Ursuline Academy is a four-year college-preparatory independent Catholic high school for young women founded by the Ursuline Sisters of Brown County, Ohio in 1896. In the Catholic tradition of Ursuline education, the mission of Ursuline Academy is to prepare the young woman for college and beyond by nurturing her soul, intellect, heart, and imagination.

President of Ursuline Academy

The Board of Trustees of Ursuline Academy of Cincinnati seeks a qualified individual to fill the position of President. Ursuline Academy is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory secondary school for young women, founded by the Ursulines Sisters of Brown County, Ohio in 1896.

The President Shall:

• Promote Ursuline’s mission
• Report to the Board of Trustees
• Safeguard and nurture its values and policies
• Oversee its programs and results
• Recruit, supervise and motivate its faculty and staff
• Ensure that there are adequate resources to fulfill the school’s purposes and priorities into the future
• Perform other responsibilities as assigned by the Board of Trustees

Key Responsibilities

MISSION AND VALUES (ONGOING)

• Actively protects and promotes the Legacy of the Ursulines of Brown County
• Ensures that the Catholic and Ursuline identities of the Academy are developed, nurtured and kept visible both internally and externally
• Builds consensus about integrating a lived commitment to Ursuline’s belief statements into all aspects of Ursuline Academy

ADVANCEMENT (40% of Time)

• Strengthens ongoing support for a fiscally viable Ursuline Academy, both present and future,through recruitment programs, alumnae and volunteer engagement, and development events and campaigns
• Actively develops and maintains relationships with key constituencies to build major gifts, endowment, scholarships, and planned giving for the Academy
• Participates in the identification, cultivation and solicitation of donors and benefactors, especially those with the potential for major gifts
• Ensures the advancement and implementation of a marketing plan for the Academy
• Monitors the overall enrollment management plan and program including student recruitment, admissions and retention activities

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT and OVERSIGHT (30% of Time)

Human Resources

• Develops and implements a staffing plan and structure that will ensure that the purposes of the school can be achieved
• Ensures that supervision strategies for all co-workers are timely, motivating, open to developing new skills and learning, and include the celebration of successes and accomplishments
• Approves the employment and dismissal of all co-workers, in keeping with Ursuline’s core values, civil law, and best practices regarding screening, fairness, and protection of children
• Directly supervises the Principal, the Director of Development, the Director of Communications, the Director of Finance and Operations and the Assistant to the President
• Is actively involved in the recruitment of volunteers

Financial

• Ensures the maintenance of sound financial practices and systems consistent with the mission and standards for non-profit institutions
• Recommends the annual budget to the Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees. Advocates for financial aid for students and fair salaries for co-workers
• Monitors the financials of the school on a monthly basis to achieve the annual budget
• Serves as a non-voting member of the Ursuline Foundation Board of Trustees to monitor the investment portfolio and plan for its use and growth

Physical Plant

• Ensures that the physical plant is safe and secure for all who use it
• Advocates for resources for the upkeep, renovation and expansion of the physical plant
• Actively participates in the development and implementation of a Master Plan

Programs

• Ensures that academic programs, financial aid programs, student services, student activities, and athletic programs are faithful to the mission and purposes of the school, demonstrate excellence, foster the development of the whole person, and are effective in reaching the intended results

COMMUNICATION (30% of Time)

• Is the official representative of Ursuline Academy to the external public, including the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, legal counsel, networking groups, and accrediting bodies
• Ensures that the external image of the school in the local community is both positive and rooted in the school’s mission and values
• Serves as the primary agent of communication within the school, between the school and the Board of Trustees, various constituencies and the public
• Engages an administrative team that collaborates in making sure there is effective two-way communication with all constituencies associated with the school
• Supports the Board of Trustees in its communication role with various constituencies

PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT (ONGOING)

• Assists the Board of Trustees in its planning for the future
• Recommends policies to the Board of Trustees as may be needed in any area of school life, governance and administration. Implements such policies, once approved
• Coordinates a participative planning process for faculty and staff that is agile, goal-driven, aligned, and responsive to changing realities and emerging opportunities and monitors its implementation and renewal
• Models a commitment to ongoing personal and professional development and life-long learning

Qualifications and Experience Needed:

1. Is a practicing Catholic
2. At least a master’s degree
3. At least five years of leadership experience including P & L accountability; meaningful experience hiring, supervising, developing and motivating staff; a minimum of five years in teaching or educational administration with one of these in a Catholic environment
4. A proven track record of personal-relationship-driven philanthropy experience
5. Board experience
6. A history of volunteer service

Qualities, Skills and Abilities Needed:

1. A passion for the secondary education of college-bound young women
2. Superior interpersonal, communication, public speaking, planning and problem-solving skills
3. An appreciation for diversity
4. An appreciation for the individual person as evidenced in a welcoming stance toward all persons, no matter their age, faith tradition, gender identification, ethnicity, race, nationality, family composition
5. An appreciation for the potential of each student as well as the contributions of each member of the staff, faculty and board
6. A genuine love for people and a desire to help them be the best they can be
7. A strategic mindset and the ability to motivate people to achieve goals and accomplish great things
8. A willingness to listen, learn and change one’s mind with patience and flexibility.
9. Sound judgment and self-confidence
10. A healthy balance between optimism and realism
11. The energy, capacity and commitment needed to fulfill the demands of the position
12. An understanding of the Legacy of the Ursulines of Brown County and a commitment to participate in its ongoing fulfillment

A cover letter summarizing interest and qualifications and a complete resume should be sent to presidentsearch@ursulineacademy.org.