The Executive Director of the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership (ACSJL) will serve as a relational and strategic leader responsible for guiding the Center’s vision, strengthening its role within Kalamazoo College, and deepening its impact in the broader community. Central to the role is the need to clearly operationalize the Center’s purpose and approach to social justice leadership, and translate that vision into accessible, mission-driven programs and partnerships.
The Executive Director will be charged with building trust and cultivating meaningful relationships across students, faculty, staff, and community partners, ensuring the Center operates as a collaborative hub for all. A key responsibility will be increasing engagement with the ACSJL by making its physical and intellectual spaces welcoming, visible, and relevant to diverse audiences, including those new to social justice leadership work.
The role also requires balancing internal institutional priorities with external community partnerships, positioning the Center as both a campus resource and a driver of community-informed change. Operational leadership is equally important, including overseeing staff, strengthening systems and processes, and ensuring effective program implementation and evaluation. The Executive Director will work to foster an inclusive environment that invites participation across differences, while centering the development of social justice leaders at all stages.
The next Executive Director will have a significant opportunity to bring greater clarity, cohesion, and visibility to the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership by articulating a compelling vision, purpose, and definition of social justice that can guide its work across campus and community contexts. This includes translating the Center’s values into a clear framework that aligns programs, partnerships, and institutional priorities while making its impact easier to communicate. Equally important will be rebuilding trust and strengthening relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community partners through transparency, accountability, and sustained collaboration rooted in mutual respect.
They can also expand engagement by making the Center a more accessible, vibrant, and consistently used hub for people at different stages of social justice learning, with clear entry points, inclusive programming, and fuller activation of its physical space. As the Center sits at the intersection of the college and the surrounding community, the Executive Director will need to balance institutional integration with meaningful community impact, positioning the ACSJL as both an asset to the college’s educational mission and a catalyst for dialogue, learning, and systems change. Across all of this work, there is an opportunity to advance inclusion, belonging, and broad participation through a “big tent” approach that welcomes diverse perspectives and levels of experience while continuing to center those most affected by injustice.
A bachelor’s degree is required, and master’s or other advanced degree is preferred. A demonstrated record of success within higher education or similarly complex institutions is expected, and a deep, demonstrated commitment to and appreciation for the transformative power of liberal arts education is expected. This is a full-time position that will be performed on site in Michigan. Salary commensurate with experience, with a generous benefits package.
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