Center Director, Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center

Important Notifications

Application Deadline: When applying, please keep in mind this posting will close at 11:59 pm the night before the posted "end date". Applications MUST be submitted prior to this deadline.

Current Employees: Do not apply via the OSU Career site. Instead, please login to your regular Workday account and visit the Jobs Hub to apply.

Department: Diversity & Cultural Engagement

• Special Instructions to Applicants:

When applying you will be required to attach the following electronic documents:

• A resume
• A cover letter indicating how your qualifications and experience have prepared you for this position.

Starting salary will be commensurate with skills, education, and experience.

For additional information please contact: Meghan Lockwood

Job Summary

Diversity & Cultural Engagement is seeking a Center Director of the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center. This is a full-time (1.00 FTE), 12-month, professional faculty position.

Diversity & Cultural Engagement (DCE), a department within the Division of Student Affairs, serves as a student-centered hub for identity-affirming community and belonging for students at Oregon State University (OSU).

The Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center is one of DCE's eight programs. The other seven programs include six additional Cultural Resource Centers (CRCs) - the Asian & Pacific Cultural Center, El Centro, Ettihad Cultural Center, kaku-ixt mana ina haws, Pride Center, and Hattie Redmond Women & Gender Center - and SOL: LGBTQ+ Multicultural Support Network, which works within and across all seven CRCs.

Reporting to the Director of DCE, the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center (LBHBCC) Center Director provides leadership, vision, and strategic direction for the LBHBCC. One of seven cultural resource centers at Oregon State University, the LBHBCC serves all people with a focus on Black, African, and African American peoples.

The Center Director is responsible for cultivating an inclusive, welcoming, and affirming environment where Black, African, and African American identities, cultures, and histories are honored and celebrated, and all students are welcome and invited to participate and learn.

This role is central to fostering student belonging, academic success, and holistic well-being by providing culturally relevant programs, advocacy, and support services.

The Center Director oversees the daily operations of the center, including student staff supervision, budget management, programming, and community engagement. They serve as a collaborator in building connections between students, campus partners, and community partners to expand opportunities for Black, African, and African American students and enhance institutional awareness and accountability.

By aligning LBHBCC initiatives with Diversity & Cultural Engagement (DCE) and OSU's broader strategic priorities, the Center Director plays a key role in advancing access, retention, and graduation outcomes with a focus on Black, African, and African American students and other minoritized and underserved students.

Key Responsibilities

• Across all areas of responsibility, the Center Director of the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center is expected to bring a student-centered, mission-aligned lens to their leadership. This includes a focus on the experiences, needs and perspectives, of Black, African, and African American students while also attending to the broader mission of DCE and the university. The Center Director uses this lens to inform priorities, partnerships, programming, resource decisions, and organizational practices and to identify opportunities to strengthen student learning, belonging, leadership, and success.

CRC Leadership, Student Development & Educational Practices

• Provide strategic leadership for the Lonnie B Harris Black Cultural Center LBHBCC, creating an identity-affirming environment that advances student belonging, learning, leadership development, community engagement, and success with a focus on Black, African, and African American students
• Design and coordinate co-curricular educational experiences, supervise and develop student employees, facilitate leadership development opportunities, and support students in navigating university systems, resources, and opportunities.
• Prepare student employees to facilitate peer learning and engagement.

Partnerships, Collaboration, and Resource Navigation

• Develop, reinforce, and nurture collaborative relationships with campus partners, students, student organizations, alumni, and community organizations in support of Black, African, and African American students.
• Build and maintain referral pathways to increase student access to resources, services, opportunities, and networks that support their success and well-being.
• Engage with and support initiatives that foster belonging, intercultural learning, dialogue, community building, and engagement.

Systems Improvement and Institutional Responsibility

• Serve as a constructive contributor to institutional initiatives by bringing student perspectives, professional expertise, and evidence-informed recommendations to decision-making processes.
• Identify systemic barriers, emerging needs, and opportunities for improvement, and collaboratively develop strategies that enhance student success, access, and belonging.

Departmental Leadership

• Represent DCE and the LBHBCC in campus and community partnerships and engagement efforts, while contributing to DCE through department-level committee service that advances shared organizational processes and effectiveness.
• Share expertise, resources, and best practices with colleagues to strengthen collective learning, problem-solving, and cross-center effectiveness.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a field relevant to the position (i.e. Ethnic Studies, Cultural Studies, Education, Social Sciences)
• Four or more years of experience in a higher education setting with a focus on a combination of the following: academic support, leadership development, community engagement, programming or developing diversity/social justice focused educational programs. OR related professional experience working with Black, African, and African American college students.
• Demonstrated experience with mentoring, advising, and/or supervision.
• Demonstrated personal and professional commitment to principles and practices of inclusive excellence and social justice.
• Demonstrated knowledge, skills, and awareness of identity development, community needs, or student success strategies for Black, African, and African American students.
• Demonstrated knowledge and ability to work with Black, African, and African American people across multiple intersecting dimensions of difference such as gender, race, ethnicity, disability, and sexuality.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple complex projects.
• Demonstrated efficacy with written and oral communication.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage complex situations (e.g. crisis management, bias-related incidents).
• Experience initiating and sustaining relationships with multiple stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience with budget management.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Higher Education Administration, Ethnic Studies, Cultural Studies, Critical Studies, Counseling, or related field of study.
• 2 or more years of direct experience working with cultural resource centers, multicultural programming, or identity-focused student support services in a higher education setting.
• Demonstrated experience working with student organizations.
• Demonstrated experience designing and facilitating workshops, trainings, or dialogues on topics related to social justice, identity development, cultural knowledge, community building, or leadership.
• Knowledge of assessment and program evaluation strategies.
• Demonstrated experience working in collaboration with a broad range of campus and community stakeholders.

Working Conditions/Work Schedule

• Work is campus based, Monday through Friday, during standard business hours.
• Work schedule may include occasional evening and weekend commitments and meetings.
• Specific CRC expectations are updated in DCE guidance for general operations.
• Work environment is in a cultural resource center setting.
• Frequent contact and work with a variety of faculty, staff and students.
• Regular handling of confidential information.
• Position includes occasional out-of-state travel to attend meetings and conferences.
• The ability to push/lift up to 30 pounds may be necessary at times.

Salary Range

$65,000-$70,000

Anticipated Start Date: 2027-02-01

Anticipated End Date

When applying, please keep in mind this posting will close at 11:59 pm the night before the posted "end date". Applications MUST be submitted prior to this deadline.

OSU will conduct a review of the National Sex Offender Public website prior to hire.

We encourage applications from candidates who bring a wide range of lived experience including involvement with the justice system.

If this position has "critical or security-sensitive" responsibilities and/or driving duties and you are selected as a finalist, your initial job offer will be contingent upon the results of a job-related pre-employment check (such as a background check, motor vehicle history check, sexual misconduct reference check, etc.). Background check results do not automatically disqualify a candidate.

Take a look at our Background Checks website including the for candidates section for more details. If you have questions or concerns about the pre-employment check, please contact OSU's Employee and Labor Relations team at.