Director, Center for Best Practices

The National Governors Association (NGA) is the bipartisan organization of the nation’s governors. Through NGA, governors share best practices, speak with a collective voice on national policy, and develop innovative solutions that Governors face and support the principles of federalism.

The NGA Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) develops innovative solutions to today’s most pressing public policy challenges and directly serves governors and their key policy staff. The NGA Center is the only research and development firm that directly serves the nation’s governors.

The NGA Center conducts research and produces reports and organizes meetings on topics related to key issues of concerns for Governors including education, health, workforce development, energy, transportation, the environment, homeland security, and public safety.

NGA has a staff of approximately 115 and a budget of $28 million. The NGA Center, the largest division of NGA, has a staff of approximately 65 and a budget of $20 million. Funding for the NGA Center comes primarily from grants from private foundations and corporations, and contracts from U.S. federal agencies.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Reporting directly to NGA’s Executive Director, Bill McBride, the director’s most important responsibilities include:

• Providing leadership, vision, strategic direction, and high-level representation to ensure that the NGA Center is providing Governors with insightful and useful research and analysis on key issues affecting states;
• In collaboration with Governors, identifying emerging issues that should become part of the NGA Center’s research agenda;
• Identifying and using new technologies to find better ways to deliver Governors the results of its research, some of which requires quick turn-around;
• Develop and manage an annual budget for the Center. Collect qualitative and quantitative measures for each area of program activity, track key benchmarks, organize information in accessible formats, and provide regular reports to NGA’s leadership;
• Lead and coordinate grant fundraising from private and public sector donors who finance the NGA Center’s work and work with NGA’s Director of Development to determine sources for NGA share/match;
• Maintaining the NGA Center’s bipartisan approach to its work. NGA’s membership spans the range of Democratic and Republican governors and the Governor’s various ideologies and political philosophies, but NGA’s own work should not reflect whatever the ratio might be at any moment. Instead it focuses on the many topics and issues that are of mutual concern to governors, regardless of their partisan interests;
• Overseeing and motivating NGA Center staff – accomplished researchers and experts in their subject matter areas – to continue to perform at the highest levels with creativity and dedication to the mission of NGA; and
• Serving as part of the NGA senior management team, which includes the executive director, the COO, and several other senior positions.

TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Deeply knowledgeable about state government, ideally through actual employment in a senior management job in one or more states, or other employment that focuses on policy analysis at the state level;

• Knowledgeable in one or more important policy areas that concern states – although it’s important to note that although experience conducting research and policy analysis on state issues is useful, the director will not be expected to conduct his or her own research. This is a significant senior management job, where a broad range of leadership and management skills are paramount;
• Knowledgeable about leading a large unit of a membership association, where providing exceptional customer service to dues-paying members is essential. Governors are not obligated to belong to NGA; they do so only if they believe they are receiving benefits that are worth paying for;
• Knowledgeable about the US Government, and in particular how Congress and relevant federal agencies affect state government;
• A successful development professional, with experience that includes obtaining grants and contracts from foundations and government agencies;
• Familiar with the way organizations such as think tanks, consulting firms, and research institutions carry out research and analysis, especially on public policy issues so it’s insightful and timely and can be used by its intended audiences and customers;
• A collaborative leader, able to draw on the knowledge and experience of a dedicated staff;
• An excellent communicator, able to motivate, inspire, and persuade members, funders, partners, staff, and other stakeholders to take action that helps the NGA Center carry out its work;
• Able to develop a strong working relationship with NGA’s executive director, who was hired recently by the NGA board (made up of governors) to bring substantial change and improvement to NGA to better serve Governors; and
• Able to travel periodically throughout the country, primarily to meet with Governors, their staff and other stakeholders and to attend relevant conferences and meetings.