Executive Director, Disability Resource Center

The Executive Director of the Disability Resource Center (DRC) provides strategic vision, leadership, and oversight to the department and works with campus partners to ensure disability access and institutional compliance with federal and state statutes and inspire progressive thinking about disability and accessibility. The Executive Director oversees all aspects of the department, including personnel, service delivery, programming, budget, and outreach. This position leadership to campus in designing an inclusive and welcoming campus experience for U of A students, employees, and visitors, maximizing access proactively and reducing the need for individual accommodations.

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

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About the Disability Resource Center
The Disability Resource Center (DRC) leads the campus in ensuring accessible campus environments for students, employees, and visitors. Disability is an aspect of diversity that is integral to our society and to the University of Arizona campus community uses this thinking to inform outreach and collaboration and to promote campus learning and working experiences that are usable, equitable, sustainable, and inclusive of all members of the university community. DRC's centralized approach to disability access and its large staff and space make it an international model of innovative services, programs, and partnerships.

Position Description
The Executive Director of the Disability Resource Center (DRC) provides strategic vision, leadership, and oversight to the department and works with campus partners to ensure disability access and institutional compliance with federal and state statutes and inspire progressive thinking about disability and accessibility.

The Executive Director oversees all aspects of the department, including personnel, service delivery, programming, budget, and outreach. DRC supports a large staff, with over 30 full and part-time employees who respond to requests for accommodations from students, employees, and campus visitors and work proactively with campus partners to eliminate barriers systemically. DRC supports an exam administration center that coordinates over 10,000 exams per year. Additional departmental team members include Access Consultants who work directly with students and employees on accommodation requests, Deaf and hard of hearing services, alternative media, and physical access coordinators.

The Executive Director also offers leadership to campus in designing an inclusive and welcoming campus experience for U of A students, employees, and visitors, maximizing access proactively and reducing the need for individual accommodations. This individual acts as an advisory contact to ensure access, consider reasonable accommodations, and identify campus policies and practices that may negatively impact disabled individuals. The Director will represent DRC and disability on various institutional committees and projects. The Director is also actively engaged in training, grant-writing, problem-solving, consultation, and collaboration to improve campus access.

DRC is organized in the Division of Student Affairs. Reporting to the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Director serves on the Student Affairs leadership team and is an integral player in the Division, working closely with departments such as Campus Health, Campus Recreation, the Dean of Students Office, Housing & Residential Life, and Student Engagement & Career Development.

Essential Responsibilities/Duties:

• Effectively and persuasively communicates departmental mission, vision, and goals to a diverse campus and community audience.
• Directs and maintains effective use of resources to ensure accommodations, and that programs, and services are accessible to students, employees, and public.
• Directly supervises two Associate Directors, and indirectly oversees professional staff including administrators, coordinators, consultants, communication access, IT analysts, administrative support, business manager and student workers.
• Manages departmental annual expenditures at approximately $3 million/year, plus a centrally funded accommodations line at $2.5 annually.
• Collaborates with DRC leadership, develops, implements, and manages programs, policies, and procedures related to access and accommodations, ensuring proper oversight and enforcement of processes.
• Consults regularly with the Office of General Counsel to interpret and implement University, state, and federal laws, rules, and policies necessary to ensure reasonable accommodation and academic integrity.
• Develops partnerships with the campus community by challenging assumptions to reframe disability, promote inclusively designed campus environments, and infuse disability into campus initiatives.
• Serves on divisional and campus-wide committees, task forces, work groups.
• Oversees the management of the department's website, ensuring that accurate, up-to-date University information on access, services, resources, policies, and demographics is easily accessible.
• Develops innovative models and exemplary practices in partnership with campus and community members to ensure access and participation that actively values the disability experience.
• Develops and maintains national contacts and membership in disability-related organizations and activities.
• Participates in professional development activities, locally and nationally, through presentations, publications, attendance at conferences and/or related activities.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Ability to analyze situations, anticipate trends and make decisions that support the ongoing success of the department.
• Ability to be a strategic thinker who can provide a vision for the department's future
• Effective communication, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence capabilities to properly mediate concerns or complaints between students, families, faculty, and staff
• Strong understanding of issues and trends in disability services at the post-secondary level, including disability studies and federal and state laws related to access for individuals with disabilities.
• Demonstrated commitment to academic and scholarly research and publication.
• In-depth knowledge of administrative and management principles, theories, and practices, including supervisory practices.
• Proficiency in budgetary management and long-term planning to align departmental programs and services with division goals.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with proven ability to effectively communicate with diverse campus and community members.
• Demonstrated experience in supervising and managing a diverse staff.
• Proven ability to establish goals and objectives that guide budgets and support departmental and divisional priorities.
• Demonstrated commitment to professional development and the advancement of progressive thinking and practices on disability services and disability-related access in higher education.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree or equivalent advanced learning attained through professional level experience required.

Minimum of 9 years of related work experience, including 5 years of managerial experience, or equivalent combination of
education and work experience.

Administrative or management experience, including supervision of personnel.

• Master's degree or Doctoral degree in a field related to disability, diversity/social justice, higher education.
  
• Professional experience working in disability services in a post-secondary setting.
  
• Experience as a director of disability services or ADA compliance officer.
  
• Service to relevant professional associations.
  
• Experience writing and managing grants.
  
• Publication of research or other academic and scholarly contributions.