Executive Director

Overview

For nearly 30 years, the Stryker Johnston Foundation (SJF) has been investing in leaders, organizations, and groups who are making an impact in Kalamazoo, Michigan. SJF has established a strong reputation for impact and respected trust-based grantmaking practices in the Kalamazoo community. The role represents a rare opportunity to take the helm of the largest private foundation in Kalamazoo, Michigan at a moment when the foundation and community are poised for transformational change.

SJF’s Board has committed to distributing $50 million a year in perpetuity for SJF to invest in solutions to address systemic barriers in health care, education, housing and beyond issues that have prevented many Kalamazoo residents, especially Black people, people of color, and other communities from overcoming intergenerational poverty.

The ideal candidate is deeply passionate about the mission and vision of the Stryker Johnston Foundation and is excited by the opportunity to play an important role in leading the Kalamazoo Community towards a more just, equitable, and caring community where everyone can live a healthy and fulfilling life.

The next Executive Director is an ethical, empathic and proven leader with a track record of success addressing entrenched, systemic issues. The ideal candidate has established their reputation working in one or more of the following areas: health care, education, or eradicating poverty. This leader will leverage their experience and networks to serve and promote the Foundation’s vision and further the mission.

The next Executive Director is a visionary and sees this work through a lens of possibility, ingenuity, and abundance. They are guided by their commitments to antiracism and see this work through an equity lens. The successful candidate will have an appreciation for new ideas and disruption, yet also be able to apply proven experience and knowledge in practical ways.