Executive Director

Teach For America

17d•Hybrid

About The Position

Oklahoma is a place rich with wisdom, resilience, and hope. Building on knowledge deeply rooted in this place, Teach For America has worked alongside students, families, educators, and business and community leaders to strengthen an education system that unlocks opportunity for all Oklahoma children. Over the past 19 years, Teach For America - Oklahoma has recruited and trained more than 1,100 corps members for Oklahoma’s public schools, and today more than 600 corps members and alumni form a locally rooted network of leaders deeply committed to students and communities across the state. As we approach 2026, we are seeking an Executive Director who can build on this strong foundation and lead the region into its next chapter. This leader will bring deep relational strength, political and contextual savvy, and a clear orientation toward results to advance Teach For America Oklahoma’s contribution to the organization’s 2030 goals. Teach For America is seeking its next Executive Director, Oklahoma to lead the region toward its 2030 goals in a complex, matrixed organizational environment. This leader will work shoulder-to-shoulder with existing champions and enlist new advocates—including corps members, alumni, parents, students, community leaders, donors, and elected officials—as partners in advancing educational opportunity. The Executive Director will inherit a strong, accomplished internal team and will focus particular attention on external leadership: cultivating trust across Oklahoma’s political and community landscape, stewarding philanthropic partnerships, and strengthening the region’s long-term sustainability and impact. The role requires credibility across both “grass tops” and field contexts and the ability to bring the right people together to drive progress in dynamic conditions. The Executive Director will lead local staff and will be responsible for raising approximately $3-4M annually.

Requirements

A minimum of 10 years of professional experience, with demonstrated success achieving results in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
Strong alignment with Teach For America’s mission and values, with a clear orientation toward impact and outcomes.
Proven ability to influence without authority, build consensus, and mobilize diverse stakeholders toward shared goals.
Political savvy and emotional intelligence, with experience navigating sensitive or high-stakes external environments.
Experience leveraging systems, data, and relationships to drive organizational performance and continuous improvement.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build trust across donors, board members, community leaders, and staff.
Ability to travel frequently across Oklahoma.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with Teach For America’s model and context strongly preferred (alum experience or deep organizational fluency highly valued).

Responsibilities

Lead the execution and ongoing refinement of an inspiring, outcomes-oriented strategy to advance the region’s local 2030 goals.
Drive impact by navigating Teach For America’s complex, matrixed organization—leveraging national teams, regional expertise, data, and systems to deliver results.
Translate long-term vision into near-term priorities, balancing iteration with focus and accountability.
Serve as a trusted organizational steward, modeling strong judgment, emotional intelligence, and learning orientation while delivering measurable outcomes for students.
Partner in coalition with local organizations to advance education policy, advocacy, and systems-level solutions aligned with Oklahoma’s context.
Serve as a lead external representative for Teach For America Oklahoma, building and sustaining deep relationships with individual, foundation, corporate, and public-sector partners.
Strengthen philanthropic sustainability by cultivating new funding partnerships while stewarding existing relationships in alignment with regional priorities.
Collaborate closely with the Development team and regional board to mobilize networks, close gifts, and position Teach For America as a trusted, results-driven partner.
Navigate Oklahoma’s political and funding landscape with sophistication, credibility, and relationship-centered influence to ensure continued public and private support.
Build strong, trust-based partnerships with the Board, particularly the Board Chair, maintaining transparent and consistent communication.
Engage the Board as strategic partners in fundraising, advocacy, and long-term sustainability.
Support effective governance by surfacing risks, opportunities, and results with clarity and sound judgment.
Strengthen and diversify the regional board, leveraging members’ influence and networks to advance impact.
Lead with emotional intelligence and cultural competence, fostering a joyful, inclusive, and results-oriented team culture.
Support and empower a strong internal leadership team, focusing on alignment, clarity, and execution rather than reinvention.
Recruit, mentor, and develop diverse leaders who are capable of navigating complexity and delivering outcomes.
Develop direct reports to lead effectively in their roles and to manage and grow their teams.
Convene and catalyze a broad, community-grounded coalition to advance educational opportunity and economic mobility across Oklahoma.
Build trust and alignment across lines of difference—political, geographic, and ideological—by finding common ground and inspiring collective action.
Elevate the leadership of Teach For America corps members and alumni as credible advocates for students and communities.
Help stakeholders see their role in achieving Teach For America’s 2030 goals and mobilize them toward shared outcomes.