President

Search for the President 
Montserrat College of Art 
Beverly, MA

Montserrat College of Art (Montserrat, the College), founded in 1970 by a visionary group of artists who sought to create a new kind of art school, seeks a dynamic, entrepreneurial, strategic, and community-focused leader to become its next president. Since its founding, Montserrat has strived to provide a tailored individualized curriculum in the visual arts, communication design, and art education fields and has successfully educated young artists and designers of immense talent, launching them into creative, enterprising, and impactful careers. Montserrat is a small, independent, private, residential college that boasts a lively and diverse seaside campus in Beverly, Massachusetts, and whose pedagogy is deeply rooted in the belief that art changes lives, impacts its viewers and its makers, and exists far beyond the walls of a gallery.

Building on the strength of the College’s rich history and its location, Montserrat is a leading voice in advancing the creative and cultural economies on Massachusetts’ North Shore and beyond. Over the course of its 53-year history, the College has distinguished itself in the realm of innovative art education. Montserrat harnesses its size as a strength, which enables the cultivation of a caring and individually focused community for students, as well as affording leadership an unusual degree of institutional agility. Montserrat offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree encompassing 12 concentrations which are fostered in a supportive and interdisciplinary community where approximately 300 students engage in artistic practice, research, and creative expression. They benefit from one-on-one guidance provided by 20 full-time and approximately 40 part-time faculty each semester, composed of accomplished artists, designers, and scholars. The faculty and students are supported by a part- and full-time staff of about 50 professionals. Grounded by the College’s academic excellence and distinct career focus, Montserrat’s over 2,500 alumnae/i are successful after graduation.

The next president will inherit an institution that has strengthened its ability to fulfill its mission by enhancing its academic environment with additional concentrations, upgraded technologies, renovated facilities, and hired new accomplished faculty and staff. Montserrat has made significant strides in building its enrollment, infrastructure, and financial strength, with an annual operating budget of $10.5 million in FY2023. The next president must be a forward-facing leader eager to position the institution externally while serving as a deft institutional steward who can anticipate and tackle unforeseen circumstances and shifting priorities. Reporting to and working alongside the Montserrat Board of Trustees and in partnership with the staff, students, and faculty, the president will further develop a vision for the future; continue to evolve educational programming; implement a comprehensive enrollment plan; steward the College’s finances; bolster and expand fundraising; continue to build an equitable, diverse, and inclusive campus community; support and empower staff, students, faculty, and board; and strengthen external partnerships. The ideal candidate should bring considerable administrative experience, visionary and creative strategic thinking, outstanding leadership and people management skills, and an understanding of trends in art and design education as well as a taste for developing and implementing collaborative strategic initiatives. The next president will be an exceptional communicator and listener with an unyielding commitment to the arts and arts education.

Montserrat College of Art has retained Isaacson, Miller to assist in this important recruitment. Please direct all inquiries and applications as indicated at the end of this document.

HOW TO APPLY

Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website for the search: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/montserrat-college-art/president. Electronic submission of materials is strongly encouraged.

Ben Tobin, Partner
Stephanie Simon, Associate
Alaine Small, Senior Search Coordinator
Isaacson, Miller

The Montserrat College of Art is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all applicants, employees, and students without regard to race, color, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, veteran status, active military service, genetic information, or any other category protected under applicable law.