Executive Director, Shaver's Creek Environmental Center

Executive Director Position At Shaver's Creek Environmental Center

Penn State Outreach is seeking an experienced and visionary Executive Director to lead the Shaver's Creek Environmental Center, a robust University and community resource located within Penn State's 7,000-acre Stone Valley Forest in the heart of central Pennsylvania. The ideal candidate will possess exceptional leadership skills to inspire our team, engage our community, foster discovery, and encourage a culture of innovation and sustainable practices in keeping with the center's mission. The Executive Director ensures the success of educational programming through strategic planning, staff management, financial stability, engaged scholarship, and strong partnerships. Reporting to the Vice President for Outreach, the executive director will be tasked with maintaining high-impact, best-practice programs that meet community needs while upholding safety, sustainability, and excellence in experiential education.

Through hands-on leadership, the executive director is responsible for curating the space and leading a team of professionals who create and support immersive experiences that foster human connection and promote caring and lasting relationships with the natural world. This role involves stewarding partnerships both internally and externally. Internally, the executive director must maintain and enhance connections with Penn State's academic colleges to leverage Shaver's Creek's expertise and unique resources, effectively extending classroom learning. Externally, the executive director collaborates with various groups through strategic alignment of programming to enhance connections to local, regional, and national audiences.

Success in this position requires :

• A passion for experiential education and creating opportunities that leave a lasting impact on a diversity of participants and visitors.
• Innovative leadership and the ability to implement a clear strategic vision for the organization that inspires staff, volunteers, and stakeholders to embrace shared goals that are aligned with Penn State and Penn State Outreach priorities.
• Proven ability to make informed and effective decisions in developing, implementing, and monitoring the scope of services as well as programmatic, course enrollment, staffing, and budgetary elements that are aligned with fiscal goals.
• Strong personnel management experience and skills including a history of success in coaching and developing staff, performance management, building high-functioning teams, and driving positive workplace culture.
• Proven track record as a financially responsible budget manager.

Additional responsibilities of the position include :

Minimum Education, Work Experience & Required Certifications :

Preferred Qualifications :

Additional Information :

The search committee will begin reviewing applications and will continue until the position is filled. This position supports Shaver's Creek Environmental Center, located in Huntingdon County in the Stone Valley Recreation Area, located between State College, PA, and Huntingdon, PA. Due to the hands-on nature of the programming and activities, this position cannot be performed remotely. Although much of the Executive Director's time will be spent in an office and will involve extensive use of computers, the employee in this position may also teach outdoors in all types of weather, during all seasons of the year.

Information about Penn State Outreach and Shaver's Creek : Penn State Outreach is a unit of Penn State dedicated to offering programs and implementing initiatives that amplify the impact of Penn State's land-grant mission. Penn State Outreach seeks to inspire discovery for learners of all ages, prepares Penn State students through ex