Vice President for Administrative Affairs

Oakton College, a caring community of educators dedicated to transforming lives through education, invites applications for Vice President for Administrative Affairs (VPAA 23). The College is seeking a leader who understands the VPAA role as advancing the Institution’s mission and strategy and who understands the critical role played by all of the functions within the position’s purview.

A premier comprehensive community college, Oakton is 17 miles from downtown Chicago. Oakton serves the near northern suburbs of Chicago with campuses in Des Plaines and Skokie with buildings totaling over 700,000 square feet of space resting on 192 acres. These campuses serve almost 10,000 students annually that are enrolled in over 82,000 credit hours of instruction and a wide array of adult and continuing education classes. The College's Operating Funds' budget (Education and Operations & Maintenance Funds) for the academic year ending on June 30, 2023 amounts to $77.1 million. The College is known for its academic innovation, commitment to serving students, solid financial position, and supportive environment for both students and employees.

The VPAA will support Oakton’s strategy through its current strategic plan and facilities master plan and will continuously improve services. The VPAA will uphold transparency in information, service processes, and decision making, and encourage decision making based on collaboration and shared governance. The VPAA will be a key player in risk management and regulatory compliance, as well as in the building of partnerships with external service organizations in the community.

Successful candidates will posses:

• A demonstrated capacity to envision how a college like Oakton can adapt its programs and services to new circumstances.
• Cultural competence – being able to learn about and appreciate different experiences and perspectives.
• A Track record of success advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and justice (DEIBJ) objectives.
• An understanding of shared governance, ideally including a union environment, and experience working with an elected governing board.
• Experience leading budgeting and financial strategy for a complex institution with multiple stakeholders.
• Experience coordinating and integrating multiple service functions in support of an institution’s mission and strategy.
• An understanding of the potential for digital tools to enhance learning and services.
• Experience in a similar role, ideally but not necessarily in higher education, and the public sector.

Candidates are encouraged to review the search profile, which can be accessed above.

Nominations and Applications

The application deadline for best consideration is October 17, 2023. The search will remain open until an appointment is made.

Candidates are requested to submit the following:

• A resume;
• A letter of interest;
• The contact information for five references (to be contacted with candidate’s permission at a later date).

All application materials should be submitted through the AGB Search portal system accessible via this link.

Questions regarding the application process should be directed to OaktonVPAA@agbsearch.com.

Nominations and expressions of interest are encouraged. Please direct them to OaktonVPAA@agbsearch.com or to the AGB search consultants listed below:

Larry Ladd, Executive Search Consultant - larry.ladd@agbsearch.com / (508) 274-0910
Julie Staggs, Executive Search Consultant - julie.staggs@agbsearch.com / (571) 970-7895

We encourage applications from candidates who reflect the increasing diversity of Oakton's student body and community, enhance and promote engagement with other cultures, and have demonstrated a commitment to working with and as part of a multicultural faculty and diverse student body and community.