PENCIL President & CEO Opportunity Guide

PENCIL (Public Education Needs Community Involvement and Leadership) links community resources to Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) to help young people achieve academic success and prepare for life.

PENCIL exists to create a world where MNPS students and teachers have equitable access to resources and opportunities, empowering students to succeed now and in the future. We do this by creating a community that respects the unique perspectives and experiences of all stakeholders through proactive listening, continuous learning, and tireless advocacy for every student.

As the boots-on-the-ground resource recruiter for MNPS, our work is guided by the district’s needs, is student-centric, and is achieved through community partnerships and tangible engagements. We have always worked closely with MNPS leaders to support the initiatives and programs that they determine necessary for student success. While we serve all MNPS students, PENCIL programs are of

About PENCIL

particular benefit to students experiencing socioeconomic hardship or living in underserved communities.

PENCIL’s offices are in the warehouse that houses our teacher resource center in an industrial, yet convenient, location close to the popular Nations neighborhood. Our space, generously provided by a major investor, is a site bustling with volunteers, teachers shopping, and semi-trucks delivering donated goods. The staff, particularly Partnership Managers, are often in schools, corporate headquarters, or coffee shops because building and maintaining relationships among MNPS, our Partners, teachers, and students is necessary for us to accomplish our mission.

After more than four decades, PENCIL is known as the great connector having set the standard for effective partnerships, rewarding volunteer opportunities, and advocacy on behalf of MNPS and its students.

The Opportunity: President & CEO

The President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is responsible for the successful leadership and management of PENCIL under the direct supervision of the board of directors. The CEO assumes operational leadership of the staff, implementation of programs, and the financial health of PENCIL. A skilled strategist and vision caster, the CEO will deliver results as outlined in the organization’s strategic plan. The CEO is a consummate relationship-builder and sustainer, seeking the input of key stakeholders and diverse voices on major initiatives and decisions, while remaining anchored in PENCIL’s mission and vision. In particular, the CEO will have a strong relationship with the Director of Metro Nashville Public Schools, whose district priorities shape the service that PENCIL and PENCIL Partners provide.

As the organization’s most high-profile spokesperson, the CEO will ensure PENCIL is represented in relevant community and business gatherings, associations, and professional groups and will serve as an ambassador for PENCIL and the students and teachers it serves.

Demonstrating a strong knowledge of nonprofit fund development, the CEO will work with staff and board to recruit and steward investments to fulfill PENCIL’s mission. Through daily example, the CEO will live PENCIL’s core values of collaboration, inclusivity, transparency, integrity, kindness, and gratitude.

The next CEO will be PENCIL’s fifth in its 41year history as Nashville’s premier nonprofit linking community resources to Metro Nashville Public Schools. In her seven years in the role, the current CEO, Angie Adams, has aligned PENCIL’s programming to support Metro Schools’ strategic plan, increased board engagement and giving, and launched PENCIL’s first-ever endowment fund. She also relocated the organization to a warehouse facility that enabled PENCIL to grow its annual distribution of free product to teachers by a factor of 10.

The CEO guides a 60-person governing board of directors, which meets quarterly to act on proposals and work done by seven committees. PENCIL’s Executive Committee serves as the management team for the board and meets seven times during the year in order to provide more active management of the organization. The CEO directly supervises an executive team of four Chiefs and provides mentorship and guidance to them in Technology, Programs & Partnerships, Administration & Finance, and Philanthropy. The CEO oversees all operations of a $2.2M budget with 18 full-time staff, 2 part-time staff, and approximately 2,500 volunteers annually.

Performance Expectations

Manage strategic planning and evolve the organization to continually fulfill the mission as district needs and external circumstances shift.

Demonstrate creativity, problem solving, active listening, and community building while being a brand ambassador in all aspects of PENCIL’s work.

Inspire staff to bring their full selves to work and nurture a healthy workplace culture that values diverse voices and perspectives.

Lead, coach, develop, and retain a highperforming senior management team while supporting the supervision and success of all other team members.

Ensure effective systems are in place to monitor and evaluate programmatic outcomes so these can be effectively communicated to the board, funders, and other constituents.

Play a robust role in fundraising and in 1:1 donor visits; personally manage a portfolio of high-level investors.

Demonstrate a knowledge of and experience with fundraising best practices.

Ensure the fiscal integrity of PENCIL by monitoring the annual operating budget and ensuring PENCIL operates within budget guidelines, is fiscally responsible, and remains in line with the strategic direction articulated by the board.

Possess a strong understanding of and experience in implementing nonprofit financial management best practices; demonstrate this by presenting financial statements to a variety of audiences with a focus on telling the story behind the numbers.

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Programmatic & Technology Oversight

Ensure ongoing program excellence, rigorous program evaluation and consistent quality of finance and administration, fundraising, communications, and systems; recommend timelines and resources needed to achieve strategic goals.

Provide oversight and guidance around the use of technology systems to capture meaningful data points; help move PENCIL forward with data analysis that can impact programmatic evolution.

Document all activities in the designated customer relationship management tool in a timely, accurate, and complete manner to assure a full picture of all relationships, ensuring that data is kept current at all times.

Board & Community Relations

Develop, maintain, and support a strong board of directors; build board involvement with strategic direction for ongoing operations as well as for new rollouts; intentionally create a strong board community.

Enhance PENCIL’s image by being active and visible in the community and by working closely with other professional, civic, and private organizations.

Performance Expectations 550+

Active PENCIL Partners

made up of businesses, universities, community organizations, faith communities, government departments, and more.

Candidate Profile

The CEO will possess a demonstrated ability to make decisions in an emotionally intelligent manner, act with urgency when required, and lead with courage and consistency. The CEO will reinforce a team culture that is humane by modeling the behavior the CEO wishes to see in others; being visible and accessible; and by encouraging experimentation while learning from failure. By ensuring that team and external stakeholders feel connected to PENCIL’s mission, seen for their strengths, and valued for their individual contributions, the CEO will actively maintain a collaborative, positive culture that effectively harnesses resources for Metro Nashville students and teachers.

Required Attributes

Holds a master’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience. Has spent a minimum of ten years on a senior management team. Can demonstrate the ability to manage sensitive information in a professional and confidential manner.

Preferred Attributes

The candidate will display a positive attitude, be mission-driven and self-directed, and possess strong self-management skills that include:

Excellent interpersonal communications. Public speaking and active listening.

Strategic thinking and organizational planning.

Mediation and change management.

Efficient time management in the face of competing priorities.

Confident use of technology.

The candidate will be an effective leader of others by drawing on skills that include:

Organizational Management: Develop highperformance teams and achieve strategic objectives.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people. Board Management: Motivate and sustain high engagement of a large and diverse board.

Fundraising: Secure sustainable resources. Demonstrably strong written and verbal communication skills.

Community Relations, Marketing, and Branding.

Financial Management.

Commitment to quality programs and datadriven program evaluation.

Risk Management, Ethics/Compliance.

The candidate will possess contextual knowledge of:

School System Operations and Leadership

K-12 Education Issues and Trends

Community Collaborations Issues and Trends

Nonprofit Functions and Operations

How to Apply & Other Information

outlined on PENCIL s on line HR platform, BambooHR: https://pencil.bamboohr.com/careers/35. Application materials will not be accepted via email, only through the online link. All questions should be directed to Mark Dupay at MDupay@PENCIL615.org. All inquiries and applications will be treated as confidential.

The search timeline anticipates these key elements:

July-August 2023: selection of candidates, first round interviews

September-October 2023: second round interviews

November 1, 2023: selection of new CEO

January 2024: new CEO starts

PENCIL’s current CEO will be available to support the new CEO as needed through April 2024.

The search committee is co-chaired by PENCIL board members Hasina Mohyuddin (incoming Chair) and John Doerge (former Chair). They will be supported by former board Chair Beth Brill and several other current PENCIL board members. Search logistics will largely be facilitated by a long-term corporate partner, utilizing the expertise of their talent acquisition team.

About Metro Nashville Public Schools

district on the move. With 80,000+ students and nearly 4,900 classroom teachers in 158 schools and a budget of more than $1 billion, it is one of the nation's largest school districts and one of Nashville's largest employers.

The global cultures and backgrounds that contribute to Nashville’s vibrant and diverse character are reflected in the MNPS student population. Its students speak 129 languages and represent 145 countries, and the top five

In 2022-2023, MNPS reported the following for student demographics:

40% Black/African American

31% Hispanic/Latino

25% White

4% Asian

<1% American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander

most-spoken, non-English languages are Spanish, Arabic, Kurdish, Somali, and Burmese. Yet only 27% of students are classified as having Limited English Proficiency those who are active English learners.

Overseeing MNPS is the Metropolitan Nashville Board of Education, unique in that members are elected, rather than appointed. It consists of nine members, each representing one of the MNPS districts, plus two student members to ensure that constituency’s voice is heard. In addition to the responsibilities of allocating resources and encouraging fiscal responsibility, the board oversees the hiring and managing the Director of Schools.

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About Metro Nashville Public Schools

Dr. Adrienne Battle was named Director of Schools on March 13, 2020, just days after violent tornadoes devastated the city and immediately before the pandemic brought everything to a halt, including the widespread closure of MNPS. She successfully led the district through its recovery, meeting the educational as well as humanitarian needs of students and families, and co-chaired the task force to oversee a safe and equitable return to school. A Nashville native, Dr. Battle has served the district as teacher, principal, and community superintendent; and she is the first MNPS graduate to serve as Director of Schools.

Dr. Battle’s overriding theme for MNPS, “Every Student Known,” reflects the MNPS belief that developing the whole child in and out of school is critical to building a strong community.

The MNPS Signature Initiatives and Focused Outcomes define a path of success for every student with personalized education, measurable goals, and a clear, achievable path to success ensuring that every student should be seen, known, and cared for.

PENCIL works closely with MNPS and Dr. Battle to recruit the right resources to meet district goals.

Nashville, Tennessee, is the state’s capital and its most populous city. Its metropolitan government, which merged the city with Davidson County’s operations into one entity in 1963, has become a national model. In 2021, Nashville’s population was estimated at703,953, and reaches 2.1 million when considering the 14 surrounding counties that make up the Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The city’s bustling downtown and urban core give way to verdant suburban neighborhoods and to open fields and rolling hills. The MSA offers rivers, lakes, and state parks for hiking and camping. Nashville is easy to get to, making it a popular destination for transplants and tourists. The Nashville International Airport serves more than 17 million visitors annually, is home to 22 airlines, and is a major hub for Southwest Airlines. Three major interstates I-40, I-65, and I-24 — traverse the area.

Nashville may best be known as “Music City,” but there is much more to the area than country music. The city is headquarters to leaders in the industries of healthcare, automobile production, finance and insurance, technology, manufacturing, and tourism. It is a center of higher education with Vanderbilt, Belmont, Lipscomb, and HBCUs Fisk and Tennessee State, among the many colleges and universities in the region.

About Nashville

Vibrant cultural, artistic, and entertainment options abound. Nashville has a professional symphony, ballet, opera, and theatre companies, in addition to historic home sites, art museums, and of course, live music venues. Public-private partnerships support the thriving Metro Parks and Greenways systems. Sports enthusiasts cheer on three major-league teams NFL Tennessee Titans, NHL Nashville Predators, and MLS Nashville Soccer Club. Among the numerous festivals are CMA Fest, Tin Pan South, and Bonnaroo.

Nashville has a rich history of being a very philanthropic city and is home to more than 2,000 nonprofits. It is an altruistic community with diverse interests, supporting education, arts, child welfare, underserved communities and more. With 1,200-plus fundraisers each year, hardly a weekend passes without one taking place.

Nashville and the surrounding counties offer everything from thriving businesses to exceptional entertainment and dining options, to a great artistic and cultural scene set in an exceptionally benevolent character. As the city grows, Nashville remains a welcoming, friendly place to call home.

(Sources: nashvillechamber.com; visitmusiccity.com)