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http://www.dallasholocaustmuseum.org | Dallas Holocaust Museum
Dallas, Texas
has appointed
Alice Murray
as
Chief Executive Officer | Alice Murray was president of her own commercial real estate development and consulting firm for ten years. She also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of DowntownDallas as well as Vice President of Development at Gatehouse Capital. She was the first Executive Director and later President and Chief Executive Officer of both The Real Estate Council and The Real Estate Council Foundation. Ms. Murray holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The Organization
Founded in 1984, the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance was established to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and to teach the moral and ethical lessons learned from mass prejudice, hatred, and indifference. Michael Jacobs, a survivor of five concentration camps, identified and brought together other Dallas area survivors, and on the lower level of the Jewish Community Center launched what was originally named the Dallas Memorial Center for Holocaust Studies. In 1999, the organization was fortunate to be one of ten non-profit beneficiaries of a $50 million fundraising campaign sponsored by the Dallas Jewish Community Capital Campaign for the 21st Century, the proceeds of which contributed to the Museum’s growth and eventually led to a move to a temporary location in downtown Dallas in March 2005. An Executive Director with extensive experience at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, was hired in 2002 to develop the Museum’s exhibit, and the name of the center was changed to the Dallas Holocaust Museum two years later.
Filled with artifacts and personal items from Holocaust survivors, the Museum hosts approximately 40,000 school children annually, along with a number of adult visitors, and also provides teacher seminars and sensitivity training for Dallas-area police officers. Currently, the Museum’s exhibit includes a self-guided audio tour and uses photographs, videos, and memorabilia to tell the story of the Holocaust. Glass display cases contain well-preserved objects such as prisoner uniforms, Star of David patches, shaving brushes and soap, personal letters, and identification cards, while enlarged photos show scenes of deportation and concentration camps. A boxcar from Belgium, which was used to transport Holocaust victims and was the first of its kind brought to the United States, is positioned in one room, while another section is covered with plaques commemorating the families of the dead. Other areas of interest include displays that focus on specific events such as the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the derailing of a prisoner transport train by three Belgian resistance fighters, and the Bermuda Conference, all of which introduce a human element to the experience. The exhibit concludes with a continuous video of poignant, first-hand survivor stories. Although housed in a relatively small space (5,200 square feet), the Museum has great visual and emotional impact, vividly portraying a horrific event and, perhaps more importantly, teaching the broader lessons of an apathetic response to prejudice and hatred.
Recognizing the need for a larger building to accommodate a growing number of visitors and expand the Museum’s outreach, property was purchased in downtown Dallas in late 2004 near the Sixth Floor Museum (a popular tourist site that chronicles the Kennedy assassination), and conceptual designs for a new, architecturally significant, 50,000 square foot museum were begun. As the campaign and building are completed and the Museum transitions from its current location to its new home over the next few years, growth will occur in several areas: the operating budget is projected to increase significantly, staff responsibilities will change and expand, and the building will become an educational center and gathering place for the community. Notwithstanding its origins in the Jewish community, the new Museum will continue to educate children and adults of all backgrounds about the horrors of the Holocaust itself as well as more generally the dangers of prejudice, stereotyping, and indifference that continue to exist in the world today. Indeed, the organization has recently changed its name to the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance, reflecting the institution’s mission since its inception and representing more accurately its broad focus on countering intolerance and state-sponsored hatred of all types.
The governance of the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance is also indicative of the broader scope and mission of the Museum. Although the development and direction of the original project was largely an undertaking of the Jewish community, the organization is now intentionally expanding board representation to encompass all elements of the city – Jewish and non-Jewish alike. Both the Board of Directors and the Advisory Board currently include persons of varied backgrounds and religious affiliations, a composition that serves to extend the Museum’s outreach and fundraising efforts throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area.
In light of the forthcoming transformation, the Board of Directors is undertaking a search to find a President and Chief Executive Officer whose primary goal will be to direct and manage the growth, physical expansion, funding, and successful launch of the new Museum, which is anticipated to occur in 2011 or 2012. Plans for the enlarged space include a three-story building complete with a Memorial Room, Testimony Theater, Memorial Garden, and gathering areas on both upper levels. The new President/CEO will work closely with the current Executive Director, who will focus his efforts on curatorial and educational responsibilities as the project unfolds and new exhibits are designed and developed. Ultimately, the completed Museum will represent another exciting addition to the city’s already robust cultural offerings.
Responsibilities
The President and Chief Executive Officer will report to the Board of Directors and will be responsible for managing the organization through a period of significant growth as it transitions from a relatively small museum to a much larger entity in Dallas’s downtown West End Historic District. Specific duties will include the following:
Working with the Board of Directors to refine the vision and strategic direction of the organization and to develop programs and action steps in support of the mission.
Creating and implementing a fundraising strategy, including plans for a $40 million capital campaign, to provide necessary funding for the Museum’s expansion, construction, and continued day-to-day operations.
Establishing and nurturing relationships with current and potential donors and building productive associations with civic leaders, corporations, and foundations both within and beyond the Jewish community.
Developing relationships within the North Texas community to support the Board’s efforts to recruit and retain both new Directors for the Museum and individuals eager to serve on one or more of the Museum’s advisory boards.
Serving as the public “face” of the organization in North Texas and acting as the key staff member in the execution of the Museum’s capital campaign by motivating and galvanizing volunteers and Board members to participate in fundraising efforts.
Communicating with the public through media, community organizations, educational institutions, and similar channels in order to strengthen the Museum’s public profile, to secure funding for its growth and operations, and otherwise to fulfill its mission.
Embodying the mission of the organization and speaking passionately on its behalf.
Analyzing and evaluating the Museum’s current organizational structure to ensure that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and that a professional staff is in place that will keep the organization on task to meet both short- and long-term goals.
Providing day-to-day management by overseeing the financial, human resources, fundraising, membership, facilities, and other administrative functions of the Museum.
Managing an operating budget that will most likely grow from $1 million to approximately $5 million over the next several years.
Candidate Qualities
Leadership
A creative and strategic thinker with enthusiasm, commitment, perseverance, and the ability to “tell the story” and “sell the vision.”
One who leads by force of intellect, personal presence, understated confidence, and excellent communication skills.
An accessible and approachable leader who creates a sense of trust, credibility, and respect.
An executive who empowers others, creating within them a sense of ownership and a drive to achieve desired results.
An individual who takes a collaborative approach to managing volunteers and staff while also exercising the discipline and tough-mindedness necessary to ensure that objectives are consistently met, if not exceeded.
A leader whose style is marked by independent thinking, carefully-evaluated risk-taking, tenacity, and follow-through.
Experience
Because candidates may come from either the for-profit or not-for-profit sectors, their respective backgrounds may differ. Nevertheless, some common areas of experience will likely include the following:
Leading and transforming organizations during stages of growth, development, and facility expansion.
Marketing, presenting to the public, and “telling the story” of an organization to various constituencies in order to engender financial and other support.
Envisioning, innovating, articulating, planning, and executing creative strategies and large-scale programs.
Understanding the motivations of different markets and audiences in order to secure commitments and resources.
Dealing with financial statements, budgets, and “bottom-line” responsibility.
Serving in a variety of professional positions in not-for-profit organizations or in high-level volunteer roles if one is a candidate from the for-profit sector.
Skills and Knowledge
Excellent written and verbal communication skills that allow one to promote a vision, to articulate a strategy, and to inspire colleagues and volunteers.
Able to forge strong personal relationships with donors and to move comfortably among people of wealth and influence.
Skilled in motivating, empowering, and delegating to an accomplished staff, as well as inspiring board members and other volunteers.
Strong organizational skills, business sense, and financial acumen
Able to apply a “marketing mindset” to expanding an organization’s outreach to new audiences.
An understanding of how to create, cultivate, and sustain a large and involved membership base.
Ideally, an awareness of and familiarity with potential major donors in the greater Dallas community, or the ability to quickly learn the philanthropy landscape of the area.
Personal Attributes
A person of unquestioned integrity who honors commitments and deals with people in a straightforward manner.
One who is passionately committed to the Museum’s mission and champions the intolerance of prejudice and hatred of all types.
A self-directed, goal-oriented, and organized individual who is also flexible and resilient.
A good listener who genuinely desires input from a variety of sources, welcomes an open exchange of ideas, and values close collaboration with the Museum’s Board of Directors.
A person who is sensitive to and interacts well with a diverse range of constituencies.
One who possesses strength of character, yet is humble and has a “common touch.”
A tactful, empathetic individual who, by virtue of his or her positive attitude and personally high standards, encourages others to do their best and rejoices in their successes.
Engaged, collaborative, outgoing, and personable. Other Considerations
Compensation: An attractive compensation competitive with comparable organizations.
Education: Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree(s) preferred.
Location: Dallas, Texas.
Travel: Light.
| | Updated: Jul 23, 2010 |
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