Executive Director, Votruba Preparatory Academy and Breakthrough NKU

Northern Kentucky University; Cold Spring (KY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Northern Kentucky University hosts Breakthrough NKU and the Votruba Preparatory Academy, seeking an Executive Director to guide strategic direction, fundraising, and external engagement for high-impact programs serving grades 6-12. The role blends university leadership with external partnerships to ensure quality, sustainability, and student experiences.

The Executive Director will close coordination with NKU’s outreach units, safeguarding student and Teaching Fellow experiences while stewarding

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership and Educational Pathways: Develop and execute a multi-year strategy aligned with Breakthrough NKU's mission and NKU priorities.
• Regional Partnerships and Educational Innovation: Cultivate strategic partnerships with school districts and community organizations.
• Program Oversight and Organizational Leadership: Oversee program operations, personnel, financial resources, and student experiences.
• External Relations, Advisory Leadership, and Resource Development: Lead fundraising and external engagement.

Job description

Position Title:

Executive Director, Votruba Preparatory Academy and BreakthroughNKU

Position Type:

Regular

About the Role:

The Executive Director of Breakthrough NKU and the VotrubaPreparatory Academy is an accomplished, mission-driven leaderresponsible for guiding a high-impact educational program servingstudents in grades 6-12 and preparing talented college students forcareers in education. The Executive Director will oversee twodistinct projects—Breakthrough NKU and the Votruba PreparatoryAcademy. Hosted by Northern Kentucky University and affiliated withBreakthrough Collaborative, Breakthrough NKU provides a 6-weeksummer camp for 6th-9th graders for four consecutive years. TheVotruba Preparatory Academy provides the Breakthrough NKU programas well as other academic program offerings that bring students toNKU for academic enrichment, mentorship, or exploration.

As both a university leadership and externally facing partnershiprole, the Executive Director is accountable for the overallleadership, quality, and sustainability of Breakthrough NKU and theVotruba Preparatory Academy programs. The Executive Director setsstrategic direction; identifies needs and solutions with regionalpartners; translates strategy into measurable annual priorities;develops and supports a strong team; coordinates, collaborates, andconnects with NKU’s various academic outreach units; safeguards thestudent and Teaching Fellow experience; builds trustedrelationships with students, families, partners, and communitystakeholders; leads fundraising and external engagement; andstewards the program’s financial and operational resources. Therole combines strategy, organizational leadership, fundraising,advisory engagement, and stewardship within NKU’s institutionalpolicies and governance.

Success requires a leader who can move comfortably betweenlong-term strategy and hands-on execution, build authenticrelationships across differences, develop people and teams,cultivate philanthropic support, and bring organizations andindividuals together around shared goals.

This is a distinctive leadership role. Breakthrough NKU is aprogram hosted by Northern Kentucky University rather than aseparate nonprofit organization. The Executive Director thereforeleads the site with substantial programmatic and externalresponsibilities while working within the host institution’s legal,financial, human resources, safety, risk management, andoperational framework.

The Executive Director also partners closely with the VotrubaPreparatory Academy Advisory Council, engaging members inprogrammatic vision, strategic relationships, and program supportwhile maintaining a clear distinction between the Council’sadvisory role and the host institution’s fiduciary and employmentauthority.

KEY LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Strategic Leadership and Educational Pathways
   • Develop and execute a multi-year strategy aligned withBreakthrough NKU's mission, Votruba Preparatory Academy'spriorities, NKU's strategic priorities, and BreakthroughCollaborative standards and organizational expectations.
   • Establish strategic priorities, organizational structures, andmeasures of success that support program quality, studentachievement, organizational effectiveness, and long-termsustainability.
   • Lead the development of meaningful campus-based academicenrichment and college readiness opportunities for students ingrades 6–12, creating a more connected and centralized coordinationof NKU P-12 outreach programs as well as a stronger pathway topostsecondary education for economically disadvantaged,first-generation students.
   • Serve as a senior advocate for academic outreach andeducational pathway initiatives within NKU and the broadercommunity, building alignment among institutional leaders, staff,advisory council members, families, and other stakeholders.
2. Regional Partnerships and Educational Innovation
   • Cultivate strategic partnerships with school districts,educational cooperatives, community organizations, and universitystakeholders to identify and address regional educationalneeds.
   • Identify and advance innovative educational initiatives thatleverage NKU's expertise and resources to strengthen studentlearning, expand educational opportunities, support educatorpreparation, and promote improvement within regional schools.
   • Identify and articulate emerging organizational, financial, andresource needs as partnerships and initiatives expand, supportingresponsible growth and positioning NKU as a collaborative regionalleader.
   • Partner with regional school districts to identify persistentand emerging educational challenges and develop, implement, andevaluate innovative responses that leverage NKU's facultyexpertise, research, resources, and partnerships to strengthenstudent learning, educator preparation, and schoolimprovement.
3. Program Oversight and Organizational Leadership
   • Provide executive oversight of program operations, personnel,financial resources, and student experiences, ensuring high-qualityprogramming and effective organizational performance.
   • Build and support a strong leadership team, fostering a cultureof collaboration, accountability, professional growth, andcontinuous improvement.
   • Ensure that the experiences, aspirations, and needs ofstudents, families, and communities inform program design,implementation, and decision-making.
   • Oversee the development and support of Teaching Fellows andinstructional personnel in collaboration with program leaders,ensuring high-quality teaching and mentoring experiences.
   • Ensure responsible financial stewardship, effective operationalsystems, and compliance with applicable NKU policies, includingstudent safety, risk management, and institutionalrequirements.
4. External Relations, Advisory Leadership, and ResourceDevelopment
   • Provide leadership for the Votruba Preparatory Academy AdvisoryCouncil, engaging members in strategic planning, advocacy,partnership development, and support for the programs' mission andpriorities.
   • Serve as a principal representative of NKU's educationalpathway initiatives with philanthropic supporters, communityleaders, institutional partners, and other externalstakeholders.
   • Lead annual and multi-year fundraising and resource developmentstrategies, collaborating with NKU Advancement, institutionalpartners, and the Advisory Council to secure philanthropic, grant,and other external support.
   • Communicate the mission, outcomes, opportunities, and resourceneeds of educational pathway initiatives through compellingproposals, presentations, reports, and stakeholder engagement.
5. Assessment, Accountability, and Continuous Improvement
   • Establish and monitor meaningful outcomes related to academicgrowth, student engagement, high school success, college readiness,Teaching Fellow development, and regional impact.
   • Use program, financial, and regional data to evaluateeffectiveness, inform strategic decisions, strengthen programquality, and identify opportunities for improvement andexpansion.
   • Communicate program outcomes, organizational performance, andstrategic priorities to university leadership, advisory councilmembers, funding partners, and other stakeholders.