Executive Director

~ Our mission is to integrate science education, applied research, and leadership development through year-round educational programs and a seasonal, environmentally-sustainable island community. ~

Hurricane Island is centrally located along the Maine coast in Penobscot Bay. It is part of the municipality of Vinalhaven, an offshore island community. The abundant marine life in Penobscot Bay has supported generations of families on the islands and peninsulas, and fisheries are deeply embedded in the region’s culture. For many communities, including Vinalhaven, their current economy is dependent on lobster fishing and tourism, with wild caught fisheries and aquaculture contributing at a lower level. Hurricane Island’s granite cliffs, forests, and rocky shoreline provide inspiring environments for learning and exploration, and terrestrial and marine life are central to HICSL’s research and education programs.

Hurricane has an interesting history. From the latter quarter of the 19th century to the first quarter of the 20th century the island was home to a community of over sixteen hundred people, which maintained a highly productive quarrying business. During this period, many prominent buildings in Boston, New York and beyond were built with Hurricane Island granite. In late 1914, the island’s once thriving granite production abruptly ceased, and all workers and their families abandoned the island.

Fifty years later, in 1964, the island was reborn as the headquarters of the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School. Founded by Peter Willauer, it was the third Outward Bound school in the United States. For the next forty years, Hurricane Island again hosted a thriving community, albeit now with a different mission and purpose. In 2006 the Outward Bound School left Hurricane Island and moved to a mainland base.

In 2010, Peter Willauer and his nephew, Ben Willauer as board chair, negotiated a new forty-year lease with the island owners and The Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership was born. Now in its fifth year, the Center is thriving and has grown significantly each year under the strong leadership of Barney Hallowell, the retiring Executive Director. The staff of the Center consists of five directors who oversee operations, science, education, programs/marketing, and development. Three additional year-round staff support the Center, and an additional 15-20 seasonal staff support the operations on Hurricane between May and October.

Position Overview

The Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership is pleased to announce an opening for Executive Director.

Responsibilities

• The Executive Director is the chief executive officer of the Center, responsible for: maintaining a balanced budget, fiscal sustainability through fundraising, overseeing all operations and programs, and hiring, developing, directing, and evaluating all staff.
• The Executive Director works from the Center’s office on the mainland in Rockland, Maine and is expected to show an active presence on the island when programs are in session from May through early October.
• The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors.

Qualifications

• This position offers an exciting and challenging opportunity to take the Center to “the next level.”
• The ideal candidate will embrace the vision and mission of the Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership, will enjoy working with young people and be committed to the practice of scientific inquiry as a way of learning and to the principles of sustainability.
• Ideally the candidate will fervently believe in the regenerative power of educated young people and be hopeful for the future of our world.
• The position calls for a person with vision, strong and proven administrative experience, demonstrated leadership qualities, solid organizational skills, a clear sense of purpose, an ability to be flexible and adaptable, and blessed with a sense of humor.
• Experience overseeing an organization of similar size is highly desirable, as is a proven ability to inspire substantial philanthropic gifts and contributions, and a track record in creating substantial earned income or sales.
• Having a background in education and/or research science and an appreciation of the beauty and power of our oceans and marine life, boat-handling skills, and some understanding of the coast of Maine and island life are a plus, but not essential.
• The competitive candidate will have a bachelor’s degree, or equivalent combination of education and formative life experience.

Additional Information

The Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership is a dynamic and visionary program. At its core, the Center believes that we can support individuals young and old in becoming leaders, scientists, and environmental stewards of the future through an innovative integration of place-based, experiential, science education; original, locally-relevant research; and leadership training. The heart of the Center is on Hurricane Island, where our energy systems model sustainability and contribute to the preservation of our oceans and our earth.

Students and educators work with highly qualified science teachers and research scientists and contribute to ongoing original field research. They learn how to be part of a self-contained cooperative community on the island. Many of the so called 21st Century Skills identified as being essential to effective leadership in this century: collaboration, communication, adaptability, problem-solving, oral and written expression, and critical thinking are all embedded in the curriculum and fostered in the teaching and learning. They dive deeply into hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) projects, gaining skills that are critical for employment in today’s world.

Incorporating outdoor learning and leadership activities with rigorous science studies, program participants immerse themselves in the ecosystems of the Gulf of Maine and work alongside scientists exploring the viability of those systems. They reconnect with the natural world and their impact on it. Students, teachers, and school leaders experience the practice of science and the design and engineering of sustainable systems and see firsthand its vital role in sustaining the world around them.

To Apply

Please click below to upload a letter of interest of not more than 250 words detailing your interest and qualifications, a current resume, and a list of three references to Susan St. John, Chair.

Applications are encouraged to be sent by March 1; however, resumes will be considered until the position is filled.