Article

Search is Underway for Next Wilson Center President and Director

July 28, 2010

The Center's Board of Trustees has engaged the services of Russell Reynolds Associates to handle recruitment efforts that will identify a successor to the Honorable Lee H. Hamilton, who has announced his intention to step down as President and Director later this year from the position he has held since January 1999.

Please direct all inquiries regarding this posting to:

Russell Reynolds Associates
1701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20006-5805
Tel: 202-628-2150
Fax: 202-331-9348

ATTENTION:
Mary Tydings, 202-654-7822, mary.tydings@russellreynolds.com
Denise Grant, 202-654-7819, denise.grant@russellreynolds.com
Stephanie Tomasso Chaconas, 202-654-7852, stephanie.chaconas@russellreynolds.com

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars ("Wilson Center"), located in Washington D.C.'s Ronald Reagan Building/International Trade Center, is the official United States Presidential Memorial to President Woodrow Wilson that was established within the Smithsonian Institution by an Act of Congress in 1968. As both a distinguished scholar—the only American President with a Ph.D.—and a national leader, Wilson felt strongly that the scholar and the policymaker were "engaged in a common enterprise." The mission of the Wilson Center is to provide an essential link between the worlds of ideas and public policy in addressing current and emerging challenges confronting the United States and the world. The Center promotes policy-relevant research and dialogue to increase understanding and enhance the capabilities and knowledge of leaders, citizens, and institutions worldwide.

The Wilson Center, a nonpartisan institute supported by public and private funds, is engaged in the advanced study of national and world affairs. The Wilson Center establishes and maintains a neutral forum for open, serious, and informed dialogue. It has roughly two dozen Programs/Projects covering most regional and issue-oriented areas of focus. It also brings pre-eminent thinkers to Washington for extended periods of time to interact with policymakers through its many programs and projects. The Wilson Center seeks to separate the important from the inconsequential and to take an historical and broad perspective on the issues. Its location in the U.S. capital makes the Center a unique nonpartisan meeting ground where vital current issues and their deep historical background may be explored through research and dialogue. The Wilson Center encourages contacts among scholars, policymakers, and business leaders and extends their conversations worldwide through its publishing, broadcasting, and Internet programs. To learn more about the Wilson Center, please take a closer look at our website.

Under the leadership of its outgoing president, former Congressman Lee Hamilton, the Wilson Center has flourished and been a significant contributor to important public policy discussions. The Board of Trustees is committed to building upon the Wilson Center's recent success and taking the organization to an even greater level of leadership in the scholarly and public policy communities.

The Role of the President and Director

Reporting to and working closely with the Board of Trustees, the President and Director is responsible for providing executive leadership of the Wilson Center and managing its strategic, programmatic and financial operations.

Specific responsibilities include:

Strategic Leadership/Vision

The President and Director will lead the Board and the organization in the formulation of program goals, objectives and priorities, including identifying and prioritizing key issue areas, and determining how the Wilson Center can best facilitate and promote dialogue around relevant and creative public policy solutions. The President and Director will work closely with the Trustees, staff and other major stakeholders to strategically approach the enhancement of the Wilson Center's contribution to important public policy debates and its position in the international arena.

Function as an Ambassador for the Wilson Center

The President and Director will serve as the public face and voice of the Wilson Center in executing its vision of being a significant contributor to global public policy debates. He/She will be credible and poised, capable of commanding attention on issues of domestic and international importance. The President and Director will interact regularly with Congress, Executive Branch officials, thought leaders, members of the diplomatic community, international heads of state, scholars, donors and prospects including members of the business community, as well as the internal Wilson Center community. In addition, the President and Director will strengthen relationships with other public policy and think tank organizations. The President will be required to travel for development purposes and to engage with external constituencies.

Development and Fundraising

It will be critical that the next President and Director have an aptitude for fundraising from the private sector, and also understand how the Congressional appropriations process works. He/She will be tasked with the formulation, justification and execution of the Wilson Center's federal budgetary process and will work with the Office of Management and Budget and the Congress on an ongoing basis regarding the Center's annual appropriation. In addition, the President and Director will provide particular leadership in support of corporate, foundation and individual giving. He/ She will be responsible for generating enthusiasm and support for the Wilson Center's mission and programs.

Establish the Plan for Program Activities

The President and Director will provide leadership for the development of a bottom up strategic planning document that will be presented to the Board of Trustees. He/She will also work with the Vice President for Programs and other senior staff to ensure innovative and creative programs, initiatives and research that will promote the vision of the Wilson Center. He/She will foster and cultivate the high level relationships that will enable the Wilson Center to be a leading force in facilitating the development of effective public policy solutions.

Candidate Profile Being Sought

The Wilson Center is seeking a leader with unquestioned intellect and integrity who can lead the organization to its next level of excellence and, by doing so, enable the Wilson Center to make a significant, relevant contribution in domestic and global public policy debates. He/She will have a demonstrated commitment to promoting thoughtful, innovative and pragmatic approaches to public policy discussions. The ideal candidate is a former member of Congress, Cabinet/high-ranking Executive Branch official, renowned academic leader, media professional or business community executive who has shown a commitment to, and has worked with, not-for-profit institutions. He/She will possess established bipartisan relationships with current and previous Administration officials, members of Congress and key Hill staff, business community leaders and the Washington community.

He/She will have the diplomacy and charisma to foster collaboration within and beyond the Wilson Center community and thereby sustain a diverse network and robust exchange of ideas on current and future domestic and international challenges. The successful candidate will have outstanding communication skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to represent the Wilson Center effectively with a diverse set of audiences. He/She will have extensive experience with the media, and be able to effectively establish and project the image of the Wilson Center as a key thought leader before an array of stakeholders.
The successful candidate will have high level relationships with key people in government, academia, business, and the public policy community. He/She will have the capacity to build constructive dialogue and collaboration among a variety of constituencies. He/She will listen to and learn from stakeholders, and lead in a manner that fosters creativity and innovation. The successful candidate will possess the ability to gain the confidence of governments, NGOs, government and business leaders, and funders, and the ability to attract critical thought leaders to collaborate with the Wilson Center.
The candidate will bring a sophisticated understanding of U.S. and international affairs, and political and policy environments. The ideal candidate will have proven substantive expertise on a wide array of international and domestic issues and policies.

Specific competencies include:

Strategic Thinking

The successful candidate will have a demonstrated record of setting priorities and leading organizations to success. He/She will be a strategic thinker who will work with the Board of Trustees and staff to establish the organization's strategic plan and priorities and the methods to achieve those goals. The President and Director will have the vision to lead the Wilson Center to enhance its current platform and become an even greater, relevant leading voice in the public policy dialogue on issues of national and international importance.

Leadership

The successful candidate will demonstrate the "partner-like" leadership style necessary to work effectively with high-level thought leaders who have diverse sets of backgrounds, skills and perspectives. He/She will foster a culture of engagement and empowerment, convening and leading diverse constituencies across the organization and will work exceptionally well with scholars and academic leaders. He/She must be an involved and inclusive manager, who will ensure the Wilson Center functions in an orderly and fiscally responsible manner. The President and Director must be able to set strategic direction for the organization, prioritize and define clear goals for staff, and manage performance toward achievement of those goals. The ideal candidate will have had prior experience successfully managing a budget and people, and will value talent and inspire and motivate teams to work together with a clear direction and purpose.

Building Relationships and Using Influence

While the President and Director must be a decisive, strategic leader, this individual must have outstanding interpersonal skills. The successful candidate must have a style that is approachable, collegial, direct and diplomatic. He/She must be an outstanding communicator. The President and Director must be capable of building bridges and developing relationships in a variety of settings with diverse constituencies: internally and externally as well as domestically and internationally. He/She must have a track record of successfully leading and building consensus in complex environments. The candidate will have the interpersonal skills and intellect needed to connect with, motivate, and inspire key stakeholders in the academic, business, government and NGO communities, current and prospective donors, Wilson Center community and staff.

Communication and Fundraising Skills

He/She will be an inspiring communicator who can articulate the Wilson Center's mission and vision to a range of audiences as well as being effective one-on-one. The candidate must have the ability to connect with and secure commitments and results from government policy makers, academia, corporate leaders, donors, the Wilson Center community and staff. He/She will be an effective fundraiser, with the ability to set and meet ambitious goals for growing the Center's financial resources.