What are the responsibilities and job description for the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - MARK TWAIN HOUSE AND MUSEUM position at Korn Ferry Executive Search?

About the Mark Twain House & Museum

The Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, was the home of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) and his family from 1874 to 1891. It was here that Twain wrote many of his famous works, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.

The house later served as a school, apartment building, and public library branch. In 1929, it was saved from demolition and became the Mark Twain Memorial. Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1962, the house opened as a museum in 1974 after restoration. In 1999, the museum began a capital campaign that led to the opening of the museum center in 2003, by which time the organization had been renamed The Mark Twain House & Museum. The new structure, strategically located and nestled in a hillside so as not to detract from the Mark Twain House, was designed by Robert A. M. Stern and was the first LEED-certified green museum in the United States.

The 2010 Centennial of Mark Twain's death was an occasion for a revival of activities in the house and museum. During that summer, as average museum attendance declined in the region, attendance at the Mark Twain House & Museum reached record levels. In 2021 Forbes magazine selected the MTHM as America's Best House Museum, National Geographic said it was one of the ten best historic homes in the world.

Today, the museum continues to receive local, national, and international visitors and promote education around Mark Twain's legacy and literacy everywhere.

Mission, Vision, and Values

We bring Mark Twain's words, spirit, and philosophy to diverse contemporary audiences.

During his life, Mark Twain was, for people in this country and around the world, the quintessential American. He was also one of the great humanists of the 19th and early 20th centuries whose humor, keen insight, and observations about the human condition were progressive in his own time and remain remarkably fresh today. The Mark Twain House & Museum is a center for critical discussions about literature, current events, satire, and society. From this house, Mark Twain changed the way the world sees America and the way Americans see themselves. We continue the conversation he began.

Informed by our mission and vision, we believe that everything we do and every decision we make should be informed and guided by what really matters to us :

Our mission is central. Stewarding and projecting Twain's life, legacy, his family, and his historic family home guides our focus and work.
We strive for greater diversity. Diversity, in all of its meanings, is the strength of our nation, a fact that is reflected in Twain's work and his thinking as a progressive figure in his own time. The roots of his progressive thinking are still a model in the 21st century. We seek diversity in our governance, our staff, our programming, and reaching a diverse audience is a prime motivator.
As a National Landmark property, we strive to preserve our historic structures and collections to the highest professional standards to make them available as an educational resource for generations yet to come.
Through our programs and exhibitions, we strive to be a center for critical discussions about literature, current, events, and society.

Strategic Priorities

Advance the organization into a more nationally and internationally recognizable entity through its programming, exhibitions, American Voice Award, and tours.

Increase financial sustainability through stable streams of earned and donated revenue.

Further enhance the professionalism and excellence with which the museum approaches all phases of its operation and contributions to its communities.

Become a more data driven organization, placing evaluation of our offerings and understanding of our audiences at the center of our work.

Build on this knowledge and our purpose to connect with audiences, cultivate donors and develop stable streams of earned and donated revenue.

Utilize this knowledge to develop interpretation, education, and curatorial plans that will result in nationally and internationally recognized programming, exhibitions, and tours.

Purpose of the Position

The Executive Director (ED) is responsible for strategic, visionary leadership of the organization and ensuring effective operations. The ED will collaborate with the Board of Trustees to articulate the vision and strategic direction of the organization, and execution of strategic initiatives. In addition, the Ed responsibilities include, but are not limited to, employee supervision, external relations, stakeholder engagement, risk management, and overall supervision of museum activities and operations, including collections, education, scholarship, public programs, and the museum store.

The ED serves as the Museum's public face and spokesperson and must be visible and proactive in the community. The ED is responsible for reaching annual development goals (as determined by the Board with input from the ED) and works closely with the Board and the staff to cultivate new and established donors and to continue to grow productive partnerships with business, cultural, governmental and academic entities. Leading a talented team of 22 full-time employees and 45 part-time employees, the ED has the authority and responsibility for the museum's budget, and its physical and human resources.

Key Responsibilities

The Mark Twain House & Museum seeks an executive with the passion, skills, and qualifications to successfully lead the organization through its next phase of development and impact. This is an incredible time in the institution's history to capitalize on an established brand with ample potential to further build, engage, and create significant impact.

The ED will be a visionary and dynamic leader who values and promotes MTHM's rich history and mission and who can leverage their people management, relationship building, and strategic fundraising skills for the benefit of the organization. The ED will assume ultimate responsibility for the leadership, vision, strategy execution, and overall management of the Mark Twain House & Museum, as well as its operating budget. The new executive leader will have an opportunity to shape a new strategic plan in 2025 in partnership with board, staff, and stakeholders. The ED must have demonstrated experience with and passion for mission-centered programming, community engagement (regional, national and international), financial and budget acumen with museum and / or historic building operations and fundraising leadership experience. There is a need for comfort within change management and a decisive style to be able to prioritize multiple project timelines. Specific responsibilities will include, but not be limited to the following :

Executive Leadership and Strategic Vision

Serve as a visionary to guide and oversee the organization's mission and principles in partnership with the Board of Trustees.

Direct and manage the timely planning, development, and execution of all museum operations and programs, including the development and implementation of collection management strategies, goals and objectives, and the policies and procedures necessary to achieve these goals.

Represent the museum as a thought leader and advocate for arts, culture, and heritage on a local, national, and international level.

Continue to acquire professional knowledge of current developments in the museum world by attending seminars, workshops, or professional meetings, and by conducting research. Share this knowledge as a coach and mentor to the team.

Serve as role model for all, leading, mentoring, inspiring and managing museum staff, fostering a positive, inclusive work environment and encourage employees to live up to their potential and optimize their productivity.

Operations and Financial Management

Actively participate in the development of financial and strategic plans for all areas of responsibility and the administration of those plans.

Collaborate with senior staff and the Board in the formulation, enforcement, and transparency of policies of the museum.

Create the proposed organization annual budget in partnership with all department heads for the approval and adoption by the Board of Trustees.

Oversee the operations of the organization to meet business goals and projections.

Share a strong analytical and data-driven mindset that translates into leadership skills for the staff.

Execute the financial strategy of the organization.

Manage financial controls and accounting procedures.

Ensure transparency regarding the financial performance of the MTHM.

Effectively and clearly communicate potential risks in a timely manner to the Board.

Propose action plans to ensure that annual financial objectives are attained.

Prepare monthly and annual financial reports and maintain compliance with all agencies.

Manage the annual financial audit.

Board Engagement

Develop a strong positive working relationship with Board of Trustees to foster Board member participation and engagement in various aspects of the museum's operations, goals and objectives.

Ensure the board has a holistic and accurate understanding of the organization's performance, strengths, challenges, and opportunities.

Work collaboratively with the Board Chair to set and implement the Board of Trustees' governance, policies, and bylaws.

Ensure transparency and communicate regularly with the Board around all key governance issues, including financial oversight and board recruitment and development. Provide the board with the appropriate level of timely information and context to make well-informed decisions.

Keep the Board informed of the organization's progress, activities, and challenges, providing accurate monthly reports and annual budget to the Board.

External Relations and Resource Development

Actively work to identify and build strong relationships and partnerships with the diverse communities we serve. The ED will strengthen their voices and thoughtfully respond to their needs with special emphasis on the neighborhood.

Cultivate relationships with colleagues and peers in the arts, culture, and heritage community.

Serve as the public face and official spokesperson of MTHM. Assure proper representation of the organization in front of all audiences and effectively convey the mission and history of the organization.

Serve as the organization's chief fundraiser; engage potential donors in the organization's strategic vision and direction; expand partnerships with corporate philanthropy; and develop unique revenue generating opportunities to grow and diversify MTHM's funding sources.

Develop a sound strategy for diversifying and expanding the organization's funding base and set aggressive development goals to increase public financial support and corporate funding.

Professional Qualifications

The successful candidate will bring passion and enthusiasm for the MTHM's mission and have comparable executive leadership experience in an organization of similar or larger size and complexity. They will be a very strong culture builder, stellar communicator, strategic thinker, and a proven leader who will articulate a vision that others embrace and follow. Other desired qualifications and leadership characteristics include :

15-20 years of experience in the museum or preservation fields with a minimum of 7-10 years of non-profit management experience.

An excellent working understanding of non-profit business finance and practice and excellent budgeting skills.

Track record of successful cultivation and stewardship of major donors and foundations.

A thorough knowledge of the museum field and a demonstrated knowledge of the highest level of individual professional practices.

Strong background in historic preservation and knowledge of historic building systems and practices preferred.

An understanding of one or more of the areas of American history, material culture, vernacular architecture, or American literature preferred.

Ability to promote opportunities for engagement to wide-ranging constituents and the capacity to be a visionary leader who can motivate, inspire, and enlist partners, both external and internal.

Strong interpersonal skills and experience in working with non-profit governance.

Strong personnel management skills and a proven record of accomplishment of excellence in personnel management.

Demonstrated organizational skills.

Demonstrated project management skills.

An ability to recognize good ideas from within or without the organization and develop them into viable assets for the Museum.

Superlative verbal and written communication skills.

Ability to regularly climb stairs and access all areas of the historic property, bend, twist and lift weights up to fifty pounds.

Additional Information

The ED is expected to be present on site regularly with a schedule that meets business needs and the successful performance of job responsibilities.

The ED is expected to attend events and programs and be present at community events, which may include regular evenings and weekends.

The ED must have the ability to work successfully with all people in contact with the organization without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, national origins, or disabilities.

Education

A master's degree, doctorate preferred, in history, museum studies, preservation, art history, or a related field.

Compensation

Compensation and benefits will be competitive and commensurate with experience.

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