Director of preK-12 Education at Blandy Experimental Farm

The University of Virginia’s Blandy Experimental Farm (BEF) seeks a full-time Director of preK-12 Education. As a member of the BEF leadership team, the Director of preK-12 Education plays a significant role in supporting BEF’s mission to advance understanding of the natural world through research, education and public outreach. The Director of preK-12 Education is responsible for the overall planning, development, and administration of BEF’s education programs for students and their teachers.

This includes promoting and enhancing existing formal science programs, identifying and developing new activities to meet the year-round needs of preK-12 students and their teachers, and leading outdoor-based preK-12 programming both on and off-site. The Director of preK-12 Education supervises and provides leadership to education program staff, represents BEF within the formal and environmental education communities, and fosters partnerships with school divisions, state agencies, regional educators, UVA Department of Environmental Science research faculty, and other University departments and schools.

Blandy Experimental Farm is a 700-acre University of Virginia ecological field station located in the northern Shenandoah Valley, about 10 miles east of Winchester and 60 miles west of Washington, D.C. The State Arboretum of Virginia, situated within Blandy Experimental Farm, is a public garden showcasing more than 5,500 trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants across diverse habitats including woodlands, meadows, wetlands, and open fields.

BEF’s education programs serve students from public, private, and home schools across urban, suburban, and rural environments. Each year approximately  students engage in our outdoor-based programs, while 400-600 educators participate in our professional learning experiences. Visit (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). to learn more about Blandy Experimental Farm.

Job Description: The Director of preK-12 Education supports the mission of Blandy Experimental Farm in the following areas:

Programs for preK-12 Students, Teachers, and Other Educators

• Determines and develops long- and short-term goals, strategic planning, and program development for the preK-12 education programs.
• Designs lessons and curricula for outdoor-based investigations that satisfy grade-specific Virginia Standards of Learning for Science.
• Cultivates and maintains relationships with the professional education community including school division science education specialists, education faculty, and professional education and scientific societies.
• Designs and instructs unique professional development opportunities for formal and environmental educators.
• Prepares annual reports on activities for the Blandy Director, BEF Annual Report, and Foundation of the State Arboretum Board of Directors (FOSA).
• Recruits, hires, and supervises three full-time education staff: a Lead Environmental Educator and two Environmental Educators.
• Coordinates activities for all environmental education staff: 3 FT and 2 seasonal (under direct supervision of the Lead Environmental Educator).
• Conducts education staff training and guides staff professional development to advance the mission of the education program.
• Works with the Lead Environmental Educator to develop the annual Education Program Catalog and periodic informational brochures to promote programs to the education community.

Evaluation and Program Data Management

• Creates, administers, and analyzes evaluation tools designed to assess program impacts on educators and students.
• Serves as the internal evaluator for Blandy’s NSF-funded Research for Undergraduates Program: designs and administers evaluation instruments and prepares annual evaluation reports for the REU program principals.

Grant-writing and Budget Management

• Manages the annual BEF Education Program budget, including internal and external funds.
• Prepares and submits grant proposals to state and federal agencies and private foundations.
• Works with the Foundation of the State Arboretum (FOSA) Director to acquire grants and donations from Foundations and private donors.
• Assists Department of Environmental Sciences research faculty to prepare…