Executive Director

Preterm is an independent, nonprofit, feminist abortion and sexual health clinic that provides abortion care, birth control, STD testing and treatment, and gynecological wellness care to people from the Cleveland area and across the state of Ohio. Founded in 1973, Preterm provides about 5,000 abortions annually and offers abortion care through 21 weeks, the legal limit in Ohio. Preterm is a state-licensed ambulatory surgery center with more than 60 staff members and a budget of nearly $5 million.

At a pivotal moment for the organization, and with the upcoming retirement of long-time leader Chrisse France, Preterm now seeks to bring on its next Executive Director to guide the organization’s critical next era of leadership. The new Executive Director will provide strategic vision and leadership that centers equity in Preterm’s approach to patient-centered care; manage a complex, clinical services organization including high-level oversight of healthcare services, financials, operations, administration, and programs as well as a talented staff of 60; lead strategic new fundraising efforts to deepen existing funding relationships; deepen and expand Preterm’s community engagement strategies; and serve as a front-facing voice in state-wide and national dialogue about abortion and reproductive health.

Ideal candidates for the Executive Director will bring an unwavering commitment to abortion access and the intersections of reproductive and racial equity, and a demonstrated understanding of and commitment to best practices for patient-centered care and clinical innovation. S/he/they will have at least twelve years of progressive leadership experience in a clinical services or healthcare setting, nonprofit organization, or other relevant context, and will bring a collaborative, collegial, and inclusive style and a proven track record and commitment to mentoring and coaching staff and building internal leadership with the ability to connect and inspire across stakeholders.

For the full position description and to apply, please visit: https://npag.com/current-searches-all/pretermed

Organizational Overview

At the core of Preterm’s work is its patients. Every day, pregnant women, transgender men, nonbinary people, and their loved ones, walk through the clinic doors looking for respect, empathy, support, and safe, affordable abortion care. To ensure access to abortion services, Preterm provides financial assistance to its low-income patients who come to Preterm from across Ohio and the Midwest. Additionally, Preterm trains medical students and residents from several regional hospitals in first and second trimester abortion care and is certified by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC). Preterm’s clinic is a “green” building, with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) certification at the silver level. Active in advocacy at the national level, Preterm is a member of the National Abortion Federation (NAF), the Abortion Care Network (ACN), and the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF).

In 2014, Preterm expanded its services to offer more comprehensive sexual health care, while keeping abortion at the center of its work. Preterm has expended gender-affirming services to better serve the LGBTQ community, while also growing its sexual health practice. Additionally, Preterm actively engages the community in reducing stigma through the dissemination of real-life stories.

In its advocacy efforts around reproductive rights, Preterm works closely with coalition partners in the region and nationally and serves as plaintiff in key litigation. In April 2019, Ohio Governor DeWine signed a law banning abortion as early as 6 weeks of pregnancy. Preterm and its partners sued the state and won, and then launched a public awareness campaign to combat confusion about the status of abortion access and legality and spearheaded the launch of www.abortionislegalinohio.com.

Opportunities and Challenges Facing the New EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

In close partnership with Preterm Board and staff, the new Executive Director will engage the following opportunities and challenges:

• Provide strategic vision and leadership that centers equity in Preterm’s approach to patient-centered care, with the unwavering commitment to the belief that providing abortions is a deeply caring and revolutionary act that is part of dismantling oppression and stigma.
• Manage a complex, clinical services organization including high-level oversight of healthcare services, financials, operations, administration, and programs. Manage a $4+ million annual budget and lead a 60-person staff across clinical services and operations, patient advocacy, administration, and policy. Support values-aligned organizational culture that centers equity, transparency, accountability, and support.
• Lead dynamic, strategic new fundraising efforts to deepen existing funding relationships, grow and diversify donor relationships and engagement strategies, and raise Preterm’s profile and brand awareness. The ED will assess current fundraising structures and operations and work with the Board to ensure that Preterm is strongly positioned to evolve and grow to meet the changing needs of those it serves.
• Community Engagement. Deepen and expand Preterm’s community engagement strategies to support visibility and consistent, values-aligned community presence that strengthens its identity among potential new patients as a safe, trusted, welcoming, and accessible place for high quality patient care.
• Legislation, Policy, and Advocacy. Serve as a front-facing voice in state-wide and national dialogue about abortion and reproductive health. Provide high-level leadership to critical state-wide and national legislative/policy/advocacy efforts.

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The new Executive Director will demonstrate a deep commitment to safe access to abortion and inclusive patient-centered care. While no one candidate will embody all the qualifications enumerated below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:

Connection to Mission

• Deep commitment to abortion access and the intersections of reproductive and racial equity.
• Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to best practices for patient-centered care and clinical innovation.

Organizational Leadership

• At least twelve years of progressive leadership experience in a clinical services or healthcare setting, nonprofit organization, or other relevant context.
• Organizational management experience with the intersection of finance, development, and program management for effective stewardship of resources.
• Boldness and capacity for measured risk-taking within a rapidly evolving, mission-driven field that is consistently challenged.
• Strong knowledge of legal landscape of abortion rights and understanding of how state-wide legislative decisions impact Preterm.

Fundraising and Relationship Development

• Capacity to develop new funding relationships across diverse sources and communities with a creative, persistent, nimble approach to development that inspires others. Flexibility of approach and persona to deepen relationships across individual donor communities, generations, and sectors including philanthropic, corporate, and public.
• Experience building a clinical business model that includes a mix of fee-for-service, public and private payers, and other creative funding structures.

Cultural Leadership & Management Style

• Deep personal commitment to advancing racial equity, diversity, and inclusion; ability and willingness to self-reflect and lead challenging conversations around racial equity in the field.
• A collaborative, collegial, and inclusive style and a proven track record and commitment to mentoring and coaching staff and building internal leadership; a management approach that fosters respect, teamwork, and open communication.
• A strong communicator, skillful at managing through influence with humility; the ability to connect and inspire across stakeholders.

COMPENSATION

The expected salary range is $120,000-130,000, commensurate with experience, plus benefits.

TO APPLY

This search is being led by NPAG. Due to the pace of this search, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible.  Candidates may submit their cover letter, outlining their interest and qualifications, along with their resume via NPAG’s candidate portal. We also welcome you to reach out confidentially with inquiries or nominations at: preterm-ed@npag.com.

Cultivating a diverse and inclusive team is an essential component of Preterm’s commitment to advance equity. Candidates of all backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.