Executive Director – Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon
BACKGROUND
The University of Oregon’s art museum opened its doors to the public in 1933. Designed by Ellis F. Lawrence, then dean of Architecture & Allied Arts, the museum was built to house the Murray Warner Collection of Oriental Art—more than 3,700 works of art given to the University of Oregon (UO) by Gertrude Bass Warner. After a major renovation and expansion (from 32,000 to approximately 70,000 square feet), the museum was renamed as the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA) in 2005.
The JSMA is one of the nation’s finest teaching museums and a premier Pacific Northwest visual art center for exhibitions and collections of historic and contemporary art, as well as educational programs. The JSMA collection numbers more than 14,000 objects, including primary collecting areas in Asian art, art of the Americas and Caribbean, and European art, and contains the largest holdings of works on paper by Morris Graves. With approximately 35 employees and 85 student employees, interns, fellows, and volunteers, the museum provides an important teaching, research, and learning laboratory for UO students and faculty, K-12 schools statewide, and the community at large. Each year, over 9,000 students take classes in the museum and more than 50 work in different capacities with JSMA staff.
The only academic art museum in Oregon accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the JSMA features engaging exhibitions, significant collections of historic and contemporary art, and exciting educational programs that support the university’s academic mission and the diverse interests of its off-campus communities. The JSMA’s collections galleries present selections from its extensive holdings of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and American art as well as growing collections of Latin American and European art. Special exhibitions galleries display works from the collection and on loan, representing many cultures of the world, past and present. The JSMA continues a long tradition of bridging international cultures and offers a welcoming destination for discovery and education centered on artistic expression that deepens the appreciation and understanding of the human condition.
University of Oregon
Founded in 1876, the University of Oregon (“UO”) is the state’s flagship institution. It brings together more than 23,800 undergraduate and graduate students from all fifty states and over 91 countries and offers 315 undergraduate and graduate degree programs through its nine academic units. The UO is a comprehensive Carnegie R1 public research university, a member of the Association of American Universities, a member of the Big 10 Athletic Conference, and currently employs nearly 2,100 teaching and research faculty and over 3,800 staff. In Fiscal Year 2024, the UO received $177 million in grants, contracts, and competitive awards.
The UO serves as an integral economic driver for the state, with an estimated $2.6 billion annual economic return to Oregon. The main campus spreads over 295 acres and serves as an arboretum and a tree identification classroom. The total university budget was over $1.6 billion for operations, with an additional $195 million of capital investments completed last fiscal year.
Under President Karl Scholz, the UO is embarking upon a comprehensive strategic plan, “Oregon Rising,” which centers on four core goals: enhancing pathways to timely graduation; becoming a leader in career preparation; creating a flourishing community; and accelerating the University’s impact on the world. With respect to the last goal, the UO has identified four areas of signature scholarship. They are Environmental Resilience, Youth Behavioral and Mental Health, Human Performance and Sport, and Accelerating Innovation and Scientific Impact.
The UO is in the Willamette Valley, with easy access to snow-capped mountains and scenic coastlines. It is only two hours away from Portland, and one hour away from the state capital in Salem. The area enjoys a mild climate. Nicknamed “TrackTown USA,” Eugene is a green-friendly university city that is home to numerous running, biking, and hiking trails, farmer’s markets, and thriving restaurants. While retaining the feel of a modest-sized town, it has the amenities and economic energy that flow from a population of over 230,000 residents between Eugene and the neighboring city of Springfield.
Overview of the Position
Reporting to the Executive Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, the Executive Director of the JSMA provides strategic leadership in all areas of museum development and operations and fosters campus, community, statewide and regional support for the Museum and its mission. The Executive Director will help shape and implement a strong and broad vision that is consistent with the JSMA’s position nationally and in the Pacific Northwest as one of our nation’s foremost academic teaching museums. The Executive Director will manage the staff and resources of the museum to ensure strong, dynamic exhibition and educational programs; appropriate care of the permanent collection consistent with professional best practices; sound fiscal operations; a vibrant fundraising and marketing program; and integration of the museum with the intellectual and academic life of the university and beyond.
JSMA has successfully grown its operation into a thriving world-class institution and a valued resource for faculty and students. It is part of the intellectual community across the campus and integrated into both teaching and research. The Executive Director will build on both the reputation of the museum and its role in the academic mission of the university. The Executive Director will work closely with the Leadership Council, an advisory body which consists of donors, faculty and students. A number of faculty committees also provide the Executive Director with input and support for a variety of activities. The Executive Director will work closely with donors to raise funds for Oregon 150, which will be celebrated in 2026.
Reaccreditation by the American Alliance of Museums will take place within the new Executive Director’s first year as will evaluation of the facilities and potential capital projects. The museum’s budget is $4.5 million and the museum has a healthy endowment.
Minimum Qualifications:
• Advanced degree in an appropriate field.
• Three years as a museum director OR five years in a senior management role within a museum at a major institution
Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience as a museum director in an academic art museum.
• Experience with curatorial and educational/academic programming; membership operations and community engagement; communications and publications.
• Substantial experience representing an institution and its interests with the public, including the press.
• Terminal degree.
• Teaching experience at the university level.
• Significant involvement in national museum organizations.
• Experience with the AAM Accreditation process.
• A strong fundraising track record, including the successful solicitation of significant individual and private gifts, major grants, and an understanding of effective fundraising strategies and planning.
Professional Competencies:
• Ability to act as a dynamic leader who can generate excitement and inspire the museum’s constituencies including the Leadership Council, faculty, students, staff, academic leadership, alumni, community leaders, museum supporters, and the public to support and develop the JSMA.
• Ability to lead an organization through strategic planning and visioning process, and to develop and implement short- and long-term plans for the museum consistent with the mission of the museum and the university.
• Excellent communication skills—both verbal and written.
• Ability to engage the larger community of the museum including effective relationship building, membership programs, and donor relations.
• Proven abilities in resource management, fundraising, leadership, supervisory and problem-solving skills, with clear measures of success.
• Commitment to, and passion for, the visual arts, both past and present.
• Knowledge and understanding of the national visual arts ecology.
Reports to Executive Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
JOB DUTIES
Leadership – 30%
• Provide strategic vision for the museum’s role on campus and in the community.
• Represent the museum and articulate its mission to the campus community, the region, and the nation. Be an advocate for the museum throughout the University.
• Bring a broad vision of the potential inherent in exhibitions, collections, and related programming, and serve as a forceful advocate for the visual arts.
• Work closely with the university community and the museum staff to integrate
the museum’s programs and resources throughout the intellectual and academic life of the university, and to ensure the museum contributes to the academic mission of the university.
• Be fair and even-handed in dealing with staff.
• Provide overall strategy and direction for the exhibition and educational programs, as well as the care and maintenance of the permanent collection.
• Develop and maintain a diversity plan that builds access and inclusion for all museum constituencies.
External Affairs – 30%
• Work closely with the JSMA Leadership Council to meet the strategic objectives of the museum.
• Work with the appropriate university and museum staff to develop and manage
a comprehensive and coordinated marketing and public relations plan that is consistent with university objectives and supports the museum’s objectives.
• Develop strategies to grow and sustain a vibrant membership and annual program.
• Work closely with appropriate university staff to develop and sustain a comprehensive major gift fundraising program.
• Cultivate, solicit and steward major domestic and international donors to support museum objectives.
• Cultivate, solicit and steward major domestic and international artists and art associations to support museum objectives.
Curatorial Vision – 15%
• Provide clear curatorial vision in collaboration with senior museum staff.
• Collaborate with senior staff on the development of a dynamic and exciting exhibition schedule.
• From time to time curate exhibitions and write/edit accompanying publications.
Management and Supervision – 15%
• Supervise staff including a system of hiring, discipline, annual performance evaluation, training and mentoring consistent with university policy and museum objectives.
• Ensure effective deployment of staff resources.
• Ensure development and maintenance of an effective program to recruit and retain appropriate team of volunteers and student employees.
Resource Management – 10%
• Prepare and manage an annual budget that meets the strategic objectives of the museum.
• Ensure appropriate accounting practices are maintained, and regular reporting requirements are met.
• In consultation with the Advancement staff, prepare short and long-term fundraising plans to meet the museum’s objectives.
• Ensure appropriate professional museum standards are maintained in the physical plant, and that the care of the collection meets AAM Accreditation standards.
Downloadable PDF Version of Executive Director Profile | Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
COMPENSATION: The position will offer a competitive salary range of $175,000-$190,000 and a generous benefit package.
START DATE: Summer 2025
PROCEDURE FOR APPLICATION
Diane Frankel of Management Consultant for the Arts (MCA), is the consultant assisting the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art on this search. Interested and qualified applicants are encouraged to submit in complete confidence a cover letter, resume, and four professional references. The cover letter of no more than two pages should describe why this position is attractive to the applicant. Materials should have the applicant’s name as part of each file and be submitted electronically utilizing MCA’s online application system: APPLY NOW
Once all your materials have been submitted online, you will receive a confirmation of your submission via the email address you have provided in the application. For clarification on any of this information, please contact Christy Wall, cwall@maconline.com.
All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a background inquiry.
The University of Oregon is proud to offer a robust benefits package to eligible employees, including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off. For more information about benefits, visit https://hr.uoregon.edu/about-benefits.
The University of Oregon is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the ADA. The University encourages all qualified individuals to apply and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status, including veteran and disability status. The University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation in connection with the application process, please contact us at uocareers@uoregon.edu or 541-346-5112.
UO prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy (including pregnancy-related conditions), age, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including family medical history), ancestry, familial status, citizenship, service in the uniformed services (as defined in federal and state law), veteran status, expunged juvenile record, and/or the use of leave protected by state or federal law in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by UO policy. Questions may be referred to the Office of Investigations and Civil Rights Compliance. Contact information, related policies, and complaint procedures are listed here.
In compliance with federal law, the University of Oregon prepares an annual report on campus security and fire safety programs and services. The Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report is available online at https://clery.uoregon.edu/annual-campus-security-and-fire-safety-report.
Source documents:
https://www.mcaonline.com/searches/executive-director-schnitzer
https://careers.uoregon.edu/en-us/job/535204/executive-director-jsma
