UMass Boston Seeks Director for Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

Since 1994, the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy of the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston has strengthened women’s leadership in politics and policymaking by providing quality graduate education that brings together women from diverse backgrounds; conducting collaborative research and hosting convenings that make a difference in women’s lives; and maintaining a focus on the intersection of race and gender. Recognizing the talent and potential of women from every community, and guided by the urban mission of an intellectually vibrant and diverse university in the heart of Boston, the center works to expand the involvement of women in politics and policies that affect them, their families, and their communities.

With the retirement of long-time center director Carol Hardy-Fanta, a search is now underway to identify a leader who will build on the significant contributions made by Hardy-Fanta over the past  decade. The center has a strong track record conducting cutting-edge collaborative research and serving as home to unique educational and training programs for women. The center hosts events on pressing policy issues facing women and engages advocates, policymakers, media officials, and others to address the under-representation of women in politics in Massachusetts, New England, and the United States.

The center’s Leading Women Speaker and Film Series on Women’s Public Leadership and its research partnership with the Women’s Pipeline for Change to enhance efforts to increase political representation by women of color are the most recent examples of the center’s active commitment to advancing women’s public leadership.

Christa Kelleher, the center’s interim director, stated, “The center’s staff work hard to ensure that women are influential at all levels of political leadership and policymaking. The center also brings much-needed attention and analysis to policy matters important to women of diverse backgrounds. This director search comes at time marked by renewed energy and effort to strengthen women’s public leadership with the recent election of so many female Members of Congress. I look forward to the appointment of a new leader who will expand the reach and depth of the center’s activities to build on the center’s existing programs, collaborations, and strengths.”

UMass Boston has launched the search for a permanent director and applications will be accepted until January 30, 2013.

Brief Position Description: The director of UMass Boston’s Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy will provide leadership on all major areas affecting women in politics and public policy and in strategic planning and program development. The director works collaboratively with others to develop, coordinate, implement and assess the center’s teaching, research and service activities and will work to ensure that these activities have local, national, and global foci. The full job description provides a complete list of responsibilities.

Qualifications: JD or PhD in social policy, public policy, sociology, economics, political science, psychology or a closely related field and a minimum of five years of professional and/or managerial experience in public policy, politics and/or academia. Additional qualifications are listed on the Human Resources website.

Closing Date for Applications: January 30, 2013

Please apply online with your résumé, cover letter, and list of three professional references.

More information about the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy.

The University of Massachusetts Boston is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity, Title IX employer.