Executive Director, David Evans Shaw Institute for Public and Planetary Health
Position Type
Professional Staff
Faculty Track
Employment Status
Full Time
Months
12
Campus
Description
The University of New England invites nominations and applications for the inaugural Executive Director of the David Evans Shaw Institute of Public and Planetary Health, a groundbreaking university-wide institute created to advance interdisciplinary education, research, workforce development, community engagement, and applied innovation at the intersection of human health, environmental sustainability, and societal well-being.
We believe that many of the defining challenges of our time-including climate change, aging populations, access to mental and behavioral health care, workforce shortages, disease burden fueled by environmental degradation, and community resilience-cannot be solved within a single discipline or sector. They require collaboration across health care, public health, science, policy, education, business, government, and communities themselves.
Established through a transformational gift from entrepreneur, activist, and impact investor David Evans Shaw, the Institute brings those worlds together and reflects UNE's commitment to preparing graduates and partnering with communities to advance shared, actionable, and practical solutions to address these complex and interconnected so-called "wicked problems."
The Executive Director will provide strategic, academic, operational, and external relations leadership for the Institute during a formative period of growth. The successful candidate will be an accomplished, collaborative, entrepreneurial, and visionary leader who can unite faculty, students, professional staff, community partners, government agencies, industry, philanthropic partners, and other stakeholders around a compelling vision for public and planetary health.
Position Summary The Executive Director will be responsible for leading the Institute, overseeing its Centers and resources, establishing its strategic direction, and ensuring that its academic, research, and external engagement activities advance UNE's priorities. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys creating rather than maintaining and sees institutions as vehicles for meaningful social change.
Reporting to the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Executive Director will develop and implement the Institute's strategic direction and vision, cultivate interdisciplinary collaboration, strengthen student and faculty engagement, strengthen and expand external partnerships, secure additional external funding, support research and scholarship, and establish UNE as a recognized leader in public and planetary health. Initial reporting units include the Center for Public Health Practice, Center for Healthy Aging, and Center for North Atlantic Studies. The Executive Director will also work closely with academic deans, other center directors affiliated with the Institute, faculty leaders, research administrators, institutional advancement, marketing and communications, government and community relations, and external partners to build a distinctive, high-impact institute that reflects UNE's mission and strategic priorities.
Application and Nomination Process Applications should include a curriculum vitae or resume and a letter of interest describing the candidate's qualifications, leadership experience, and vision for advancing public and planetary health through an interdisciplinary, university-based institute.
Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. The anticipated start date is negotiable.
About the University of New England With roots dating to 1831, the University of New England has evolved to become the largest independent university in Maine. UNE has established itself as a leading comprehensive university with particular strengths in the health sciences and marine sciences and a wide range of academic programs offered both on-site and online to nearly 6,500 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.
UNE is guided by the core values of student-centeredness, community belonging, relentless inquiry through a marketplace of ideas, interdisciplinary collaboration, learning everywhere, progressive change, and stewardship of our planet. UNE's more than 70 undergraduate, graduate, professional, and online degree programs are offered through six colleges - the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Dental Medicine, the Westbrook College of Health Professions, the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the College of Professional Studies, and the College of Business. UNE is home to Maine's only medical school, pharmacy program, and physician assistant program, and Northern New England's only dental college. UNE's robust research agenda garners more NIH funding in biomedical research than any other college or university in Maine. UNE is located on two beautiful campuses in Maine - the coastal Biddeford Campus and Portland Campus for the Health Sciences - and also has a unique study-abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco. UNE is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
During a tumultuous time for higher education, UNE has bucked the trends, emerging from a global pandemic with robust enrollment numbers, a bold plan to move its medical college from Biddeford to Portland in order to create a unique, interprofessional health sciences campus there, and a host of new academic programs and student support initiatives designed to meet the workplace needs of an ever-changing economy. While many other institutions were content to merely keep their doors open during the pandemic, UNE's dedicated faculty and professional staff were determined to seize every opportunity during a time of much change and realignment for the industry. And, guided by the recently refreshed Our World, Our Future strategic plan, UNE has done just that. As a result, Fitch Ratings has recently upgraded UNE's credit rating to "AA-," while Moody's Investors Service affirmed the University's "A2" rating with a stable financial outlook.
UNE emphasizes community belonging and meeting the needs of first-generation students while consciously immersing students in an environment that prioritizes viewpoint diversity. Indeed, one of UNE's distinguishing characteristics is its commitment to fostering a robust marketplace of ideas so that students may develop the respect for opposing viewpoints and intellectual curiosity needed to be productive participants in our increasingly polarized society. The University invites guest speakers to campus whose ideas span various ideological spectra and, through an array of interrelated programs, expose students to multiple views on important topics, both inside and outside the classroom.
Perennially included on "best colleges" lists by U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, Forbes, and others, UNE prides itself on its excellent student outcomes. It has recently been ranked first in Maine for value added by Brookings and first in Maine for job placement by Zippia. UNE's clinical programs also boast exceptional board pass rates, while the aspiring doctors in UNE's College of Osteopathic Medicine earn a residency choice match rate that is among the 10 best in the country. For more information about these and other accolades, visit the website here.
About the David Evans Shaw Institute of Public and Planetary Health The Institute will serve as a catalyst for interdisciplinary academic programs, applied research, sponsored projects, student learning, workforce development, advocacy, policy translation, and public engagement bringing together expertise in public health, health professions and sciences, marine and environmental sciences, business, policy, sustainability, aging, behavioral health, and rural and coastal communities across the Arctic, North Atlantic, and related fields. Intentionally designed as a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration across UNE's colleges, schools, centers, and community partnerships, the Institute is aligned with UNE's mission to improve the health of people, communities, and the natural world.
The Institute is expected to strengthen UNE's visibility and impact in Maine, nationally, and globally while advancing partnerships that translate knowledge into action. This is an opportunity to help define not only a new institute, but a new model for how universities can address the interconnected challenges facing people and the planet.

Life in MaineThe University of New England is located on two beautiful campuses in Maine - an oceanfront coastal campus in Biddeford and a vibrant health sciences campus in Portland, a city of great appeal and historic significance. With breathtaking scenery, a rich cultural environment, world-class dining, low crime rates, and classic New England charm, southern Maine provides an unparalleled quality of life. The quality of life is exemplified by safe towns and cities, top school systems, and a variety of highly accessible outdoor activities, from the beach to the mountains. Whether you enjoy local shopping in Portland's Old Port, sampling unique breweries and distilleries in Biddeford, strolling the harbor-side trail on the Eastern Promenade, hiking, sailing, skiing, or the arts, the area offers something for everyone. The greater Portland region combines city living with small-town charm, frequently cited as one of the best cities in America to live and work.
Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a compelling strategic vision for the Institute that advances UNE's mission, academic strengths, research priorities, and commitment to healthier people, healthier communities, and healthier environments.
• Provide effective oversight of the Center for Public Health Practice, Center for Health Aging, and Center for North Atlantic Studies.
• Form and cultivate an effective advisory council to provide strategic guidance, review annual priorities, advise on partnerships, and help connect the Institute to internal and external stakeholders.
• Strengthen and build new partnerships with community organizations, public agencies, health systems, environmental organizations, industry, policymakers, aligned academic institutions, and philanthropic partners.
• Identify, pursue, and support external funding opportunities, including grants, contracts, philanthropic gifts, sponsored projects, and strategic partnerships.
• Promote applied research, scholarship, policy translation, and public-facing engagement that address complex public and planetary health challenges.
• Support the development of academic and workforce programs, certificates, experiential learning opportunities, fellowships, internships, and continuing education initiatives aligned with the Institute's priorities.
• Work with faculty and academic leaders to support student engagement, interdisciplinary learning, mentorship, and career pathways in public and planetary health.
• Represent the Institute to internal and external audiences through public speaking, convenings, media engagement, professional networks, and national partnerships.
• Lead Institute planning, budgeting, staffing, assessment, reporting, and operational processes in alignment with university policies and priorities.
• Advance a culture of collaboration, inclusion, scientific rigor, innovation, and accountability.

Qualifications
Required qualifications include:

• An earned terminal degree in public health, environmental health, medicine, health sciences, Earth system science, policy, sustainability, social science, business, or a related field; or a record of equivalent distinguished professional achievement appropriate to the role.
• Significant executive or senior leadership experience in higher education, research administration, public health, environmental health, nonprofit leadership, government, industry, philanthropy, or a related setting.
• Demonstrated success in leading growth and change, implementing new initiatives, and delivering measurable institutional and community impact.
• A strong record of interdisciplinary collaboration and the ability to work effectively across academic, scientific, community, governmental, and external stakeholder groups.
• Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and people leadership skills, including experience setting strategy, managing budgets, developing high-performing teams, and translating complex scientific, environmental, public health, and policy issues for diverse audiences.
• Strong emotional intelligence skills
• Experience securing and stewarding external resources through grants, contracts, philanthropy, strategic partnerships, or other revenue-generating opportunities.
• Evidence of commitment to student success, workforce development, community engagement, and fostering an inclusive, collaborative culture.

Preferred qualifications include:

• A national or emerging national reputation in public health, planetary health, environmental health, climate and health, sustainability, implementation science, community-engaged research, policy, or a related field.
• Familiarity with Maine, Northern New England, and the health, environmental, economic, and community priorities of rural and coastal regions.

Desired Leadership Attributes:

• Strategic, entrepreneurial, and able to build a new institute with clarity, focus, and momentum.
• A leadership style that empowers others to work towards a shared strategic vision balanced with a commitment to execution and implementation.
• Ability to earn trust across disciplines and constituencies.
• Comfortable serving as a visible ambassador for UNE and the Institute.
• Mission-driven and committed to improving health outcomes, environmental stewardship, and community well-being.
• Skilled at convening diverse stakeholders around shared goals and translating ideas into action.
• Comfortable operating in a dynamic environment and balancing vision with practical implementation.

EEO Statement Summary
Consistent with federal and state law and University policy, the University of New England is committed to the fundamental concept of equal opportunity for all of the members of the University community. The University prohibits, and will not tolerate, discrimination in employment, the provision of academic services or in any other area of University life based on race, color, sex, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, ethnicity, genetic information, HIV status, or status as a veteran. Prohibited bias factors should not motivate decisions regarding students, employees, applicants for admission, applicants for employment, contractors, volunteers or participants in and/or users of institutional programs, services, and activities.
COVID Vaccination Statement (PLEASE NOTE)
Posting Number
2022PS1026P
Close Date
Open Until Filled
To apply, visit https://une.peopleadmin.com/postings/27121
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