Position Summary:

The Director of the Center for Southwest Studies provides strategic, administrative, and public leadership for one of Fort Lewis College’s most significant academic and community assets. The Center serves as a museum, archive, library, and cultural gathering space that supports student learning, faculty scholarship, community engagement, and the stewardship of the Southwest’s dynamic histories and cultures.

Reporting to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Director is responsible for the overall vision, operations, financial management, fundraising, and external relationships of the Center. The Director works closely with professional staff, advisory boards, campus partners, donors, and community stakeholders to ensure the Center’s long-term sustainability, relevance, and impact.

Job Description:

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

 

Strategic Leadership and Vision

• Provide overall leadership and direction for the Center, advancing its mission in alignment with Fort Lewis College’s strategic priorities.
• Lead long-range planning for collections, exhibitions, programs, staffing, facilities, and public engagement.
• Serve as the primary liaison to the Center’s campus and community advisory boards and work collaboratively with them to shape priorities and assess progress.
• Represent the Center in campus-wide planning initiatives and external partnerships.

 

Administrative and Operational Management

• Oversee the daily operations of the Center, balancing long-term planning with hands-on management.
• Supervise, mentor, and evaluate professional staff, fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and respectful workplace culture.
• Oversee student employment, internships, and fellowship programs, ensuring meaningful experiential learning opportunities.
• Prepare required reports for the College, advisory boards, funders, and external agencies.
• Collaborates with Center staff on facility oversight and accessibility.

 

Financial Management and Budget Oversight

·         Develop and manage the Center’s annual operating budget, including exhibitions, programs, collections care, and student opportunities.

·         Oversee purchasing, expenditures, and financial compliance in coordination with College finance offices.

·         Ensure responsible stewardship of donor-restricted and grant-funded accounts.

 

Fundraising, Grants, and Donor Stewardship

• Lead fundraising strategy and donor stewardship activities for the Center, including individual giving, foundation support, government grants, and special initiatives.
• Serve as the primary point of contact with the Fort Lewis College foundation for all Center-related fundraising and donor stewardship.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with donors, collectors, and funding partners.
• Write and oversee grant proposals and manage grant-funded projects in collaboration with staff and partners.

 

Collections Stewardship and Compliance

• Hold overall responsibility for compliance with state and federal regulations governing collections, including the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
• Collaborate with professional staff on collections policies, ethical standards, risk management, and long-term care.
• Serve as a key contact for potential donors of archival materials and museum objects.

 

Exhibitions, Programming, and Public Engagement

• Collaborate with curatorial staff on long-range exhibition planning and public programming.
• Support lectures, artist talks, educational programs, and community-based initiatives.
• Maintain a visible public presence locally, regionally, and nationally as a representative of the Center and the College.

 

Communications and Outreach

• Oversee the Center’s communications and marketing strategy, including website content, digital outreach, and promotional materials.
• Ensure public-facing communications align with College branding, accessibility standards, and institutional messaging.
• Represent the Center at admissions, advancement, alumni, and community events.
•  Perform other duties as assigned

Required Education, Specialized Skills and Experience:

• Master’s degree in anthropology, history, museum studies, Native American and Indigenous studies, public history, or a related field.
• At least three years of leadership experience in a museum, archive, library, cultural institution, or related organization.
• Demonstrated experience managing professional staff and complex operations.
• Experience with budgeting and financial oversight.
• Demonstrated success in fundraising, grant writing, or donor engagement.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusive practices and respectful collaboration with Indigenous communities and diverse stakeholders.

Preferred Education, Specialized Skills and Experience:

• Five or more years of senior leadership experience in a cultural or educational institution.
• Experience working with collections governed by NAGPRA.
• Knowledge of the Southwest and its histories, cultures, and communities.
• Experience in strategic planning, organizational development, or institutional growth.
• Demonstrated success in cultivating long-term donor relationships.

Reports To / Supervisory Responsibility:

Reports to the Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs.

The Director provides direct supervision of the Center’s professional staff, including but not limited to archival, curatorial, and administrative personnel. The Director also oversees student employees, interns, fellows, and grant-funded project staff associated with the Center. The Director is responsible for hiring recommendations, performance evaluation, mentoring, and fostering a collaborative and inclusive workplace culture.

Work Environment:

• Moderate noise levels are typical of a professional office and public facility environment.
• The position requires extended periods of sitting at a computer and frequent use of standard office equipment.
• The role requires the ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and balance administrative, strategic, and public-facing responsibilities.
• Evening and weekend work is required to support public programs, events, donor engagement, and community activities.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential function

• Regularly required to sit, stand, walk, talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and other office equipment.
• Specific vision abilities include close vision due to computer work and occasional interaction with collection materials.
• Light to moderate lifting may be required in coordination with exhibitions, collections, or events.
• Ability to move throughout the Center and attend meetings across campus.

 

Travel:

Travel is required for this position and may include:

• Local and regional travel for meetings with donors, community partners, and Indigenous communities.
• In-state and out-of-state travel to attend professional conferences, site visits, and meetings with peer institutions and funding agencies.

FLSA Status/ Position Type/Expected Hours of Work/ and Salary Range:

• Exempt
• Full Time, 1.0 FTE
• 3-year Term
• Full Year / 12 Month Position. 
• Typical Work hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Some evenings and weekends.

About Fort Lewis College:

On a sage-brushed mesa overlooking downtown Durango and the La Plata Mountains, Fort Lewis College is Southwest Colorado’s premier public undergraduate research institution. With more than half of the 3,300 students identifying as people of color, FLC’s academic programming and campus life thrive on nurturing safe, diverse spaces for intellectual exploration and helping people achieve their career goals. A Native American-serving, Non-Tribal Institution, FLC is committed to promoting economic development in neighboring tribal communities and connecting students with the education they need to be the change in the world they want to see. Degree programs span the arts, business, education, health sciences, humanities, and social and natural sciences. Coursework builds on the natural, cultural, and historical resources found around the Four Corners region. Students work closely with faculty on research projects with real-world implications. Like the mountain town it resides in, FLC promotes a culture of work-life balance for students, faculty, and staff. Skyhawks enjoy unparalleled access to a healthy outdoor lifestyle thanks to 300 days of sunshine a year and more than 300 miles of hiking and biking trails in and around Durango

Notice to Prospective Employees:
 The Fort Lewis College is required by the Clery Act of 1990 to notify prospective employees, current employees, students and applicants where to access our Campus Security Report.  The report is updated and published annually in accordance with the Higher Education Amendments of 1998, Federal Student Right-to-Know, the Federal Drug-free Schools and Campuses Act of 1989. This report contains information about:

• Fort Lewis College's alcohol and other drug policy

• Sexual assault policy

• Campus security policies

• Campus/community resources

• The Colorado Riot Offense Statute restriction on enrollment

• Where to find registered sex offender information

• Crime statistics for the previous three calendar years

• Reporting crimes

 
 The Campus Security Report can be accessed in two ways:
By going to the internet website at:   www.fortlewis.edu/AnnualSecurityReport Fort Lewis College Student Affairs Office will also provide a paper copy of the annual security report upon request.   You can reach them at (970) 247-7331.

Equal Opportunity
Fort Lewis College does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, religion, national origin, sex*, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, family or domestic status, political beliefs, veteran status, pregnancy, or genetic information. Accordingly, equal opportunity for employment shall be extended to all persons. The College shall promote equal opportunity, equal treatment, and affirmative action efforts to increase the diversity of students, faculty, and staff. The College is dedicated to building a culturally diverse and pluralistic faculty and staff committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment. To file a report, get resources, read policies, or make an appointment, See www.fortlewis.edu/CARE.

Discrimination Questions?

Office of Compliance and Community Standards
David Pirrone, Director of Compliance
210 Berndt Hall
1000 Rim Drive
Durango, Colorado 81301
(970) 247-7182 djpirrone@fortlewis.edu

Questions about Title IX sex discrimination?    
Office of the Title IX Coordinator
Madeleine Gillman, Assistant Director of Compliance and Title IX Coordinator
210 Berndt Hall
1000 Rim Drive
Durango, Colorado 81301
(970) 247-7049 mgillman@fortlewis.edu

Information about Fort Lewis College’s alcohol and drug policy, sexual assault policy, campus security policies, campus crime statistics, fire safety procedures and fire statistics, and campus/community resources can be found in the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. Hard copies are available upon request.

* Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Part 106 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, including in admission and employment. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and CFR 106 to Fort Lewis College may be directed to FLC's Title IX Coordinator and/or to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights of the Department of Education.

ADAA Accommodations
Any person with a disability as defined by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) may be provided a reasonable accommodation upon request to enable the person to complete an employment assessment. To request an accommodation, please contact Kristin Polens by phone 970-247-7459 or email kpolens@fortlewis.edu at least five business days before the assessment date to allow us to evaluate your request and prepare for the accommodation. You may be asked to provide additional information, including medical documentation, regarding functional limitations and type of accommodation needed. Please ensure that you have this information available well in advance of the assessment date.