As part of our commitment to student flourishing, Emory University is pleased to announce the search for a strategic and seasoned leader in university wellbeing, health promotion and prevention to serve as the inaugural Executive Director of its new Center for Student Wellbeing. The Center for Student Wellbeing will serve as the focal point for the University’s culture of wellbeing for all students and a hub for holistic health promotion, prevention, peer engagement, and overall advancement of community wellbeing. Building upon Emory’s existing resources in health, mental health, and wellness, the Center’s signature programs and services will include wellbeing coaching, contemplative practice engagement, alcohol and other drug prevention, sexual health promotion, bystander intervention, health and wellbeing assessment, and a variety of other wellbeing programs and initiatives.

The Executive Director position represents a distinctive opportunity at Emory, a comprehensive research university that is seeking to continue to build a class-leading integrative health and wellbeing portfolio to serve the undergraduate, graduate, and professional student community. To succeed in advancing the vision of being a Health Promoting Campus, the inaugural Executive Director must have a deep passion and skill for the work, an understanding of the unique challenges faced by a highly diverse population of students, including both undergraduate and graduate/professional students, and clear recognition of the role of student’s sense of belonging and safety on their overall health and wellbeing. Above all, the Executive Director will embody a deep and abiding commitment to students, and strong desire to lead partnerships across the university community to advance student outcomes.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Executive Director will lead the assessment, strategic development, and implementation of innovative and evidence-based approaches to community wellbeing; provide collaborative student-centered and data-informed leadership; bring continued curiosity about student wellbeing needs; and utilize all available opportunities to both assess student needs and community effectively with campus constituents. Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Health, Wellbeing, Access, and Prevention, the Executive Director will serve as an integral member of the health and wellbeing leadership team, which also includes Executive Directors from Student Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, the Office of Respect, the Director of Health and Wellbeing Budget and Operations, and the Special Advisor to the AVP. Alongside these and other colleagues, the Executive Director will serve as a campus content expert and advocate for student wellbeing on campus, support a holistic approach that embraces the whole student in the context of a challenging and rewarding academic environment, and champion programs and policies that help students address unhealthy behaviors and cultivate lifelong habits of wellbeing. With a focus on advancing opportunities to strengthen all aspects of the student experience regarding health, mental health, and wellbeing, the innovative and collaborative leader selected as Executive Director will provide insights and strategy to enhance existing programs and services while exploring future initiatives to meet the changing needs of students.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Develop and implement the strategic vision for the wellbeing of all Emory University students by utilizing proactive and evidence-based wellbeing initiatives, primary prevention programming, and educational practices
  • Lead and recognize a high-performing and collegial team of public health, health promotion, and prevention professionals that sets and maintains clear expectations and assessed outcomes for impact
  • Utilize strategic assessment, planning, implementation, and outcome evaluation for community prevention and health promotion
  • Implement wellbeing best practices to affect both behavioral change and protective factors to inform educational initiatives and help shape policies, physical spaces, and programs that influence the student experience
  • Build and sustain strategic relationships with leaders, experts, and constituents from across campus to progress a vision that supports student’s holistic wellbeing
  • Communicate regularly and effectively to constituents, providing relevant quantitative and qualitative data about community wellbeing and the work of the Center
  • Work closely with prevention professionals from the Office of Respect to implement measures for the mitigation and prevention of sexual and relationship harm
  • Develop and implement peer educator curriculum and other student-oriented educational opportunities
  • Facilitate effective stewardship of people, finances, and other Center resources
  • Participate and present at professional conferences and other gatherings to share best practices

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

  • Master’s degree in Public Health, Student Affairs, Social Work, or related field
  • Five years of full-time progressive experience providing holistic prevention education to diverse populations
  • Demonstrated progressive leadership experience and associated outcomes
  • Knowledge of and experience with addressing current and emerging wellbeing issues in a university environment
  • Demonstrated experience with implementation of evidence-based and emerging practices that have achieved measurable improvements in health promoting behaviors, help-seeking, and/or indices of academic or personal success
  • Demonstrated ability to plan, organize, collaborate, and run large-scale programming
  • Proficiency in campus, community, and/or public health research, including community needs assessments, survey design, environmental scans, and other qualitative and quantitative methods
  • Precise attention to detail and strong written communication skills
  • Demonstrated experience working collaboratively across a diverse community of constituents
  • Experience advising peer education groups
  • Experience with strategic budgetary management
  • Full-time supervisory experience of professional staff
  • Ability to work nights and weekends as required

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Seven years of experience in health promotion and prevention in a university environment
  • Five years of experience as a director or in a similar leadership role
  • Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) or Certified in Public Health (CPH) designation, or eligible to be certified
  • College Health and Wellness Professional (CHWP) certification
  • Board Certified Coach (BCC) or other health coaching certification
  • Experience supervising an appointment-based health or wellbeing service (e.g., coaching, counseling, other healthcare)
  • Experience with developing and sustaining peer health education opportunities
  • Experience with contemplative practice programming, substance abuse prevention, and/or motivational interviewing
  • Knowledge of and experience with uplifting well-being and mindfulness practices reflective of a diversity of healthcare approaches and philosophies
  • Doctorate in public health, social work, student affairs leadership, or related field

ABOUT EMORY UNIVERSITY

Emory University is one of the world’s leading institutions of higher education, with an international reputation for path-breaking scholarship and research, engaged teaching, and innovative health care delivery. With a mission “to create, preserve, teach, and apply knowledge in the service of humanity,” Emory University seeks to lead through moral and ethical engagement, discovery, and innovation. A member of the Association of American Universities (AAU) since 1995, the University benefits from collaboration and synergy among its nine undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools. These schools include Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Oxford College, School of Medicine, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Candler School of Theology, School of Law, Goizueta Business School, Laney Graduate School, and Rollins School of Public Health.

Emory’s majestic main campus is in Atlanta’s historic Druid Hills suburb and is home to 8,155 undergraduates and 7,754 graduate and professional students. Emory’s reach and impact extend far beyond its Atlanta and Oxford campuses. The University’s 36,000 employees — including more than 11,000 faculty and staff and 24,000 Emory Healthcare employees — make it the largest private employer in the Atlanta metropolitan area and multiply Emory’s economic impact throughout the region and the state. Emory University strives to provide a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive campus as an essential part of a community of academic excellence.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Emory University has partnered with Keeling & Associates in this search process. Applications should include a cover letter and resume and must be sent, preferably in PDF format, to recruiting@KeelingAssociates.com. The subject line of the email should read “Emory—Executive Director, Center for Student Wellbeing.” Confidential inquiries and nominations should be addressed to Dr. Mark Patishnock, Senior Consultant at Keeling & Associates, at mpatishnock@keelingassociates.com. Applications received by February 29, 2024, will receive full consideration. The process will continue until the position is filled.

Emory University is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and Georgia State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. Emory University does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression.

Download a copy of the position profile, click here.