President, Rockefeller Archive Center, Sleepy Hollow, NY

Location: Sleepy Hollow, New York, USA
Compensation: $325,000 to $400,000 per year

Mission: By collecting, managing, preserving, and providing broad and equitable access to the historical records of philanthropy and other efforts to work on behalf of the public good, the Rockefeller Archive Center inspires critical analysis and contributes knowledge to diverse learning communities throughout the world.

DESCRIPTION

The Rockefeller Archive Center (RAC) was established in 1974 as the result of efforts by the children of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. to gather in one institution the records of their family's philanthropic work and to stimulate research into the ways in which these philanthropic efforts had impacted the nation and the world. Since that time, the Archive Center has grown substantially, so that it now holds the archives of a large and growing number of philanthropic institutions including the Ford Foundation, the Knight Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, and many other foundations and civil society organizations, as well as the papers of individuals associated with these organizations.

The RAC's uniqueness lies in its wide-ranging holdings that sit at the nexus of philanthropy, history, civil society, research, and data collection, conservation, and preservation. These are joined in partnerships with archives, libraries, museums, individual and institutional philanthropists, colleges and universities, and a vast array of nonprofit organizations around the world.

The RAC's work falls within three main areas.

• The Archives Program, which guides the Rockefeller Archive Center's ethical, standards-based, and culturally competent stewardship of the archival collections in its custody.
• The Research and Engagement Program, which is a collaborative effort involving historians, educators, designers, and archivists to explore and communicate philanthropy's history using the RAC's collections.
• The Operations and Finance Programs, which provide strategic leadership, guidance, and support to the Rockefeller Archive Center's staff and user communities.

Best archival practices govern the acquisition, searchability, and perpetual safekeeping of the RAC's records. The RAC is a leader in the archival field. But with the research center and outputs, its role as connector and convenor, and its work to increase the understanding of philanthropy from many vantage points, the Center has broad and far-reaching goals.

Serving more than 40 partners whose collections are housed at the RAC as well as 400 visiting scholars each year, the RAC holds more than 150 million pages of documents, as well as two million photographs and over 7,000 films and videotapes used by researchers from around the world. The collections also include 200 TB of digitized and born-digital records. In the RAC's collections, researchers can explore topics ranging from the history of medicine, science, and public health to such fields as the arts, agriculture, social sciences, urban affairs, and public policy. Remaining digitization of archival collections is well underway. Approximately two million pages of significant documents are complete, with another 10 million in process.

The RAC's stipend program provides support for those who need to travel to the Archive Center for their research, while its rich online resources engage even larger global communities. In addition, the RAC regularly convenes conferences, workshops and other gatherings to bring diverse communities together to discuss significant issues related to its collections.

With a $9.4 million budget, an endowment of $160 million, and a staff of 47, the RAC is located in Westchester County, New York about 45 minutes from Manhattan. It is in close proximity to the Pocantico Center, formerly the Rockefeller family estate. Working closely with The Rockefeller University, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and other Rockefeller family entities, the Rockefeller Archive Center is an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a board of nine Trustees. The Rockefeller Archive Center relies on income from the endowment for operating expenses, and the President will raise funding for special projects and initiatives.

The Board seeks a successor to the retiring President, who will build upon a solid foundation and position the RAC for the future opportunities and issues facing archives, research, and philanthropy. The new President needs to embrace how the past can inform progress in the future.

Description and Duties    
THE POSITION

Reporting directly to the Board of Trustees, the President will be responsible for overall leadership, management, and implementation of the RAC's strategic vision and its advancement, staff development, budget and administration, and proper overall functioning of the organization.

Ever mindful of the RAC's culture and values, the President will serve as a resource to programmatic and organizational leadership internally, fuel innovative thinking, and nurture the expertise of a knowledgeable and highly dedicated staff, who are the organization's most critical assets and are indispensable to its ongoing success.

The next President will be a thoughtful visionary and an innovative leader with a record of professional success. Acting as chief spokesperson, the President will work to advance the RAC's mission and vision, guiding principles, major initiatives, and successes within the communities it serves. The President will develop, maintain, and steward key strategic partnerships and alliances, broadening the RAC's reach and effectiveness and continuing to solidify its organizational stature, profile, and impact.

The President will ensure that the collections thrive - appropriately preserved, added to, and expertly managed - while providing the best physical and increasingly digital experiences and services that cultivate the creation of new knowledge and greater understanding.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The President is responsible for leading a world-class archive and research center with a strong tradition of: excellence in stewardship; dedication to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion; being a collaborative learning organization; embracing change; holding itself accountable; centering people in the use of technology; and fostering belonging.

The next President will:

• Communicate to a global and diverse community of scholars and potential archive donors the many strengths of the RAC's collections through convenings, publications, fellowships, seminars, strategic partnerships, and other outreach;
• Oversee a digital and physical acquisition strategy that ensures the RAC collects materials useful to its global community today and in the future, through both its own initiative and in collaboration with others;
• Understand the growing importance of digital technology to the current and future success of the RAC's acquisition, preservation, and research functions;
• Lead and motivate a talented staff to deliver on the RAC's mission;
• Work closely with the RAC Trustees, making use of their expertise, insights, and judgment;
• Serve as a trusted partner, including with relevant affinity groups; develop and cultivate deep and meaningful relationships with key and prospective partners to ensure the growth and continued relevance of the collection for future generations to enhance the RAC's reputation and sphere of influence, and to strengthen its strategic impact in the field;
• Foster the strong, inclusive, collaborative, and supportive internal culture, including mentoring, developing, and engaging a staff dedicated to fulfilling the RAC's mission;
• Become an integral part of the Rockefeller network of various entities and individual family members;
• Keep a finger on the pulse of advances in technologies; regularly assess and identify organizational resources, technologies, operations, and policies needed to work efficiently and meet the organization's standards of excellence.

Qualifications    

IDEAL EXPERIENCE

The President will possess:

• Superior leadership skills within and across teams and institutions - with proven ability to cultivate, maintain, and steward relationships across a range of professional communities and levels;
• A strong commitment to the importance and relevance of archives, the RAC specifically, its history, and its collections;
• Strategic planning experience, including the ability to iterate based on qualitative and quantitative analyses;
• Significant senior management skills and experience in fields such as philanthropy, archives, libraries, higher education, research, data, and/or history;
• Experience with the use of digital technology and a commitment to its importance in both content and information delivery;
• Experience working with boards and other governing bodies;
• Specific experience working with foundations and a general understanding of the philanthropic community;
• Sophisticated communication skills including public speaking and writing/editing, with a strong sense of narrative and storytelling;
• An advanced degree, PhD preferred, in social science, humanities, arts and culture, or archival, library, and information sciences, or the like; significant participation in and understanding of scholarly research.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

The President will bring:

• The humility and curiosity to observe and understand the RAC's programs, projects, and partnerships, as well as the strengths and effectiveness of the staff and Board members;
• The ability to convey a strong and compelling presence and the ability to inspire people to perform at a high level; a firm decision-making ability while engaging with diplomacy and tact;
• A confident and visionary leadership style and a reputation for innovative and forward-thinking accomplishments;
• Proven ability to lead and motivate a highly dedicated staff to whom much responsibility and appropriate authority are delegated; the ability to envision and operationalize new initiatives and deeply understand how operational and programmatic decisions are being experienced by staff;
• Integrity, empathy, emotional intelligence, good judgment, and outstanding interpersonal skills along with the ability to foster strong and trusting relationships at all levels, inside and outside of the organization;
• Emotional maturity, with a sense of humor and the ability to maintain balance and perspective;
• Ability and willingness to travel as needed for meetings with partners, colleagues, and other stakeholders.

How to Apply    
COMPENSATION RANGE - $325,000 to $400,000, with requisite benefits.

• The Rockefeller Archive Center is an equal opportunity employer and is strongly committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in every sense of the word - from background and birthplace to experience and ideas.
• All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, veteran status, or disability.

Please send nominations or applications, including cover letters and CVs, to Jane Phillips Donaldson and G. Angela Henry at RAC@PhillipsOppenheim.com.
Application Webpage (URL)    https://www.phillipsoppenheim.com/po/arts-media-culture/rockefeller-archive-center/president-sleepy-hollow-ny/248/
Application Deadline: May 7, 2025