a wide network of contributors and supporters, including advisory board members, donors, university faculty and students, K-12 educators at other institutions, artists, descendant communities and the public.
• Development of Teams and Resources: With humility, trust, and transparency, the candidate will be able to cultivate a vibrant workplace. Fostering a culture of collaboration, mutuality, and respect, the candidate will have the capacity to translate overarching goals into clear objectives for staff. They will have experience improving organizational structure and internal communication as well as defining processes to promote efficiency, flexibility, and accountability, employing transparent strategies for decision-making, planning, and evaluation. They will have experience with strategic, responsible, and sustainable budget management.
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: The candidate will bring a deep personal commitment to DEI in all aspects of their work and leadership. The candidate will seek to build an organization that represents and reflects the diversity of Emory and Atlanta. They will have experience creating spaces and platforms for multiple voices and narratives, especially the historically excluded and under-represented. The candidate will foster connections with other cultural institutions and seek opportunities for partnerships with Atlanta communities.
• Resource Development: The best candidates will demonstrate the ability to build the resource base for the museum, engaging in fundraising and friend-raising, through stewardship and cultivation of Boards, prospective and current donors, foundations, and other granting agencies.

 

Contact

Russell Reynolds Associates has been exclusively retained for this search. Initial screening of applicants will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Nominations and applications are invited and will be considered strictly confidential. Interested candidates should submit a curriculum vitae and a letter of interest in electronic form (Adobe PDF files preferred) to:

 

Russell Reynolds Associates
EmoryCarlosMuseumDirector@russellreynolds.com

 

Emory University is dedicated to providing equal opportunities and equal access to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, genetic information, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and veteran's status. Emory University does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment on the basis of any factor stated above or prohibited under applicable law. Students, faculty, and staff are assured of participation in University programs and in the use of facilities without such discrimination. Emory University complies with Executive Order 11246, as amended, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Era Veteran's Readjustment Assistance Act, and applicable executive orders, federal and state regulations regarding nondiscrimination, equal opportunity and affirmative action.

Emory University is committed to achieving a diverse workforce through application of its affirmative action, equal opportunity and nondiscrimination policy in all aspects of employment including recruitment, hiring, promotions, transfers, discipline, terminations, wage and salary administration, benefits, and training. Inquiries regarding this policy should be directed to the Emory University Department of Equity and Inclusion, 201 Dowman Drive, Administration Building, Atlanta, GA 30322. Telephone: 404-727-9867 (V) | 404-712-2049 (TDD).

Emory University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact the Department of Accessibility Services at 404-727-9877 (V) | 404-712-2049 (TDD). Please note that one-week advance notice is preferred.

 

Appendix I:

Additional Information about Emory University and the Carlos Museum

 

The Academic Experience

Emory faculty, staff, and students dedicate themselves to improving lives and strengthening communities through transformational research; the highest-quality undergraduate, graduate, and professional education; healthcare that improves the lives of patients; and broad civic engagement. The university is deeply committed to a campus culture in which faculty, staff, and students feel fully welcome and able to bring their whole selves to this shared enterprise.

Undergraduates have two options when they apply to Emory—the four-year Emory College of Arts and Sciences or the two-year Oxford College experience, where students complete the first two years of the bachelor’s degree in a distinctive, small-campus setting. Both of these colleges champion the liberal arts and humanities as foundational to preparing citizens to navigate the complexities of the twenty-first century. Oxford College is located 45 minutes away from the Atlanta campus in Oxford, Georgia, and is home to nearly 1,000 students, who are known for their community-mindedness and leadership skills.

Emory’s Woodruff Health Sciences Center serves as a health research and teaching arm of Emory University, facilitating close collaboration between the university and Emory Healthcare. The center is comprised of the schools of nursing, public health and medicine, the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory’s Global Health Institute, the Winship Cancer Institute—a National Cancer Institute–designated center—and Emory Healthcare.

Across all of the schools and campuses, Emory students have received many top academic honors. In the past seven years, Emory students have been awarded 55 Fulbright Fellowships, 32 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships, eight Goldwater Scholarships, five Schwarzman Scholarships, three Udall Scholarships, two Gates Cambridge Scholarships, two Marshall Scholarships, two Truman Scholarships, two Rhodes Scholarships, and four Beinecke Scholarships. Emory ranks among the top universities of its size in the number of annual Fulbright awards and stands second in NCAA postgraduate scholarships earned by its student athletes.

Emory alumni include a U.S. vice president, a Supreme Court justice, U.S. senators and representatives, governors, university presidents, philanthropists, Pulitzer Prize winners, entrepreneurs, renowned entertainers, and an astronaut. The university’s 153,000 alumni enjoy the benefits of a vibrant worldwide network, facilitated by the Emory Alumni Association.

Emory’s esteemed faculty includes Pulitzer Prize and Lasker Award winners, forty-five members of elite national academies, and two Nobel Laureates, His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama and President Jimmy Carter, both of whom serve the university as Distinguished Professors. Demonstrating passion and talent for teaching and research, Emory faculty members draw students deeply into the discovery process and collaboration in seeking creative solutions to the needs of their communities and the world.

Campus Resources

Emory University is home to nine world-class libraries. Emory’s library system is ranked in the top 20 of the Association of Research Libraries in North America. Emory’s resources and spaces are expansive and staffed with experts to advance excellence in education and outreach, subject specialties, and technology.

The Robert W. Woodruff Library is home to the Emory Center for Digital Scholarship and the Center for Faculty Development and Excellence as well as internationally renowned special collections. The Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library is Emory’s principal repository for rare and special materials and home to over 150,000 rare books and over 22,000 linear feet of manuscript material—with notable depth in modern literature and poetry, African American history and culture, Emory history, and political, social and cultural movements. The Pitts Theology Library contains the third largest collection of theology and religious materials in the country, including extraordinary holdings in rare books and manuscripts.

The Hatchery supports student innovators and entrepreneurs from all Emory schools and covers all stages of innovation from ideation to implementation through coaching and mentoring, project and start up support, and hands-on learning opportunities.

Emory in Atlanta

As an international hub for healthcare, business, arts, and culture, Emory’s research, academic, and service initiatives meaningfully contribute to the Atlanta community. In 2017, the Atlanta City Council approved the university’s request for official annexation into the City of Atlanta, which went into effect in 2018, creating an even stronger connection to the city.

Emory is the largest private employer in the Atlanta metropolitan area with more than 39,700 employees—including 4,200 Emory University faculty and 28,000 Emory Healthcare employees who help multiply Emory’s economic impact throughout the region and the state. Emory University strives to provide a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive campus as an essential part of a community of academic excellence.

Innovation and discovery, carried out in a uniquely collaborative, academic community creates strong interdisciplinarity across Emory’s schools and centers and fosters equally productive relationships with key organizational partners, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Georgia Institute of Technology. Hundreds of research faculty and students collaborate across the institution, in Atlanta, and beyond to solve the critical problems of our time.

Research and Finances

Emory’s research activities benefit society through discoveries that improve and save lives. During the past five years, Emory’s research funding has increased more than 20 percent, and in fiscal year 2021, Emory faculty generated a record $894.7 million in research funding awards.

Emory’s endowment was valued at $8.63 billion at the close of fiscal year 2020; strategic investment funds have enabled a striking upward trajectory that sets a promising path for the future. The university’s strong financial status has helped to sustain resources amid the challenges of COVID-19. Emory’s annual operating budget for 2019-2020 was $6.6 billion.

One Emory

In 2018, Emory launched a strategic framework, One Emory: Engaged for Impact to help grow Emory’s recognition around the world as a leading research university that fosters excellence and attracts world-class talent to innovate today and prepare leaders for the future.

 

The framework is built upon four pillars:

1. Faculty Excellence to foster a culture of eminence that attracts and inspires scholars of the highest order.
2. Academic Community of Choice to cultivate a thriving campus and a compelling student experience.
3. Innovative Scholarship through Creative Expression to harness imagination and discovery to address 21-st century challenges.
4. Atlanta as a Gateway to the World to unleash Emory and Atlanta’s shared future to mobilize change for the world.

The four pillars represent a roadmap to Emory’s future, and each pillar has aspirations, goals and initiatives to support the pursuit of this new vision that aims to move the university from excellence to eminence.

Emory’s Fundraising Campaign

In the latter part of 2021, Emory launched a historic fundraising campaign named for the year of its two hundredth anniversary – the 2036 Campaign. The campaign is focused on investing in Emory’s people who will transform Emory from a great university into one without equal, as demonstrated through student flourishing, faculty eminence and research excellence.