Description

Oakdale Christian Academy is seeking a proven leader to serve as president. Reporting to the Board of Trustees, the president will be responsible for executing the policies and priorities of the board, and leading an Oakdale staff of 25 in fulfilling the mission of leading teenagers to lives of learning, serving others, and loving God.

The next president of Oakdale Christian Academy will enter a community grateful for God’s provision in leading it to recent success, eager to write its next chapter, but aware of the challenges in preserving its mission while remaining financially viable. Oakdale has earned a strong reputation for providing access to students from various backgrounds, for its deep sense of community, and its record of student success. 

In recent years, the Academy has experienced remarkable success in building partnerships with donors who have provided significant financial support. The next president will build on this foundation of recent successes and articulate a next-generation vision for Oakdale Christian Academy. 

Requirements

The next president will provide overall leadership and management of the school through:

Administrative Leadership

Oversee the planning, organization and conduct of the affairs of the school. Grounding the Academy’s decision-making in its Wesleyan-Arminian* identity as it navigates an increasingly complex Christian boarding education landscape. 
       Coordinate with the board and staff to ensure that institutional activities align with the Academy’s mission and strategic plan. 

       Engage the campus community in articulating a strategic vision for meeting the needs of students and the community today and tomorrow in a way that is distinctive, relevant, and grounded in the theology and values of its Free Methodist community. 

       Monitor the operations of the school, ensuring it meets the expectations of external evaluators, accreditors, and auditors­­.

Student Recruitment - Enrollment

       Lead and execute strategies to grow enrollment and strengthen the operating model of a tuition-dependent institution.

       Work with the campus and the Board of Trustees to sharpen the value proposition for prospective students, strengthening the Academy’s position in a competitive environment.

Development – Fundraising

       Lead philanthropic efforts to ensure growth and donor/alumni engagement to achieve ambitious funding goals. 

Conduct high-level fund-raising to secure financial resources to meet budgetary needs.
 

Residential - Student Life Program

       Improve the quality and affordability of the student experience to support the mission. 

       Demonstrate an ability to relate personally to an international and multicultural student body.

      Maintain commitment to a family-like environment as an important hallmark of the Academy community and an important aspect of its discipleship and mentorship programs. 

Academic Program

       Ensure the quality of the academic program through securing prepared faculty, providing current technology, and cooperating with external accrediting agencies.

Human Resources

       Develop personal relationships that strengthen the sense of community, transparency and shared purpose felt by staff, students, and alumni. 

       Provide for and oversee recruitment of staff. 

       Supervise the team of administrators with vision and purpose.

Finance

       Assure the Academy’s financial strength and sustainability.

       Balance the competing demands of affordability for students and families and the need to generate sufficient net tuition revenue in order to sustain the high-quality educational experience for which the Academy is known. 

Campus Infrastructure

       Continue to build infrastructure to support the strategic vision.

       Maintain campus facilities which are esthetically and functionally conducive to student success. 

       Provide for technology infrastructure to support the Academy’s operations, enhance residential and academic experience, and advance student learning and success. 

External Relations

       Promote Oakdale Christian Academy’s mission, history, and core values within and throughout the community.

       Enthusiastically serve as ambassador for the Academy in the broader community, promoting its unique nature and the value of its transformational learning experiences.

       Strengthen relationships between the Academy and the communities of Breathitt County, the Free Methodist Church denomination, the broader evangelical community, and alumni. 

       Represent the school in the constituency of individual supporters, alumni, churches, businesses and foundations.

       Serve as a liaison between the school, board, and pastor of the campus Free Methodist Church.

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Board of Trustees

       Ensure that the aim and directives of the board of trustees are executed.

       Report to the board on the enrollment, financial, spiritual and academic life of the school.

Qualities and Qualifications 

The next president at Oakdale Christian Academy will have a vibrant Christian faith, demonstrate a commitment to academic excellence, demonstrate a track record of successful organizational leadership, and express a willingness to embrace and advance the Oakdale ministry. In specific, the ideal candidate will possess the qualities, experiences, skills, and characteristics below, and will be able to demonstrate past successes in achieving them:

1.        Experience in leading a complex organization.

2.        A proven track record of successful fundraising.

3.        Excellent written and oral communication skills.

4.        Ability to create an environment conducive to staff recruitment and retention.

5.        Experience in handling matters of institutional finance and financial exigency.

6.        Superior problem-solving skills, using creative and collaborative means to achieve satisfactory solutions within a complex organization.

7.        Adherence to educational excellence, having a minimum of a 4-year college degree, with a graduate degree preferred.

8.        Commitment to providing robust enrollment initiatives that maintain organizational vitality.

9.        Strategic thinking, planning and action that is forward-looking, visionary, transformative, and innovative in pursuing the mission and strategic goals. 

10.   Understanding and appreciation of a Christian boarding education in light of the tenets of the Free Methodist Church-USA. Membership in the Oakdale Free Methodist Church is expected, as well as regular participation in the local, conference, and national Free Methodist Church-USA. 

11.   Demonstrated personal faith, along with great character and integrity.