LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
Dear Friends and Educators:
Tim Allen, the Executive Director of the Carlston Family Foundation, will be retiring in the second half of 2021. We are deeply appreciative of his extraordinary service, passion for our mission, and dedication to the organization over the past fourteen years. It is because of his commitment, tireless work ethic, that the foundation has grown and its vision expanded.
Stepping into Tim’s shoes will not be easy, and so we are asking for help in identifying qualified individuals who would be potential candidates. The job itself has expanded over the years and has been altered for the future. The most significant change is the fundraising dimension. Last year, the Carlston Family Foundation Board commenced the process of converting the foundation from a private entity and spend down organization to a public charity. This means the new Executive Director will not only be responsible for the Annual Awards Program, the Symposia, the annual Teacher Leadership Academiy and our expanding teacher mentoring efforts, but will also, with the board’s assistance, be responsible for putting the organization on a sound financial footing through fundraising and grant writing to cover the costs of our expansive programs and increasing numbers of honorees.
If you know anyone you believe would be an outstanding candidate or a reliable source of candidates, please contact the head of the search committee, Doug Carlston, at the email or numbers provided below. To facilitate a smooth transition and allow for crosstraining, we’d like to have the new Executive Director hired well before Tim’s retirement.
Thank you for your help now and over the years.
Best,
Kathy J. Williams, Chair
Tim Allen, the Executive Director of the Carlston Family Foundation, will be retiring in the second half of 2021. We are deeply appreciative of his extraordinary service, passion for our mission, and dedication to the organization over the past fourteen years. It is because of his commitment, tireless work ethic, that the foundation has grown and its vision expanded.
Stepping into Tim’s shoes will not be easy, and so we are asking for help in identifying qualified individuals who would be potential candidates. The job itself has expanded over the years and has been altered for the future. The most significant change is the fundraising dimension. Last year, the Carlston Family Foundation Board commenced the process of converting the foundation from a private entity and spend down organization to a public charity. This means the new Executive Director will not only be responsible for the Annual Awards Program, the Symposia, the annual Teacher Leadership Academiy and our expanding teacher mentoring efforts, but will also, with the board’s assistance, be responsible for putting the organization on a sound financial footing through fundraising and grant writing to cover the costs of our expansive programs and increasing numbers of honorees.
If you know anyone you believe would be an outstanding candidate or a reliable source of candidates, please contact the head of the search committee, Doug Carlston, at the email or numbers provided below. To facilitate a smooth transition and allow for crosstraining, we’d like to have the new Executive Director hired well before Tim’s retirement.
Thank you for your help now and over the years.
Best,
Kathy J. Williams, Chair
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SEARCH
START DATE: SUMMER/FALL 2021
The Carlston Family Foundation is soliciting applications for the post of Executive Director of the Foundation from qualified applicants for the position, responsibilities beginning in the summer of 2021. The Carlston Family Foundation identifies, honors, supports and gives voice to outstanding California public high school teachers whose dedication and pedagogical excellence contribute to the academic and social/emotional success of their students, especially those whose economic, familial or social circumstances might otherwise hinder
such success.
The Foundation was formed in 1987 by the founders of Broderbund Software, an educational software company located in San Rafael, California. The current mission is to honor outstanding California public school secondary teachers, working in some of the state’s most difficult educational environments, who have had a life changing impact on their former students, hundreds of whom are interviewed by the Foundation each year in its search for the most impactful teachers. What began as a simple acknowledgement ceremony has grown to 80+ strong honorees who have built their membership into a treasured resource for camaraderie, renewal, inspiration and stewardship.They are now training, mentoring and bringing more public high school teachers into the fold of dedicated, resourceful master teachers. The Foundation has hosted over 18 annual honoree awards dinners to date. Through the ingenuity and enthusiasm of those former honorees, they have envisioned and implemented programs, educational symposia, early teacher trainings, mentorships and a teacher leadership academy, in expanding the Foundation’s ability to fulfill its mission.
The Foundation was funded by an annual contribution of a portion of Broderbund’s profits. As the number of awards granted, honorees increased and activities expanded over the past 21 years, the corpus of the initial foundation funds are gradually being spent down, as intended. In 2018, the Chair estimated that the Foundation had sufficient funds to continue for eight more years. The Chair and board members met with former honorees at that point to discuss strategies for using the remaining funds most effectively. The Honorees were aghast at the possibility of the Foundation disappearing in the next decade and overwhelmingly urged the board to reconsider its decision to wind up its affairs when its funds were exhausted. They persuaded the Board to try to change the CFF from a private foundation to a public, perpetual one, and to raise sufficient money to achieve sustainability. The former honorees further stated their willingness to contribute time, effort and their considerable expertise to assist the Board in this effort.
The Carlston Family Foundation is soliciting applications for the post of Executive Director of the Foundation from qualified applicants for the position, responsibilities beginning in the summer of 2021. The Carlston Family Foundation identifies, honors, supports and gives voice to outstanding California public high school teachers whose dedication and pedagogical excellence contribute to the academic and social/emotional success of their students, especially those whose economic, familial or social circumstances might otherwise hinder
such success.
The Foundation was formed in 1987 by the founders of Broderbund Software, an educational software company located in San Rafael, California. The current mission is to honor outstanding California public school secondary teachers, working in some of the state’s most difficult educational environments, who have had a life changing impact on their former students, hundreds of whom are interviewed by the Foundation each year in its search for the most impactful teachers. What began as a simple acknowledgement ceremony has grown to 80+ strong honorees who have built their membership into a treasured resource for camaraderie, renewal, inspiration and stewardship.They are now training, mentoring and bringing more public high school teachers into the fold of dedicated, resourceful master teachers. The Foundation has hosted over 18 annual honoree awards dinners to date. Through the ingenuity and enthusiasm of those former honorees, they have envisioned and implemented programs, educational symposia, early teacher trainings, mentorships and a teacher leadership academy, in expanding the Foundation’s ability to fulfill its mission.
The Foundation was funded by an annual contribution of a portion of Broderbund’s profits. As the number of awards granted, honorees increased and activities expanded over the past 21 years, the corpus of the initial foundation funds are gradually being spent down, as intended. In 2018, the Chair estimated that the Foundation had sufficient funds to continue for eight more years. The Chair and board members met with former honorees at that point to discuss strategies for using the remaining funds most effectively. The Honorees were aghast at the possibility of the Foundation disappearing in the next decade and overwhelmingly urged the board to reconsider its decision to wind up its affairs when its funds were exhausted. They persuaded the Board to try to change the CFF from a private foundation to a public, perpetual one, and to raise sufficient money to achieve sustainability. The former honorees further stated their willingness to contribute time, effort and their considerable expertise to assist the Board in this effort.
OVERVIEW OF THE CARLSTON FAMILY FOUNDATON
The Awards Program: The Carlston Family Foundation endeavors to recognize and reward outstanding educators who have an extraordinary, life-changing impact on their students by helping them achieve academic and career success far beyond their family’s and community’s expectations of them. The Foundation annually allocates financial awards and grants to selected public high school teachers and their schools, honoring them at an annual dinner attended by their former students, school officials, state education authorities, and former honorees. (In addition to the awards and grants, the Foundation covers the costs of transportation, hotel accommodations and other expenses for the Honorees and their immediate supporting family.)
The Honorees’ Symposium: The Foundation also sponsors an annual educational symposium during the awards weekend, planned and presented by Foundation honorees and built upon their perceived professional needs. Over the past seventeen years, the Foundation has selected 86 teachers to honor at its annual awards dinner and ceremony, held each fall in Marin County, California. All past honorees are invited to attend the symposium and awards dinner for new honorees.
The Teacher Leadership Academy: The Foundation honorees are a special and exceptional breed of teachers. At the annual Honoree Symposium in 2015, the honorees expressed interest in taking a more pro-active approach toward addressing some of the concerns they had been talking about amongst themselves, such as issues related to improving teacher preparation programs and reducing the attrition rate of early-career teachers, over half of whom leave the profession within their first five years of teaching. They determined to reciprocate the generosity of the Foundation in their own unique way – by paying it forward to their successors in the profession. Since then, the honorees have established two new honoree-driven and Foundation-supported initiatives to focus specifically on retaining early career teachers and improving classroom instruction: a summer Teacher Leadership Academy and a year-round “Teachers Mentoring Teachers” program, both for early-career teachers.
The Teachers Mentoring Teachers Program: Essential to the ongoing impact of the Teacher Leadership Academy is the teacher mentoring program. The mentoring program provides experienced mentors for early-career participants and is able to build a supportive community for every Academy participant. Foundation honorees and early-career participants are paired by subject-matter expertise and conduct monthly Zoom conferences. Additionally, the Academy program supports on-going monthly professional development Zoom webinars presented by Foundation honorees on topics such as classroom management, interactions with parents, and assessment tools.
The Honorees’ Symposium: The Foundation also sponsors an annual educational symposium during the awards weekend, planned and presented by Foundation honorees and built upon their perceived professional needs. Over the past seventeen years, the Foundation has selected 86 teachers to honor at its annual awards dinner and ceremony, held each fall in Marin County, California. All past honorees are invited to attend the symposium and awards dinner for new honorees.
The Teacher Leadership Academy: The Foundation honorees are a special and exceptional breed of teachers. At the annual Honoree Symposium in 2015, the honorees expressed interest in taking a more pro-active approach toward addressing some of the concerns they had been talking about amongst themselves, such as issues related to improving teacher preparation programs and reducing the attrition rate of early-career teachers, over half of whom leave the profession within their first five years of teaching. They determined to reciprocate the generosity of the Foundation in their own unique way – by paying it forward to their successors in the profession. Since then, the honorees have established two new honoree-driven and Foundation-supported initiatives to focus specifically on retaining early career teachers and improving classroom instruction: a summer Teacher Leadership Academy and a year-round “Teachers Mentoring Teachers” program, both for early-career teachers.
The Teachers Mentoring Teachers Program: Essential to the ongoing impact of the Teacher Leadership Academy is the teacher mentoring program. The mentoring program provides experienced mentors for early-career participants and is able to build a supportive community for every Academy participant. Foundation honorees and early-career participants are paired by subject-matter expertise and conduct monthly Zoom conferences. Additionally, the Academy program supports on-going monthly professional development Zoom webinars presented by Foundation honorees on topics such as classroom management, interactions with parents, and assessment tools.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The Executive Director of the Foundation is responsible for the following:
- Prioritize the daily operations of the organization and ensure its overall successful long-term operations
- Assure that the organization continues to translate its mission into relevant and targeted actions for programmatic impact
- Develop contacts with academically outstanding California public school graduates from disadvantaged schools and interview them on the causes of their academic success.
- Develop detailed written dossiers for top potential candidates for awards, based on recommendations from former students.
- Provide leadership in developing program, organizational, and financial plans
- Plan, manage, and oversee the organization’s financial sustainability by leading the organization’s grant procurement, donor solicitations, planned giving program, corporate sponsorships and endowment campaigns, leveraging the Board as needed.
- Provide proper fiscal policies and record-keeping and regular reporting
- Lead, manage, and guide the organization to attain continued growth, success, and optimal mission impact for its award programs, banquets, symposia and the Teacher Leadership Academy, and conferences as developed
- Establish goals, objectives, and operational plans in collaboration with the Board of Directors, applying innovative thinking and performance measurements to analyze performance
- Communicate effectively with the Board by providing members with all information necessary to continually function properly and make informed decisions in a timely and accurate manner
- Effectively represent the organization and promote a compelling organizational brand to ensure outstanding community representation and build relevant partnerships with educational institutions, corporate and civic organizations
- Assist in the development of a three-year strategic plan and drive its implementation
- Perform general management duties, including ensuring the effective usage of the CFF website, to ensure the successful operations of CFF • Create criteria to measure the success of CFF programs and activities
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
The ideal candidate for this role embraces a thoughtful approach to day-to-day operational management, strategic planning, and organizational leadership. The qualified candidate should bring:
- At least seven years of prior executive experience in public education and organizational leadership
- At least five years of experience in teaching and educational administrative work that demonstrates a substantive knowledge of CFF’s stakeholders, including students, high school teachers and administrators and educational institutions involved in teacher education and development
- Proven track record of growing organizational capacity and programmatic impact
- Demonstrated ability to plan, convene and lead meetings, seminars, symposia and/or conferences
- Proven ability in fiscal management and preparing the annual budget for Board approval
- Ability to review current organizational programs/structures and make recommendations that empower programmatic refinements
- Capacity to excel at influencing and leading an organization towards sustainable growth
- Demonstrated cultural competency and ability to inclusively interact with all stakeholders
- Knowledge of how to foster an environment of accountability, healthy work relationships and partnerships, and inclusivity among the organization’s stakeholders in order to maintain a positive and collaborative work environment
- Experience in creating and establishing clear, measurable goals and objectives
- Outstanding communication skills and ability to work well with media, staff, and the community including facility with Zoom and other virtual conferencing tools
TO APPLY
For immediate consideration please send your resume, cover letter, and salary requirements to the following email address: KEJOINTL@comcast.net c/o Carlston Family Foundation. This full-time permanent position is for employment beginning no later than the summer of 2021, with an opportunity for a training overlap period with the retiring Executive Director through the fall of 2021. The review of applications will begin immediately and continue on a confidential basis until an appointment is made. Compensation will be commensurate with candidate’s skills and experience and the responsibilities of the position.
The Carlston Family Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages diversity and equity in all facets of the organization’s work. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other protected class
The Carlston Family Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages diversity and equity in all facets of the organization’s work. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other protected class