Chief Executive Officer

VisArts

Status: Full-time, exempt employee 

Salary: $140,000-$160,000

Location: Rockville, MD

Deadline: Best consideration by February 14, 2025. Resume reviews begin immediately.

About VisArts 

VisArts is a nonprofit arts hub and incubator located in Rockville, Maryland. Founded in 1987 by a group of artists as a grassroots organization, VisArts is dedicated to transforming individuals and communities through the visual arts. The only organization in the region focused exclusively on the visual arts and the largest employer of visual artists in Montgomery County, VisArts offers a wide range of programs for all ages and abilities.

Through art classes, camps, four contemporary art galleries, artist residencies and fellowships, a supported studio program for artists with disabilities, and community outreach initiatives, VisArts provides children, teens, and adults with opportunities to express themselves, develop their skills, connect with others, and enrich their lives. VisArts also rents several spaces for private and community events. Annually, VisArts serves nearly 32,000 individuals, fostering creativity and community engagement across Montgomery County and beyond. For more information, visit www.visartscenter.org. 

Position Overview

The incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will bring an entrepreneurial approach to the business of running a nonprofit arts center, navigating a competitive funding landscape, balancing the needs of internal and external stakeholders, and creating challenging and responsive public programs. They will understand the unique value VisArts brings to the community and bring a new vision to our potential. The incoming CEO will be an effective spokesperson for VisArts, conveying enthusiasm for art and arts education to different audiences across the region.

The next CEO will inherit an organization with a stable immediate financial position, with a need to build additional financial reserves. To secure VisArts’ long-term financial foundation, they will be an agile and eager fundraiser with an eye toward growing our base of donors, partners, and students. The CEO will have experience serving in a senior-level leadership role, including managing people and teams, advancing organizational culture, holding accountability, and an understanding of nonprofit business models.

Specific areas of responsibility include:

Strategy, Vision, and Leadership 

• Enthusiastically set strategic direction for VisArts’ mission, vision, and goals in collaboration with the Board of Directors, staff, and stakeholders. 
• Implement the organization’s current strategic plan, including setting annual goals for revenue generation and aligning staff capacity to strategic goals. 
• Lead a collaborative strategic planning process that looks past 2025, exploring scenarios for organizational and programmatic growth.
• Foster a culture of care, mentorship, transparency, and effective internal communication.
• Work with program directors to oversee the development and implementation of programs and services that align with the organization’s mission and goals; evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of programs and services, ensuring they meet the needs of the community.
• Advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility throughout programmatic initiatives, policies, operations, and organizational culture.
• Collaborate with the Board on good governance, including recruiting and onboarding new board members.

Fundraising and Community Partnerships

• In partnership with the Vice President of Development, lead a comprehensive fundraising strategy that includes annual and long-term plans to expand fundraising and earned revenue activities that support existing and new programs, general operations, and long-term financial goals. 
• Serve as the primary spokesperson for VisArts, connecting with groups across the region to grow the organization’s visibility.
• Energetically cultivate relationships with individual, corporate, and institutional funders, including identifying new prospects, engaging lapsed donors, and creating stewardship systems to recognize donors at all levels. 
• In partnership with the Vice President of Development, solicit support from major institutional, corporate, and individual donors; engage the Board in fundraising.
• With the Vice President of Marketing and Communications, advance a messaging and marketing plan that integrates fundraising and programmatic goals.
• Lead the organization to develop relationships and community partnerships that represent the diverse communities in Rockville and Montgomery County.
• Actively engage and energize VisArts’ volunteers, donors, board members, and partners.

Organizational Development and Management

• Oversee day-to-day organizational operations, including finances, human resources, facilities management, and legal compliance.
• Set annual financial goals in partnership with the Board. Provide strategic leadership in maintaining, diversifying, and growing revenue. 
• Oversee budget preparation, manage income including grants and fee-for-service revenue, monitor expenditures, and support long-range budget planning and analysis.
• Advance an internal culture that’s responsive to the needs and assets of diverse perspectives and develop programs and policies to support VisArts’ diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility goals.
• Lead and develop a team of professionals with the skills and expertise to administer programs with a high degree of autonomy, creativity, professionalism, and sustainability.
• Facilitate strong working relationships, clear communications, and effective decision-making.

Experience, Skills, and Qualities

The CEO position will be a challenging and rewarding opportunity that requires a diverse set of skills and experiences. While we understand that no single candidate can possess every qualification listed below, the following are priority areas:

• 7+ years of progressive leadership in nonprofit, public sector, or social enterprise settings, preferably in the arts and including a history of effectively managing a team.
• Passion for the arts and VisArts’ mission of transforming individuals and communities through the visual arts.
• Skilled fundraiser, with an emphasis on developing long-term relationships with individual donors, cultivating major gifts, and securing corporate contributions.
• Proven track record of business acumen, including a working understanding of nonprofit business models, contract negotiations, nonprofit finance, budgeting, marketing, and HR.
• Accomplished manager with a gift for fostering a culture of accountability, high performance, and effective internal communication among staff, volunteers, and the board of directors.
• Successful record of setting vision for, managing, and implementing strategies that scale programs, initiatives, or organizations to a new phase of growth.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in all aspects of the organization’s work.
• Polished and persuasive written and verbal communication skills.
• Comfortable engaging a wide variety of stakeholders in many different settings.
• Demonstrated experience working effectively with a board of directors, including engaging them in fundraising opportunities, participating in board recruitment, and orienting them to organizational culture, programs, and communities.
• Knowledge of and networks in Montgomery County, MD, and the greater D.C. region. 

Compensation & Benefits

The budgeted salary for this role is between $140,000-$160,000, with a benefits package that includes health, insurance, paid time off, retirement plan contributions, parking reimbursement, and class and camp discounts.

Application Process

VisArts has retained the services of Good Insight, a national executive search firm serving nonprofits, to conduct this search. Interested applicants should submit a resume and a detailed cover letter that describes their interest in and qualifications for this role. Upload application materials at www.good-insight.org/careers. Direct confidential inquiries to Kate Dykgraaf and Tej Pikle at VisArts@good-insight.org.

Resume reviews begin immediately. For best consideration, please apply by February 14, 2025. Early applications are encouraged due to the pace of the search.

Location 

VisArts is located in Rockville, MD, in Metro-accessible Rockville Town Center. The work environment is in-person at the office and at venues throughout the region. Some events and programs require evening and weekend hours. 

Equal Employment Opportunity

VisArts is an equal-opportunity employer, and we evaluate applicants regardless of their race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability status, veteran status, or family status.