Chief of Staff for Strategic Initiatives

The Lake Tahoe Community College District (District) announces a unique and rewarding opportunity to work in college administration. Under the direction of the Superintendent/President, the Chief of Staff for Strategic Initiatives will provide essential leadership and support in fulfilling Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) District’s vision, mission, and goals. This cabinet-level position will will have responsibility for project oversight and management of special projects for the District in coordination with the Senior Leadership Team, with a particular focus on cross-divisional projects aligning with institutional goals and priorities. This position will represent the Superintendent/President in various public and community engagements and coordinate with the Senior Director of Governmental Relations and Grant Development and the Executive Director of the Foundation and College Partnerships to nurture strategic partnerships that further the goals of the college.

Community colleges are increasingly recognized as engines of social mobility and economic stability. With this recognition, the role and expectations of the California Community Colleges system have significantly changed and expanded. Colleges continue to be expected to provide high-quality academic programs, but more recently, colleges are asked to ensure students have access to the wraparound social and emotional services that are vital to ensuring they can achieve their goals.

As an institution, Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) has welcomed these new responsibilities and launched a range of educational and social programs in support of the Vision for Success goals. These include embracing the Guided Pathways framework, reforming pathways through gateway Math and English courses, enhancing the basic needs center and food pantry, providing tele-mental health and health services, providing off-campus student housing, and launching retention and completion programs including Promise and Reconnect to Complete. Soon, with the addition of on-campus housing for low-income students, LTCC will transition to a 24/7 campus. With these new initiatives, projects, and the additional complexity of transforming into a social services institution, LTCC has the need for additional leadership and technical capacity to support the college in successfully launching new programs and ensuring full integration and coordination of programs and services across campus functions.

The beauty of Lake Tahoe’s South Shore provides for a truly stimulating environment for the entire college community. The Chief of Staff for Strategic Initiatives will join a dynamic senior leadership team inspired by transforming the college to better serve the next generation of learners and closing equity and achievement gaps. The Chief of Staff for Strategic Initiatives is appointed by the Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the Superintendent/President.

 

REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES

Under the direction of the Superintendent/President and in collaboration with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), this position will provide leadership and support in fulfilling Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) District’s vision, mission, and Strategic Goals. The Chief of Staff for Strategic Initiatives will possess a commitment to integrity and the ability to effectively support the Superintendent/President on a wide range of strategic issues.

• Lead and coordinate projects, initiatives, and programs as directed to support greater organizational efficiency and efficacy for Lake Tahoe Community College.
• Support the Superintendent/President and SLT by advancing a wide range of significant projects, initiatives, and programs in support of the LTCC’s vision, mission, and goals.
• Coordinate complex strategic initiatives across functions and ensure timely progress. Coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure each group completes its responsibilities. Coordinate efforts to develop, implement, and track projects related to LTCC’s Strategic Goals and anticipated outcomes.
• Coordinate, with the Senior Leadership Team, the development of the annual Strategic Goals, provide project management to support implementation of strategies and outcomes, and track progress of strategies and goals for purposes of annual Progress Update documentation.
• Ensure accurate, proper, and timely flow of information throughout campus and ensure processes for gathering input and feedback.
• Serve as a highly skilled utility player to meet District goals across a range of needs, with an emphasis on institutional project management and moving from vision to implementation.
• Represent the Superintendent/President in various public and community engagements and coordinate with the Senior Director of Governmental Relations and Grant Development and the Executive Director of the Foundation and College Partnerships to nurture strategic partnerships that further the college goals.
• Build and nurture relationships to serve as a resource for the Superintendent/President and point of contact, as designated, for key constituents and partners to resolve complex issues and help move forward strategic priorities.
• Collaborate with the Marketing & Communications department in the creation of executive level communications including reports and presentations.
• Collaborate with college stakeholders on institutional planning and other issues that impact LTCC, and in consultation with the Superintendent/President, prepare and/or contribute to the development of reports, briefings, presentations and responses on institutional planning and strategic issues.
• Assist the Superintendent/President with correspondence dealing with issues and subject matter in ways that sometimes requires considerable sensitivity, discretion, judgment, or negotiation.
• Problem solve and manage sensitive information with appropriate awareness of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) standards and maintain confidentiality and sensitivity to the privacy needs of students and employees.
• Prepare, author and develop Board of Trustee and governance council meeting agenda items and presentations. Create proposal documents for new programs, potential funders, and other advocacy areas.
• Perform personnel functions (e.g., interviewing, evaluating, supervising, etc.) for the purpose of maintaining adequate staffing, enhancing productivity of personnel, and achieving objectives within budget.
• Serve on a variety of District committees as requested by the Superintendent/President. Participate in district all-staff events, including but not limited to, all-campus team building day, convocation, State of the College Address, Senior Day, and graduation.
• Where appropriate, represent the views of the Superintendent/President in meetings and projects and communicate input from internal and external stakeholders to the Superintendent/President.

Other Duties:
Perform related duties as assigned.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

The Chief of Staff for Strategic Initiatives performs high level collaboration with individuals across campus to actively drive LTCC’s strategic goals forward, and build an atmosphere of coordination, communication, and clear understanding of the college’s vision, mission, and goals. This position will have responsibility for project oversight and management of special projects for the District, with a particular focus on cross-divisional projects aligning with institutional goals and priorities (vision/mission development, governance handbook update, annual goal development and tracking, progress updates, etc.).

Knowledge of:

• Verbal, written and interpersonal communication techniques to support successful engagement with a variety of audiences
• Excellent verbal communication skills, including public speaking and interpersonal communication skills
• Higher education practices, with a focus on current practices in community colleges
• Project management and organizational process skills
• Strong managerial and team building skills
• Techniques in planning and executing operational plans, managing projects and /or programs, budgeting, and cost control
• The external environment and how it affects academia and the Tahoe Basin, including political, legal, environmental, educational, financial and social influences

Ability to:

• Convey the vision and mission of the District to external parties
• Work effectively with a diverse faculty, staff, student body, alumni, and community
• Provide excellent judgment, diplomacy, and understanding of college issues
• Serve as a highly effective communicator and leader who takes responsibility for complex short-term assignments, intervenes by means of strategic problem solving
• Process and synthesize multiple, sometimes conflicting, sources of information in a rapidly changing and ambiguous environment to support sound college decision-making
• Connect with and nurture community partnerships on behalf of the Superintendent/President and ensure follow up to achieve goals
• Ensure efficiency and effectiveness in optimizing resources
• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships
• Negotiate and reach mutual points of agreement and benefit among peers and colleagues
• Motivate and empower others to achieve area priorities
• Develop effective work systems and procedures
• Deal with constantly changing demands, frequent interruptions, and scheduling changes while remaining organized and seeing projects through to completion
• Maintain and meet deadlines and deliver high quality work product while managing multiple projects
• Partner with others across LTCC and externally to exchange information, collaborate on projects, share resources, etc.
• Interpret an extensive variety of technical information
• Exercise judgment, planning projects and accomplishing goals exhibiting a wide degree of professional maturity and discretion
• Analyze, synthesize, and present data to varied audiences

Additional Requirement (Licensure/Certification):

• Ability to travel nationally and statewide frequently
• Ability to work independently of direct supervision and take initiative while understanding the need to escalate issues as appropriate
• Ability to model inclusive excellence through specific actions that support the LTCC’s diversity commitment
• Project Management training or certifications (Preferred)

Working Environment:

• Indoor Office environment.

QUALIFICATIONS

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Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience:

Any combination equivalent to:

• Possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with major course work in education, public policy, public relations, law, journalism, communications, management or development, or a related field
• Five (5) years of progressively responsible administrative experience in education with an understanding of and commitment to the community college mission.
• Experience in creating and sustaining collaborative partnerships with business, industry, community-based organizations, educational institutions, and systems.
• Experience working with local and regional community foundations on partnerships and cultivation of funds in support of District priorities.

Must have evidence of sensitivity to and understanding of diverse academic, socioeconomic,cultural, disability, and ethnic backgrounds of community college students (E.C. 87360a).

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

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• Cover Letter indicating reasons for your interest in this position and why you would be a good fit at Lake Tahoe Community College (please limit to two pages).
• Current resume or curriculum vitae including applicable professional preparation and experience annotated to describe major responsibilities and achievements of previously held positions.
• A statement of qualifications responding to the following:
  1. Articulate steps you have taken or would take to remove barriers experienced by the wide-range of students who attend community colleges. Share an experience that demonstrates your consciousness of the needs of students from culturally or economically diverse backgrounds. (250 words)
  2. Describe a few project management examples you have led to demonstrate your skills in supporting greater organizational efficiency. Specifically highlight, how your administrative philosophy has helped you effectively manage different areas that you do not technically supervise? (250 words)
• The names and phone numbers of at least six references: two supervisors, two employees who you supervised, and two colleagues. References will be contacted upon selection as a finalist for this position. 

COMPENSATION & CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

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ABOUT THE COLLEGE

LTCC is an evolving, dynamic California community college located in South Lake Tahoe. The waters and surrounding forests of Lake Tahoe are a national treasure, and LTCC's campus is a microcosm of the region’s natural beauty. Located 6,229 feet above sea level, LTCC is Northern California’s highest altitude college. This enthusiastic college community serves students from the bi-state, multi-jurisdictional Tahoe watershed area, and includes many students from neighboring Nevada communities, other states in the country, and from around the world.

LTCC serves a diverse student community — it’s a key component of our strength. LTCC strives to speak out against racism and violence, and also address the unchecked microaggressions that occur far too often on campus and in the community. More specifically, LTCC is working to capture and weave anti-racism into curriculum, and especially in public safety programs. LTCC continues to work to do a better job of presenting coursework that informs the next generation of public safety providers, helping them understand historic racism and implicit bias, the benefits of diversity and inclusion, and the power of building close relationships with all members of the communities they will one day swear to serve and protect.

LTCC's Lake Tahoe College Promise program is one of the most comprehensive in the state, and provides free tuition to first-time, full-time students for up to three years. It also includes a wealth of support services and specialized events just for Promise students. The program is available to all California residents and Dreamers, and Nevada residents and Dreamers living within the Tahoe Basin. LTCC's is the only bi-state Promise program in the country.

As the college promise program took shape on campus, it ensured that funding would be available to make the promise of free tuition and the hope of a debt-free degree available to DREAMers to. LTCC serves a bi-state community, and ensuring that DREAMers living in the Tahoe Basin in either state could be eligible for free tuition and extensive educational support along with documented citizens was a cornerstone of our Lake Tahoe College Promise program from its beginning.

LTCC is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, a regional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education and the U.S. Department of Education. In January 2018, LTCC had its accreditation reaffirmed for a seven-year period as the result of a comprehensive evaluation.

LTCC was originally granted accreditation in January 1979. Accreditation status has successfully been maintained ever since through a regular process of self-evaluation and review. The University of California, the California State Universities, and other accredited colleges and universities give full credit for equivalent and transferable courses satisfactorily completed at LTCC.

LTCC’s progress and stability rooted in an institutional commitment to student success and constant efforts to realize opportunities related to the region’s unique geography, environment, and history. LTCC currently offers 29 associate degrees, including 15 AA transfer degrees that provide seamless matriculation to four-year institutions. Additionally, LTCC currently offers 31 certificates. Students planning to transfer to a four-year university have a wide variety of options, as LTCC offers the equivalent of the first two years of a four-year university program. LTCC’s campus is also home to the Lisa Maloff University Center, which provides access to a variety of advanced degree programs through our university partners.

In addition to quality programs for traditional students, LTCC has expanded its career and technical education offerings and innovative summer programs. The Intensive Spanish Summer Institute (ISSI) draws approximately 500 students from across the United States for a one-week immersion experience in Spanish language and culture. LTCC’s regionally accredited Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Academy prepares students for Firefighter I certification in California.

LTCC's campus is also home to the Child Development Center (CDC), a fully licensed child care facility providing care and education to children aged 6 weeks through 6 years. The CDC provides a hands-on, developmentally appropriate curriculum. Open year round, the CDC serves the child care needs of students, staff, faculty and community members. Childcare is available in full or half-day blocks, and meals are provided.

LTCC, a single-college district, is widely recognized as the hub of culture and education for the surrounding community and is working toward its vision of becoming “California’s premier destination community college.”

LTCC currently serves just over 8,000 students annually, helping them to earn terminal degrees, preparing them for transfer to four-year institutions, instructing them in basic skills, and readying them for successful careers through the college's career and technical education offerings.

As an open-door institution, LTCC strives to minimize barriers to college participation for those within and outside of its service area. Ensuring access to higher education is central to the core mission of LTCC:

OUR MISSION

Lake Tahoe Community College serves our local, regional, and global communities by promoting comprehensive learning, success, and life-changing opportunities. Through quality instruction and student support, our personalized approach to teaching and learning empowers students to achieve their educational and personal goals.

Thanks to our community’s support, LTCC has the funding to revitalize and modernize the campus. A $55 million General Obligation Bond (Measure F) was passed in November 2014. The bond is supporting LTCC renovation (classrooms, laboratories, and technology), leveraging state capital outlay and scheduled maintenance funding. 

On July 17, 2019, LTCC received approval from the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office to proceed with the Remodel for Efficiency and Science Modernization (RFE) project. The RFE project will renovate and modernize laboratory, office, and other space totaling 23,014 square feet of LTCC’s Main Building, the Fine Arts Building, and the G Buildings. The modernization of this space will replace outdated classroom and lab spaces and address safety and security deficiencies. The project will also provide accessibility improvements inside the Main Building and at the campus main entrance. Construction on this project is set to begin on July 1, 2021.

In addition, our community's support of the Measure F bond inspired a generous donation from a longtime Tahoe resident, providing for the construction and opening of the Lisa Maloff University Center (LMUC) in 2018. With this center in place, access to upper-division level educational opportunities and academic support services are made possible through partnerships with Sierra Nevada University, Brandman University, and Washington State University Global Campus. These partners offer competitively priced degree options in global business management, psychology, liberal studies, applied studies, hospitality business management, a master’s in education, and multi-discipline teaching credentials that can be earned right on LTCC's South Shore campus. LTCC offers multiple scholarships to help students transition to an advanced degree program in the LMUC.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY

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Outdoor recreation is central to the culture and economy of South Lake Tahoe, home to a year-round, residential population of about 24,000. World-class winter skiing and boarding, summer mountain biking, hiking, camping, water sports and fishing as well as concerts, sporting events, and entertainment draw state, national, and international tourists/visitors. Students are only minutes away from three of the 14 ski resorts located around Lake Tahoe. The sun shines an average of 249 days each year, giving students plenty of opportunity to get out and explore the Sierras.

The Lake Tahoe Basin is a one-of-a-kind geographic, political, and economic region comprised of two states, five counties, and multiple cities and municipalities. Known as the “jewel” of the Sierras, Lake Tahoe is a congressionally designated Regional Planning Area for land use and planning. The Regional Plan, last updated in December 2012, focuses on a unified commitment to Lake Tahoe and sustainable communities.

CONTACTS

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