Job Description

Montgomery College (MC) is seeking a well-qualified, innovative, dynamic candidate for the position of Vice President of Inclusive Excellence and Belonging (VPIEB).

Located in Montgomery County, Maryland--a vibrant, diverse, and economically robust community of more than one million people--adjacent to Washington, D.C., and 30 miles south of Baltimore, the College pursues a student-centered approach, with a heightened intentional focus on equitably enhancing student access, completion, and post-completion success. Montgomery College is governed by a 10-member Board of Trustees appointed by the governor of Maryland. The College is deeply committed to equity and inclusion as a grounding for all its work and serves over 45,000 credit and noncredit students on three campuses, an educational center, and other sites throughout the county.

Diverse in many aspects, the College enrolls students from Montgomery County, the greater Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area, and more than 160 countries. MC has more than 480 full-time instructional and counseling faculty members, 850 part-time instructional faculty members, and 330 Workforce Development and Continuing Education faculty members. In total, more than 1,600 full-time and part-time well-qualified and talented faculty members and 1,400 staff members and administrators are dedicated to student success.

Reporting to President Dr. Jermaine F. Williams, the VPIEB serves as a strategic and tactical advisor to the president and senior leadership, and provides institutional leadership to ensure the College is implementing and assessing systemic and systematic approaches that center equity, inclusion, and belonging in the College's efforts. The VPIEB will also develop, coordinate, and implement and assess programs that promote inclusion and belonging, cultural understanding and competency, civil and human rights, and social justice at Montgomery College, in alignment with the College's Transformational Aspirations and Strategic Plan.

The Vice President of Inclusive Excellence and Belonging has operational responsibility for a portfolio of programs and initiatives, as contained in the College's Cultural Diversity Plan. A major responsibility is identifying and developing strategies and creating the infrastructure to ensure inclusion and belonging are components of all areas of the College and leveraging the College's commitment to access, inclusion, equity, and social justice for its students, faculty, staff, and administrators as well as the surrounding community.

The Vice President of Inclusive Excellence and Belonging provides guidance, advice, counsel, and support to the president and works collaboratively with College leadership, committees, faculty, staff, students, and external constituents in advancing equity and inclusion as values of the College and central to its educational mission. Contacts and interaction vary and may involve multiple constituencies such as direct interaction with the president and senior leadership, the Board of Trustees, College governance councils, the General Counsel, Office of Compliance, Risk, and Ethics, student organizations, collegewide groups and organizations, and external stakeholders and affinity groups for the purposes of advising, collaborating, negotiating, and exchanging information. To accomplish this, the VPIEB must be:

• Well-informed about current trends in higher education and prepared to lead inclusion and belonging efforts into the future.
• Committed to the principles of servant leadership, the community college mission, and the ideals of equity and inclusion, teamwork, and participatory governance.
• Willing to engage in productive conflict by contributing to spaces that create psychological safety and drive positive organizational outcomes.
• A student-centered leader who exemplifies sound judgment, creativity, openness, flexibility, integrity, introspection, resourcefulness, and humility.
• A data-informed decision-maker with a high degree of emotional intelligence.

Responsibilities include:

• Advance the College's mission and goals by implementing and assessing systemic and systematic approaches that center diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, civil and human rights, and social justice in the College's efforts.
• Manage the implementation of the College's Cultural Diversity Plan, prepare annual progress reports, and update the plan, according to the College's planning cycle.
• Identify, propose, and implement promising practices that achieve meaningful access, equity, inclusion, and belonging outcomes and results, along with identifying and addressing barriers to strategy development, implementation, outcomes, and results.
• Establish and maintain communication within the College to create awareness of access, equity, inclusion, belonging, social justice, and social impact opportunities and activities by using a variety of media.
• Serve, when designated, as a College spokesperson for issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.
• Advise the president and senior leaders of potential areas of improvement in accordance with established College goals relative to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice to include best practices, hiring trends, promotion opportunities, training, salary management, attrition/retention, employee attitudes, campus climate, counseling, and community relations as specified by College policies and procedures and the strategic plan.
• Recommend and/or review institutional policy and/or procedure revisions.
• Oversee the development and execution of equity and inclusion training programs.
• Maintain strong collaborative working relationships among senior administrators, faculty, students, staff, and external constituents, and build teams that function effectively.

Professional qualifications:

The successful candidate for the VPIEB position will be an experienced and compassionate leader who is committed to the historical mission of community colleges, as well as a highly qualified leader, prepared to embrace and pursue the College's Transformational Aspirations--around access, completion, and post-completion success--and implement strategies embodied in the Strategic Plan. The VPIEB must be dedicated to organizational excellence and unwavering in support of leveraging the Montgomery College experience to address educational and workforce needs, racial and social injustices, and promotion of the public good. The successful candidate must also be purpose- and passion-driven about MC's efforts to impact individual economic and social mobility leading to intergenerational mobility.

Required Education, Experience, and Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Master's degree from a regionally accredited institution in higher education leadership, organizational development, human resources, public administration, diversity, or other related field.
• Five years of progressively responsible professional experience in inclusion and belonging programs, human resources, or other related role(s) with a focus on equity impact.
• The equivalent combination of education, training, certification and/or experience that provides the required knowledge and expertise to perform the essential functions of the job may be considered.
• Demonstrated experience understanding pluralism, differences in cultural values and norms, and biases regarding communities of color, LGBTQIA communities, poverty-impacted communities, and other marginalized communities.
• Knowledge of and commitment to the community college mission.
• Knowledge of, or the ability to develop knowledge of, the Montgomery College mission, vision, and values; policies and procedures; culture; organizational structure; and operations.
• Knowledge of employment law, employee relations, equal opportunity, and other related regulations in the context of higher education.
• Skill in bringing people together and in building coalitions and consensus among diverse groups.
• Skill in effectively communicating, both orally and in writing, across cultures with tact and diplomacy.
• Skill in conflict management; facilitating and delivering presentations; leading meetings; and in delivering professional development.
• Ability to plan, develop, and evaluate programs; maintain confidentiality, and remain impartial; respond quickly and effectively to difficult and/or time-sensitive situations; analyze and resolve problems; operate common office equipment and applications; work independently and as part of a team; and travel to and among College campuses and locations.

Preferences

• Doctorate from a regionally accredited institution in higher education leadership, organizational development, human resources, public administration, diversity, or other related field.
• Seven years of progressively responsible professional experience in inclusion and belonging programs, human resources, or other related role(s) with a focus on equity impact.
• Three years of service at a community college in a role that impacted equity attainment.
• Diversity/inclusion certification from an established college, university, or professional organization.

Hiring Range: $126,683 - $174,176 annually. Initial salary placement for new hires falls between the minimum and midpoint of the range and is based on relevant candidate experience and internal equity. The maximum salary for this position is $221,668 annually.

How to Apply

Greenwood Asher & Associates is assisting Montgomery College in this search. Applications and nominations are now being accepted, and those submitted by March 7, 2025, will receive full consideration. The position remains open until filled. For a full application package, please submit (1) a resume/curriculum vitae, and (2) a cover letter addressing the candidate's interest in the position and qualifications to VPIEB@greenwoodsearch.com. Confidential inquiries, nominations, and application materials should be directed to Greenwood Asher & Associates. Submission of application materials as PDF attachments is strongly encouraged. The search will be conducted with a commitment of confidentiality for candidates until finalists are selected. Initial screening of applications will begin immediately and will continue until an appointment is made.

Please direct inquiries, nominations, and application materials to:

Andriel Dees, Vice President of Executive Search

Email: andrieldees@greenwoodsearch.com

Ann Bailey, Senior Executive Search Consultant

Email: annbailey@greenwoodsearch.com

Web: greenwoodsearch.com/

For degrees earned outside of the U.S., a copy of your education equivalency, conducted by a nationally recognized evaluation service, must be included in your application.

As a condition of employment, the following are required at the time of hire:

• Successful completion of a background check and degree verification (if applicable).

• Participation in a Maryland State Retirement System plan (Pension or Optional Retirement Plan, depending on the position). If you are already retired from the Maryland State Retirement System, you may not enroll in a Maryland State Retirement System plan at Montgomery College and may have earn ings restrictions, per state law.

Our benefits package includes: generous paid vacation, sick, paid holidays, medical, dental, vision, group legal benefits, professional development, retirement plan, educational assistance, tuition waiver for employee and dependents, wellness programming including onsite gyms, pools and classes.

If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact Human Resources and Strategic Talent Management at 240-567-5353 or HRSTM@montgomerycollege.edu. We require at least two weeks advance notice to enable us to provide the requested accommodation.

Montgomery College is an equal opportunity employer committed to promoting and fostering diversity among its student body, faculty, and staff.

Montgomery College is a tobacco-free and smoke-free workplace.

Closing Date