Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

California College of the Arts

Search for the Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

San Francisco, CA

California College of the Arts (CCA) seeks a creative, strategic and collaborative partner to serve as its inaugural Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (VP DEIB). Reporting directly to the President, the Vice President (VP) of DEIB will serve as a visionary leader of CCA’s DEIB center and nurture strong collaborative relationships across the College and beyond. As an advocate, transformational educator, and catalyst for change, the VP will capitalize on institutional momentum to advance CCA’s commitment to DEIB, augment internal and external community engagement, and further innovative arts education and professional artistic practice in the years to come.

Established in 1907, CCA is home to a dynamic and energetic community of artists, architects, designers, writers, curators, and scholars. The College offers 32 programs in four core disciplines: architecture, fine arts, design, and humanities and sciences. CCA enrolls approximately 1,325 undergraduate and 375 graduate degree-seeking students, employs more than 400 faculty and 250 staff, and boasts more than 23,000 alumni. With a progressive past and an innovative present, the Bay Area is at the center of the global creative economy. CCA’s location and its social and cultural mission attract luminaries and activists. Close ties to Silicon Valley, the Bay Area, and ongoing exchanges with the Pacific Rim and Latin America make CCA a center of creative engagement with the future.

CCA has ambitious and bold plans for the years ahead, transforming the College to support different modes of learning and making, and also to strengthen its connection with the surrounding community. The transition to a unified single San Francisco campus is well underway, with the third of three new student housing projects completed in Fall 2020. An academic expansion on an adjacent 2.4-acre piece of land has been designed by award winning architect Jeanne Gang and is set to start construction soon. The Oakland campus that the College will be leaving is in the entitlement process with development partners Emerald Fund and Equity Community Builders with the goal of providing housing and arts uses as a legacy project. In addition, CCA has successfully launched a capital campaign to support the campus unification effort and is poised to enter the public phase.

CCA’s first VP of DEIB will lead and inform the strategic discussion advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging across the institution. Working closely with the President and other key college leaders, the VP will guide, assess, and institutionalize policies and practices that encourage belonging, equity, and access as a means of enhancing and improving the College’s cultural climate. This forward-looking leader will provide vision around the alignment of initiatives and build a sense of shared accountability to this work, empowering others to implement meaningful and impactful change while fostering a culture of trust, transparency, and openness.

In support of CCA’s important mission and goals, the successful Vice President will embrace and address the following opportunities and challenges:

• Articulate a vision for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at CCA and set a collaborative college agenda for campus-wide impact
• Execute a multi-year strategic plan to bolster DEIB as a core value of the College
• Serve as an integral member of the President’s Senior Cabinet and college leadership team
• Relaunch the Center for Art and Public Life as a nexus for DEIB and a vital intellectual and community hub on CCA’s campus
• Advocate for, expand, and leverage resources in support of DEIB efforts
• Grow external and community relationships across the Bay Area and beyond

CCA has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in this search. Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website for the search: http://www.imsearch.com/8017. Applications consisting of a cover letter and CV should be submitted through the CCA website.

Regan Gough, Karen Avery, Ludi Chow, and Ebony Breaux

Isaacson, Miller

1000 Sansome Street, Suite 300

San Francisco, CA  94111

Phone: 415.655.4900

As an educational and cultural institution, California College of the Arts has a responsibility to provide access and opportunities for all people, with special attention to supporting groups historically underrepresented in higher education. We believe that a culturally diverse campus is integral to academic excellence, and our student, faculty, staff, and trustee bodies should reflect the diverse world in which we live, with attention to race, ethnicity, religious creed, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and ability. California College of the Arts is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from individuals who will contribute to its diversity.