Research and Policy President & CEO
Job Description
Who Are We
The Denver Preschool Program (DPP) is an independent, non-profit organization that administers the City and County of Denver’s universal preschool initiative first approved by voters in November of 2006 and renewed and expanded in 2014. Through a 0.15 percent Denver sales-tax, revenue is collected by the City and allocated to the Denver Preschool Program to provide tuition assistance to families of preschoolers, invest in quality improvement for preschool programs, engage in parent and community outreach, and evaluate the success of the program. Our vision is that every child in Denver enters kindergarten ready to reach their full potential. And, our mission is to help Denver fulfill its commitment to its youngest learners. We champion, fund and increase access to preschool across our community. Since its initial authorization in 2006, DPP has provided more than $106 million in tuition support to more than 50,000 children.
The board of the Denver Preschool Program now seeks a new President & CEO to lead this critically important work.
Position Overview
The President & CEO oversees all organization activities. The President & CEO, in consultation with the Board, is responsible for developing a clear strategy for the Denver Preschool Program’s mission-based activities and executing those activities.
The President & CEO:
- Provides direction and leadership toward the achievement of the organization’s philosophy, mission, strategy, and its annual goals and objectives.
- Implements the strategic goals and objectives of the organization.
- With the Chair of the Board, enables the Board to fulfill its governance function effectively and professionally.
Strategic Orientation
DPP’s strategic orientation for the next few years is to build upon our successes in providing quality preschool to Denver’s 4-year-olds while achieving measurable gains in quality, access and choice.
As the Denver Preschool Program enters its 13thyear, we are proud of how far we have come and excited for what comes next to make a difference in our community. We have a strong, healthy organization with proven and highly committed board and staff members. The Denver Preschool Program has developed partnerships across the metro area to support families and providers, and we are ready to mobilize more efforts with those partners in new ways.
The incoming President & CEO will have the opportunity to lead our next chapter of innovation and impact. The Denver Preschool Program is seen by communities across the country as a model of what early childhood education support can look like, and we want to take a more active role in leading that conversation around the country. DPP is ready for a leader who can help us take our deep data about children and education outcomes and mine that for ideas and initiatives that will strengthen our work and early childhood education approaches more broadly. Our new President & CEO will lead efforts to invest in new programs and approaches and will help us adapt to changing opportunities and changing priorities locally and across the state. Most importantly, this new leader will identify and execute our objectives to enroll more 4 years in quality programs.
What Does it Take
To lead the Denver Preschool Program in its next chapter of development and impact, qualified candidates will have a background in these areas:
Commitment to our Work– Passion for and involvement with early childhood education with a proven commitment to equipping the youngest members of our community with the ability to grow and succeed.
Leadership–Strong skills in organization, staff, and community leadership with evidence of vision, creativity, innovation, and impact. These skills can come from a variety of professional sectors including nonprofit, public service, or corporate environments. Some knowledge of how to develop and leverage a sophisticated governing board highly preferred.
Financial & Operations Management– Proven success in managing complex operations, delivering results, ensuring integrity and accountability of processes and staff, finding innovative and impactful mechanisms to invest in new programs and initiatives, and developing systems to grow effectively. Experience in helping organizations grow into their next stage of development and identifying additional funding sources highly valued.
People Development –Strong commitment to and demonstrated skills in developing skills in staff members with experience in mentoring, coaching, and evaluating staff at different levels. Operates with calm, professional demeanor and brings fun and camaraderie to the workplace.
Communications– Strong ability to communicate with different audiences in individualized ways; proven ability to partner effectively with stakeholders with diverse backgrounds, interests, and concerns. Ability to be an inspirational and motivating ‘face’ of an organization.
Public Policy– Knowledge of how to develop, implement, and monitor public policy measures with experience in working in strong partnership with elected and appointed government officials.
Cultural Competency– Understands how to effectively communicate and work with diverse populations across our community; proven ability to develop trust, confidence, and authentic relationships.
Quality Delivery– Clear commitment to leading quality programs with experience in measuring quality, impact, and return on investment.
The Board of the Denver Preschool Program seeks a visionary, results-oriented leader who can help a mature, smooth-running organization deliver more. We need someone who is not satisfied with the status quo, who can inspire others to support our vision for young children, and who can lead the Denver Preschool Program to deliver value to families and providers in innovative ways.
