Northern Voices

Opportunity Profile

An Overview

Northern Voices: www.northernvoices.org is a center for young children with hearing loss that enables students to communicate through the use of spoken language, and helps families prepare their children to reach their full potential.

We believe that children with hearing loss are happiest and most fulfilled when they share a language and can comfortably communicate with their families. Listening and spoken language is an educational choice that is right for many families. Our goal is to provide a center for excellence for families who choose spoken communication.

Northern Voices serves young children with hearing loss, from infancy through preschool, by providing:

• a unique educational setting
• a specialized, research-based intervention process
• individualized, supportive instruction
• highly trained faculty

Through early, individualized intervention and experience, Northern Voices seeks to provide students, regardless of income or background, with the skills they need to be fully integrated into mainstream school settings as early as possible.

Northern Voices adheres to an auditory/oral philosophy. Most children who are deaf or hard of hearing, regardless of their severity of hearing loss, can learn to speak and to understand the speech of others. Developing the ability to speak makes it possible to communicate independently with other hearing individuals, thus providing greater independence to participate in the world at large.

Through its program, which recognizes effort and improvement as well as achievement, Northern Voices provides a supportive and stimulating learning environment in which children who are deaf or hard of hearing can grow socially, emotionally, and academically. Our student/teacher ratio of better than four to one allows for programming that is specifically designed to fit the unique abilities and learning style of each child.
Reading is a process of decoding written symbols that represent an already known language. If a child does not understand the language they are decoding, then they will not comprehend what they have read. Therefore, language instruction is the core of all teaching, since acquiring competence in reading is dependent on language.

Our teachers are deeply committed to the oral approach, and have the knowledge and dedication to make a significant difference for the children we serve. They are licensed by the Minnesota Department of Education in the areas of deaf education, speech language pathology, early childhood/early childhood special education and/or elementary education. They continue their professional growth and expertise by attending and presenting at workshops, classes and conferences.

Northern Voices is the only nonprofit school in Minnesota offering children who are deaf and hard of hearing a true auditory-oral program.

Centrally located in Roseville, MN, we are accredited by the North Central Association of Schools and serve students from throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area, great Minnesota, and neighboring cities across the Upper Midwest, such as Fargo, ND, and Hudson, WI. The school is supported through program fees from independent school districts and/or parents, foundation grants, and individual contributions. Northern Voices maintains an open enrollment policy throughout the year and adheres to a teaching curriculum developed and practiced by Jean Moog, a pioneer in the field of auditory oral education. Northern Voices is also a member of the OPTIONschool network.

The Opportunity

Over the last 3 years, under the leadership of the former Executive Director and the Board, Northern Voices has made significant progress in raising its visibility and greatly expanding service to children and their families. Northern Voices has increased peoples access to the school and services, and has raised its awareness and effectiveness on local and regional levels.

The School has more than doubled its sized over this recent period and is experiencing the joys and challenges of that growth. Our new Executive Director will help the school move through the demands of both leadership fronts and the need to expand the physical space requirements of running a growing a thriving school.

There is a need to expand the financial resources of Northern Voices in order to coincide with an expanding physical presence and to further its program development. Our new Executive Director, along with the Board and Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), will lead in the development of financial resources and partnerships, through expanding grants, cultivating corporate and individual donors, and by increasing awareness and participation in special events such as the annual Northern Voices Charity Golf Tournament, Charity Golf Tournament, Auction and Dinner, held each August. Our new Executive Director will also help facilitate the expansion of services where necessary and appropriate to help diversify the organization's revenue sources.

Our Executive Director will need to be a dynamic communicator, bringing a positive and strong message for the future. The will inspire parents, staff, students and supporters to believe in the mission and message of the school. They will work in tandem with the board, staff, and PTO to execute a strategy to grow and impact the lives of students and families in order to reach the goals that carry the school through to the next level.

The Candidate Criteria and Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have:

• A passion for young children and families who experience hearing loss
• Background or experience with children and families facing special needs
• Education and experience equal to the unique demands and efforts of an Executive Director in a nonprofit

Who Might fit this Role?

• An Executive Director in another nonprofit organization with similar mission and goals
• An Instructional Professional in the field of hearing loss or a related discipline
• A Clinical Professional in the area of hearing loss
• A business professional with firsthand experience and exposure to hearing loss or a related area of children's needs.

The Inquiry Process

A. Please provide an updated Resume or Curricula Vitae to SIMA International to the contact listed below.

B. In order to gain a more complete picture of who you are and your interest in the Executive Directors Position at Northern Voices, please provide succinct response to the following questions (1-2 paragraphs per question please).

1. Describe why Northern Voices would specifically fit into your area of Passions.
2. What motivates you to bring your leadership to the Executive Director role in this organization?
3. What specific leadership strengths qualify you to lead at Northern Voices?
4. Describe your experience and exposure to the area of hearing loss or a related field or area of special needs.
5. Describe 2-3 times where you have led a collaborative effort involving multiple groups or constituents.
6. Give 2-3 examples of financial oversight or leadership that demonstrate your experience and capabilities in this area.
7. Describe your communication style and relevant communication experiences and initiative which you have led.
8. Give 2 to 3 examples of your ability to lead the growth an organization and the role you played in that growth...please give specifics.

C. Please provide a minimum of five (5) references, including at least two subordinates and a peer, along with contact information for each reference. We will not contact references until later in the process, if deemed necessary, and only with your prior approval.

Please submit all of the above information in a Microsoft Word format to:

Kevin Spanbauer
SIMA Minneapolis
kspanbauer@simainternational.com
952-841-7537