Dear Sustainable Aggies:
Please find an announcement calling for applications to fill the position of
"Director" for the Innovative Farmers of Ohio. I have attached it and have
included it in the text of this message. I apologize in advance for any
cross listings as you will probably be seeing this again as I will put the
announcement on the IFFS and SANET listservers also. Please feel free to
call me at 740-363-2548 or e-mail if you have further questions. Please feel
free to direct other people to me also.
If any of you have Web pages and wouldn't mind posting this announcement, it
would be greatly appreciated. I will also be preparing a short article/ad to
be included in newsletters if anyone is interested in doing so.
Thank you for your assistance in getting the word out. We are very excited
about the potentials of this position.
Sincerely,
Jeff Dickinson, Director, Stratford Ecological Center/Interim Director, IFO
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
Director - Innovative Farmers of Ohio
MISSION STATEMENT
The Innovative Farmers of Ohio (IFO) is a grassroots farmers network
dedicated to promoting, through research, education and community building
activities, an agriculture that preserves and strengthens the economic,
social and environmental well-being of Ohio's farms, farm families and rural
communities, and protects and improves the health and productivity of Ohio's
land and waterways.
JOB DESCRIPTION
The Director of the Innovative Farmers of Ohio will serve as the executive
officer of the organization, employed by and responsible to the Board of
Directors. This person will be the first to officially serve in this
capacity for IFO. However, there was has been significant work accomplished
in fulfilling our mission since establishment in 1993, primarily through the
voluntary efforts of our members, its close association with the Stratford
Ecological Center, and our collaborative efforts with the Ohio State
University and other agricultural organizations around the state and region.
In addition to advancing programs that have already been established, this
person will be responsible for breaking new ground, developing new
relationships, and bolstering existing relationships with other
organizations, academic institutions, public agencies, and individuals. It
is IFO's belief that only through such collaborative efforts, can we sustain
the goals of our Mission Statement.
Qualifications
This person must be self-directed and motivated, yet able to recruit and
delegate to others involved in a variety of education, outreach and research
activities. The Director must also be a team-player, consulting with and
receiving overall direction from the Board of Directors, in addition to
seeking feedback from IFO's membership. Familiarity with agricultural
issues is critical, with knowledge about the practice of agriculture
desirable, as this person will interact extensively with farmers. While a
degree is desirable, greater weight will be given to individuals who have
demonstrated communication skills and abilities in fundraising, program
development and management. Applicants should be able to demonstrate strong
capabilities to:
o Communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, with farmers,
researchers, OSU Extension/NRCS agents, mass media and personnel from other
organizations;
o Organize and involve farmer members in education (farm tours, workshops,
annual meetings) and on-farm research activities;
o Fundraise from a variety of sources, including private, public and
corporate foundations, government programs, direct appeals to the public and
from individual donors;
o Administrate numerous tasks (computer skills are very desirable), including
grant/budget management, grant reporting, general correspondence, answering
or directing questions from the membership and general public, planning and
organizing educational programs, developing annual reports (organizational
and research), facilitating communication between Board officers and the
membership, maintaining databases (membership, contacts, fundraising), etc.;
o Build linkages and facilitate dialogue among organization members, consumer
and environmental groups, and other agricultural interests in Ohio and around
the region.
Specific Job Duties
The Director is presently funded for three years, with the expectation
that this person will continue the funding stream to sustain this position
indefinitely. This funding is the result of IFO's making specific
commitments that will need to be accomplished during the next three-year
period:
1. Explore the feasibility of a statewide coalition for sustainable
agriculture and form a 13 member Steering Committee for Education in
Environmentally Sound Agriculture.
2. Develop 10 community-oriented farmers' "learning circles" around Ohio.
3. Develop science and case study based guidebooks (Agroecosystems Management
Guide and Transition Manual) and information packets for farmers in
loose-leaf binder format that can be customized to fit the needs of
individual farmers (in collaboration with OSU).
4. Participate in and recruit farmer/member participation in numerous
planning and organizational meetings developed within OSU.
5. Participate in a national network of sustainable agriculture interests
sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to integrate efforts for greater
collaboration with other non-profit organizations, Land Grant Universities
and farm service providers.
6. Facilitate greater communication between OSU, non-profit organizations,
and individual farmers within Ohio through a newsletter, articles, papers,
etc.
7. Facilitate more on-farm research in sustainable agriculture.
8. Continue and expand existing programs (workshops, farm tours, annual
meeting).
Salary/Benefits
Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications. IFO will
also provide medical insurance.
How to Apply
We are asking each applicant to develop a sample one-page letter that the
new Director would send to OSU and other non-profits organizations to
introduce themselves and their vision for IFO. Send this along with a resume
and cover letter to:
Jeff Dickinson, Innovative Farmers of Ohio, 3083 Liberty Rd, Delaware, OH
43015; phone (740) 363-2548; e-mail secenter@aol.com. Also have three
letters of reference sent to the same address. Application Deadline - Aug.
25, 2000
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