Dean of Equity & Community

San Francisco University High School welcomes students of demonstrated motivation and ability to engage in an education that fosters responsibility and the spirited pursuit of knowledge. We are a school where adults believe in the promise of every student, and together we work to build and sustain a community of diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and talents. UHS challenges each individual to live a life of integrity, inquiry, and purpose larger than the self.

UHS was founded on the principles of equity and excellence, and the Board continues to demonstrate its unwavering, deep commitment to equity and community. From the creation of Summerbridge (now Breakthrough Summerbridge), a tuition-free, summer intensive academic enrichment and advocacy program for underserved middle school students, to significant investment in professional development [including over 30 members of the UHS’s adult community’s registration for the 2023 People of Color Conference (PoCC)] to a broad range of student affinity groups to the establishment of the Equity and Community Stewardship and Oversight Committee, UHS community members across constituencies are working to create a community in which all feel a sense of belonging and have opportunity to thrive. With the revised Statement of Equity and Community and strategic planning, increased enrollment, and physical expansion in the near horizon, the school seeks to expand the role of the Director of Equity and Community (currently a 10-month position) and to that of a Dean, an elevated position that includes serving as a member of the senior administrative team, 12-month employee, key member of the Deans team, and strategic partner for the Board’s Equity and Community Committee. This is an exciting time at UHS, and the Dean of Equity and Community will have the opportunity to collaborate with invested and dedicated school leaders to guide the school in realizing its strategic vision of “building systems that yield equitable outcomes.”

Opportunities and Challenges:

Guide the work of the Statement on Equity and Community. The UHS community engaged in an 18-month process and sought input from all stakeholders in the creation and affirmation of the statement. The four pillars of the statement are Equity in Access and Support, Care and Interconnection, Diversity Responsive Teaching and Learning, and Institutional Self-Assessment and Reflection. There is great enthusiasm and support for the work outlined in the Statement, and the school is looking for the Dean of Equity and Community to collaborate with all constituencies to turn this strategic vision into an operational reality. To do this, the incoming Dean has the opportunity to:

• Discover and unify practice. The school has had an ongoing commitment to supporting all students in succeeding at UHS. While there is consensus on the need for and importance of this work, it is not currently coordinated across departments or constituencies. The incoming Dean will need to be an anthropologist of sorts and to spend time learning about and celebrating what is currently being done, discover themes and areas of overlap, and find ways for community members to share and collaborate.
• Provide support for teachers, staff, and administrators. UHS faculty and staff have benefited from institutional leaders who value equity work and the allocation of time, money, and energy to increasing capacity in this area. The incoming Dean will be available to both provide resources to the community and be a resource as an experienced diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging practitioner.
• Evaluate current structures and organizations. Over the years, the school has developed a number of curricular and support programs to support all community members in feeling a sense of belonging. The incoming Dean will be tasked with partnering with stakeholders to assess the effectiveness of the current structure and propose possibilities that both advance these efforts and are easily understood by all. This could touch on lines of reporting as well as the schedule.

Support the work of the Equity and Community Stewardship and Oversight Committee. Alongside the Head of School, the Dean of Equity and Community co-chairs this important committee that includes faculty, staff, students, trustees, parents, and alumni. The committee seeks to acknowledge the range of work and progress, support ongoing efforts, and makes recommendations for the following school year. The June 2023 report may be reviewed HERE.

Lead and supervise the continuing development and evolution of the Institute for Responsive Education (REd Team). The Institute for Responsive Education houses the Centers for Metacognition & Neurodiversity, Health & Wellness, Community Engagement, and Equity & Community, and the Ethnic Studies program. The Dean has the opportunity to examine this program and assess its organizational efficiency, and, especially as the school considers a new schedule, how these important programs are best integrated into the school’s programs.

Serve as a key partner for other school leaders. The new Dean will be an important partner with all of school leadership and, in particular, will develop close collaboration with:

• Head of School to lead the Board Equity and Community Committee
• Athletic Department and Sports Equity Task Force
• Director of Enrollment and Strategy and the admission team to support families from diverse backgrounds, review applications, and provide training on implicit bias
• Dean of Teaching and Learning to advance curriculum development with an equity lens
• Dean of Faculty to expand and grow candidate networks to promote and advance hiring and to provide professional development
• Internal Research Team to support the development of dashboards and studies to work towards the goals of the Equity and Community Statement
• The Alliance for Equity and Community (ACE), a parent-led group advancing DEIB work among families

Support campus expansion. UHS is in the process of building a fourth building as part of its urban campus. With this much anticipated expansion community members are already predicting the possibility of changes in culture, space allocation and schedule. The incoming Dean will be on the forefront in looking at the impact of the new building on the student and adult experience and finding ways to mitigate and alleviate the stress that can be associated with change.

Qualifications and Personal Attributes:

• An orientation to think, lead, and act at both the strategic and operational levels and the ability to manage details and the larger picture;
• A highly relational and communicative diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging practitioner who is experienced and skilled in working with, supporting, and providing accountability for administrative colleagues, faculty, and staff and the gravitas and experience to work with parents and Board;
• A strong eye for talent and the ability to contribute to the recruitment and retention of a diverse and aligned faculty and staff;
• A team builder, educator, and mentor who calls individuals into the work, supports their development, and deploys them aligned to their strengths, roles, and responsibilities;
• A steady demeanor and the ability to maintain professional equilibrium and stand strong when navigating the challenging work  facing diversity practitioners in schools;
• A deep appreciation for the development of high school students and a deep desire to engage with students as a part of their work;
• A warm, confident, and humble leader with energy, a sense of humor, and a commitment to self and community care.

To Apply:

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to contact the consultants in confidence. Candidates will ultimately need to submit the following materials as separate PDF documents:

• A cover letter expressing their interest in this particular position;
• A current résumé;
• Responses to writing prompts, click HERE ;
• A list of five professional references with name, relationship, phone number, and email address of each (references will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission) to:

Jennifer Wong Christensen (Senior Consultant) – jennifer.christensen@carneysandoe.com AND Chaya Keefe (Consultant) –  chaya.keefe@carneysandoe.com

Please note: To apply, all materials must be submitted to Jennifer Wong Christensen and Chaya Keefe via email only (such as cover letter, resume, etc).

The full-time equivalent salary range for this position is $180-200k. The starting salary is based upon, but not limited to, several factors that include years of experience, education level, and expertise. 

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