Position Announcement
Chief Executive Officer
Charleston, South Carolina
The Tri-County Cradle-to-Career Collaborative welcomes applications for the position of Chief
Executive Officer, available immediately.
About Tri-County Cradle-to-Career Collaborative
The Tri-County Cradle-to-Career Collaborative (TCCC) is a community-wide effort focused on
dramatically improving the quality of life of our citizens through education. For the first time, leaders
from our region’s top businesses, school systems, colleges/universities, not-for-profits and
governments have agreed to align our community’s efforts to ensure EVERY child in the region of
Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties will graduate from high school prepared for either
further education or employment in the modern workforce. TCCC is rooted in the collective impact
framework and has successfully engaged the top community stakeholders in developing a shared
vision, mission and goals to ensure all children are successfully meeting important milestones from
birth until they begin a career. The preconditions for successful collective impact are in place – highly
influential champions are driving this initiative, three-year start-up capital is in place, and there is a
palpable urgency for change. TCCC is now seeking an entrepreneurial Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
who can capitalize on 18 months of strategic planning by the TCCC Board and community leadership to
accelerate systemic change and increase the “social return on investment” communities realize when
investing resources in the success of children.
A Unique Opportunity
Like many other communities across the country, our Tri-county region has been plagued with a
persistent achievement gap in academic performance between children who come from low-income
households and children who come from middle-income households. And high school graduation rates
for students from low-income households are unacceptably low. Historically, we have addressed these
issues by working in silos – pursuing isolated interventions in fragmented ways. Consequently we have
not made significant progress. Recently, however, there has been a growing sense of urgency by all
sectors of the community around the issues of education and workforce development. The idea of a
holistic framework to achieve large-scale systemic change in our education system has been embraced
by the entire region. Over 50 community partners including influential business leaders, school
districts, the United Way, the Community Foundation, non-profit leaders, and our local universities
have rallied around the idea of collectively driving results in education by building the capacity of the
social sector to practice continuous improvement. Our community is united in our zeal to accelerate
change, and we are committed to finding a strong CEO who is passionate about mobilizing our
community around a common agenda that employs evidence-based strategies, using shared
measurement systems, pursuing mutually reinforcing activities in an environment of high fidelity
communications.
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Position Announcement-CEO
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The Position
The CEO will work closely with the Board of Directors in building a backbone organization to convene
partners, create collaborative networks, and implement strategies in the collective impact framework
to achieve the goal of transforming our educational system. By developing and cultivating
relationships, the CEO will lead cross-sector collaborations in using data and metrics as elements of a
highly disciplined approach to inform decision-making. The CEO will grow the Collaborative by
encouraging new members to align their work around TCCC goals and encourage investors to align
human capital and financial investments in support of the evidence-based strategies of the TCCC
membership. Working with the Board of Directors, the CEO will establish short and long range action
plans, timelines and strategies to ensure the TCCC meets established goals and objectives.
Other responsibilities include staff management, board stewardship, public relations and outreach,
financial oversight, fundraising and general operations. The TCCC CEO and staff will be housed at the
School of Education, Health and Human Performance at the College of Charleston, which has been
competitively selected to host the TCCC as it builds the backbone organization and achieves its initial
operational capability. The College of Charleston is a nationally recognized public liberal arts and
sciences university located in the heart of historic Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770, the
College is among the nation’s top universities for quality education, student life and affordability. The
College offers a distinctive combination of a beautiful and historic campus, modern facilities and
cutting-edge programs.
The Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate will be a passionate advocate with an adaptive leadership style and a burning
desire to work in the collective impact framework to convene and lead cross-sector stakeholders
around the TCCC goals. The TCCC CEO will be “at home” in a start-up grassroots environment, yet
comfortable navigating within larger institutional structures and hierarchies as well. S/he has excellent
analytical, planning and organizational skills; superior written and oral communication skills; and a
proven ability to successfully achieve results through the effective use of data, in an environment
where all the important elements are not under her/his direct control. S/he is a master at
communicating, fostering trust and building consensus. Key personal attributes include: creativity,
tenaciousness, perseverance, diplomacy, results-orientation, the ability to move self-confidently
through uncharted waters, good listening skills, high energy, enthusiasm, optimism, integrity and
humility.
The ideal candidate will also be an experienced senior-level leader and manager with a record of
success in fundraising. S/he will be a strategic thinker with the marketing skills needed to build
community awareness and to catalyze new support throughout the community. Our CEO must have a
demonstrated ability to work effectively with, and quickly gain the respect and support of, various
constituencies, including board members, staff, community-based partners, potential donors, and
other community leaders. And s/he will have a commitment to diversity and a personal approach that
values the individual and respects differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation,
religion, ability and socio-economic circumstance.
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Position Announcement-CEO
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Our Community
Consistently named among Condé Nast Traveler's top 10 US destinations, Charleston, South Carolina is
a world-class city. Beautifully preserved historic sites, outstanding resorts and recreational facilities,
and its premier waterfront location attract millions of visitors and new residents to the Charleston area
each year. With a mild year-round climate, miles of beaches and waterway, a burgeoning young
professional scene and several up-and-coming neighborhoods, the region is thriving, even during
difficult economic times. This influx of diverse people of all ages, backgrounds, and origins also
sustains an incredible array of world cuisine, shopping, and cultural amenities rarely found in markets
of similarly sized communities. The Tri-County region is also home to several colleges and universities,
which greatly influence the vibrancy and diversity of the community. Growth in the economy has been
spurred by the recent addition of The Boeing Company, along with a growing number of high tech and
entrepreneurial companies. The region’s population of 660,000 is predicted to continue growing
more than 20 percent in the next few years.
Minimum Qualifications
A bachelor’s degree or equivalent training, education or experience. Senior management experience
and the ability to demonstrate success in leadership roles are required.
Applications
To apply, please send a compelling letter/case statement describing why you want this position, and
making the case that you are the best person to lead this initiative. Letters should not exceed three
pages. Please also attach a resume that outlines relevant qualifications and experience, and your
availability. All applications will be confidential. All applications should be submitted at
https://tricountycradletocareer.wufoo.com/forms/ceo-application/ Initial review of applications will
begin on July 12, 2013 and the position will remain open until filled.
If you have any questions, please contact Ted Legasey at CEOSearch@TricountyCradletoCareer.org