JOB: The Renaissance Society of America. Executive Director Search.
Founded in 1954, the Renaissance Society of America, or RSA, is an organization of scholars studying the Renaissance or Early Modern period. Composed originally of scholars from North America, the Society finds itself welcoming scholars in increasing numbers from Europe and the rest of the world. Its members primarily teach in colleges and universities or are studying for advanced degrees, but they also work in museums, libraries, research institutes and other cultural institutions, or pursue their interest in Renaissance studies as emeritus or independent scholars.
The sub-disciplines represented by the RSA include the Americas in the Early Modern Period, Art and Architecture, Book History, the Classical Tradition, Hebraica, History, Humanism, Legal and Political Thought, Medicine and Science, Music, Performing Arts and Theater, Philosophy, Religion, Rhetoric, Women and Gender, as well as English, French, Germanic, Italian, Spanish and neo-Latin Literatures and Comparative Literature. This year Digital Humanities and Islamic World were added to accommodate widespread interest in these fields. An atmosphere of intellectual and geographical openness has contributed to the rapid growth of the Society over the past decade, and it now numbers slightly over five thousand members.
For the first fifty years of its existence, the RSA relied on an Executive Director who maintained his or her university position, combining teaching, publishing and running the affairs of the Society. Once the threshold of five thousand members was passed, however, the Board decided it was time to engage an Executive Director dedicated entirely to the task. The Executive Director will serve as a member of the Executive Board and will work with the Board and the office staff to administer existing programs and implement new ones.
The Executive Director prepares the Society’s annual budget, subject to Board approval, and oversees the finances of the Society. He or she collaborates with the Board in strategic planning. The fund-raising role of the Executive Director will grow in coming years, and thus will have to have the skills to communicate to the world of donors and institutional funders the importance of the Society’s mission.
One of the most important duties of the Executive Director is the annual meeting. Sites for the meeting are chosen by vote of the Board. The Executive Director, working with the staff and various consultants, contracts for the required hotel, meeting, and reception spaces, and insures the smooth running of the meeting. Sites for five future meetings have already been determined: Berlin (2015), Boston (2016), Chicago (2017), New Orleans (2108), and San Juan (2019).
Qualifications: Interest at a high level in Renaissance studies and an advanced degree, preferably a doctorate, in one of its specialties. A sense of leadership and vision within realistic parameters. Management skills in running a small, dedicated staff in the service of a large, highly diverse membership. Skills in information technology, and a personality adept at communication at all levels.
Deadline for applications: 28 December 2014.
Source: H-ArtHist