Inside the Executive Director Search

Leith Mullings

How the Executive Board Found AAA’s New Leader

Ed Liebow, who holds a PhD in cultural anthropology from Arizona State University, will be the first anthropologist in decades to occupy the position of executive director (ED) of the AAA. He has been a member of the association since 1977 and has served the discipline in a variety of elected and appointed roles. Ed assumes this post as the association confronts new challenges and opportunities for innovation, among them a rapidly changing scholarly publishing environment, a growing membership that is increasingly diverse and international, and a mandate to strengthen anthropology’s role in education, scientific inquiry and public discourse.

The Search

The Executive Board began by considering the skills, qualities and characteristics an executive director should have, based on the needs and priorities of the association. Clearly proficiencies in management, leadership, administration, communication and fundraising are critical. The ED must also have some familiarity with the publishing environment and be able to monitor government regulatory bodies relevant to the AAA. The Executive Board sought a candidate who, in the words of the Summary of Competencies, is “able to lead and support the AAA in its public communication efforts…. (and to) further the AAA’s goal of inclusion to make it a vibrant organization and welcoming space for all anthropologists….” In addition, the EB was committed to finding an ED “who is passionate about the work of the AAA; (and) can inspire anthropologists, members of staff, political actors, community members and the media about that work…..” In sum, the EB sought a candidate with “passion, commitment, vision, intellectual engagement, openness, fiscal responsibility, and the ability to plan realistically, inspire, communicate to a wide range of audiences, and shape and lead organizational change.”

The Search Process

The search was multilayered, wide ranging, thorough and inclusive. The first task was to assemble a search committee as representative of the many dimensions of our membership as possible. I was fortunate to be able to appoint a stellar search committee that brought tremendous depth of experience, expertise and understanding to the search. Skillfully chaired by Monica Heller, AAA vice president/president-elect and a linguistic anthropologist who lives and works outside the United States, the committee included Don Brenneis, a social and linguistic anthropologist and former AAA president; Johnnetta Cole, a social anthropologist who has been president of two colleges and now directs the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art; T J Ferguson, an archaeologist, practicing anthropologist and former chair of CoPAPIA; Alan Goodman, a biological anthropologist, former dean, and former AAA president; and Elaine Lynch, AAA deputy executive director/CFO.

A subcommittee of the EB interviewed five search firms and selected one firm that was able to cast a wide net for candidates by advertising on the websites of 19 newspapers and national associations, and using contact lists and listservs. After interviewing the pool of viable candidates, the search firm selected 12 applications for the search committee to consider. From these the search committee selected six for in-person interviews. Over the course of two days the search committee interviewed five candidates (one of the six withdrew for personal reasons) and presented two for consideration by the EB.

Based on eight hours of interviews and deliberations, the EB unanimously voted to offer the position to Ed Liebow. Ed has worked as the director of the Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation and has run his own firm, Environmental Health and Social Policy Center. With experience supervising a staff of 70 and a budget of 10 million dollars, Ed is an accomplished administrator, manager and fundraiser. Furthermore, he is quite familiar with the culture of the association and has served the discipline in many capacities: as a member of the executive board and program chair for the Society of Applied Anthropology, president of the National Association for the Practice of Anthropology, an AAA EB member and a member of the editorial board of American Anthropologist. As the AAA Treasurer from 2006–12, he was a responsible steward of the organization, navigating it through volatile financial times. What is more, he is an accomplished scholar, with scores of articles and technical reports to his name.

The Vision

Ed brings invaluable experience, skills and knowledge to the position of executive director and articulates an exciting vision for the association: “I envision an association that supports a vibrant, diverse and globally connected community of scholars and practitioners engaged in knowledge production and dissemination that promote a richly textured understanding of the human condition to be mobilized in tackling problems of social justice and sustainability, which I regard as the key challenges of our day.” The Executive Board shares this vision and is confident that Ed Liebow will be a strong leader, moving the association forward to meet the challenges ahead.

via Anthropology-News http://www.anthropology-news.org/index.php/2013/02/27/inside-the-executive-director-search/