Category: 
Job
Organization: 
Myriad Botanical Gardens/Scissortail Park


Location: Oklahoma City, OK

President and CEO

Salary: $200-250K

Background
Under the aegis of Park Management Company, an umbrella nonprofit institution which provides management services to Myriad Gardens Foundation and Scissortail Park Foundation – each a fiduciary which oversees their corresponding institutions – the President and CEO will respectively manage Myriad Botanical Gardens and Scissortail Park.

MYRIAD BOTANICAL GARDENS

The Gardens consist of 15 acres in downtown Oklahoma City. Its mission is to increase the quality of life and vibrancy of downtown Oklahoma City by sustaining a world-class public garden and community-building urban green space. The Gardens provide year-round horticultural educational programs, seasonal festivals, and a diverse range of recreational and cultural programming for all ages.

Opened in 1988, the Gardens undertook a major renovation completed in 2011. The renovation significantly transformed its grounds and facilities, resulting in dramatically increased visitation and a more vibrant downtown thanks to new features which facilitated a wide range of programming, including public art.

The Gardens contain ornamental gardens, a lake, water features, a children’s garden and playground, a vintage carousel, a lakeside amphitheater, a great lawn and bandshell, an event venue, a dog park, and a seasonal ice rink. The Gardens’ centerpiece is the Inasmuch Foundation Crystal Bridge Conservatory, reopened after a nearly two-year, $11 million renovation.

SCISSORTAIL PARK

The recently completed, 70-acre Scissortail Park partially opened in 2019 and was fully operational by 2022. The Park was funded by the city of Oklahoma’s MAPS – Metropolitan Area Project downtown revitalization sales tax program, which continues to fund major civic improvement initiatives. In 2017, Myriad Gardens Foundation was invited to manage the new Park within a similar public/private partnership framework as Myriad Gardens. A new 501(c)3 was established as Scissortail Park Foundation to manage the Park with its own board of directors.

The Park was designed by internationally renowned landscape architectural firm, Hargreaves Jones, noted for their beautiful and innovative urban park designs. The Upper Park contains a great lawn and stage, a lake, a boathouse, fountains, gardens, tree collections, a café, a playground, an event pavilion, and a dog park. The Lower Park has sport courts, walking trails, and a nature play area. The Park offers year-round programs that include a farmer’s market, concert series, festivals, and exercise programs. Community partners also use/rent space to offer free events and festivals.

The Upper Park is anchored by Union Station, a 50,000-square-foot building on the National Register of Historic Buildings. Opened in 1931, Union Station served as the grand rail station in Oklahoma City. It will undergo an extensive renovation funded by the MAPS program to update infrastructure and spaces for public programs, private rentals, and office space. Construction work is scheduled to start in early 2025 with completion estimated to be in mid-2026.

For Myriad Botanical Gardens, the President and CEO will manage 45 full-time and 11 part-time staff, and six seasonal/interns, with an FY2025 operating budget of $5,904,820 (42 percent city funded and 58 percent Foundation funded.)

For Scissortail Park, the President and CEO will manage 64 full-time and 15 seasonal staff, with an FY2025 operating budget of $8,047,638 (69 percent city funded and 31 percent Foundation funded.)

Basic Function
The President and CEO will provide the leadership, vision, and strategic direction for Myriad Botanical Gardens and Scissortail Park, embracing the public/private partnership shared with the City of Oklahoma and managing both entities’ day-to-day operations and activities. Reporting jointly to the Chairmen of Myriad Botanical Gardens and Scissortail Park, and in close partnership with the Myriad Gardens Foundation Community Board, an advisory and friends board of the Gardens, the President and CEO will manage a dedicated staff and ensure that both institutions are well managed fiscally and are administratively sound, that their programs, activities, and resources are appropriate and effective, and the public is both served and enthusiastically supportive.

The President and CEO will have primary responsibility for institutional development, initiating and implementing major programmatic and capital improvements, when necessary, along with the fundraising and earned revenue initiatives required to achieve these goals. The ideal candidate should embrace both institution’s roles as urban oases and as social, cultural, and recreational resources for downtown Oklahoma City.

Specifically, the President and CEO will develop and coordinate all commercial aspects of the Gardens and the Park, including special events – concerts, weddings, meetings – and other rental opportunities, collaborative ventures, and concessions including a dining and ice-skating pavilion, boat rentals, and activities within the mixed-use children’s garden. Externally, as a spokesperson and fundraiser, the President and CEO will cultivate a network of community and business leaders, policymakers, major donors and the media and serve as a catalyst in support of the Garden’s and Park’s continued evolution.

Immediate Priorities
The President and CEO’s priorities will be to:

  • Thoroughly understand and further the visions and missions of Myriad Botanical Gardens and Scissortail Park and most importantly, capitalize on each institution’s strengths and potential. 
  • Work with each entities’ Board to maximize their best efforts and expertise to help them achieve strategic and fundraising goals; help to identify and recruit new Board members as needed.
  • Inspire, motivate, and lead both centralized and decentralized staff; delegate appropriate responsibility and accountability; ensure clear communication across departments and teams and encourage cross-functional collaboration.
  • Take the entrepreneurial and creative lead in the development and execution of key capital projects currently in planning, including the renovation of Myriad’s children’s gardens and the transformation/renovation of Scissortail Park’s Union Station.
  • Oversee the development, preservation, upkeep, and maintenance of the Garden’s and Park’s physical assets, including the Conservatory, as well as all horticultural, landscape, and other natural resources; ensure that all capital improvements and deferred maintenance initiatives are thoughtfully planned, well articulated, and in alignment with the city’s funding priorities; ensure, by effective leadership, that all venues and facilities are professional and efficiently administered, welcoming, accessible, clean, and secure.
  • Oversee annual fundraising; establish relationships with potential individual, foundation, and corporate donors, attracting the support necessary to allow Myriad Botanical Gardens and Scissortail Park to continue to grow; leverage existing naming opportunities and other fundraising vehicles.
  • With the Garden’s horticulturalist, oversee the strategy and growth of the Conservatory to maintain its status and recognition as a destination where visitors can learn about and appreciate the botanical aspects of the Gardens, its origins, plant collection, and the science behind the collection.

The President and CEO will also be expected to:

  • Monitor the financial status of both organizations, including the budgetary process, financial reporting and analysis, expenses, profitability of concessions and other revenue centers, and levels of funding and cash flow; direct and work closely with the chief financial officer and other staff to maintain the organization’s financial wellbeing. 
  • Expand and enhance marketing, public relations, and communications efforts in order to increase awareness and visibility, expand membership, and attract new visitors; maintain each entities’ position and stature as a model for public/private parks and urban land use across the country.

Experience/Qualifications
The ideal candidate will be an energetic and entrepreneurial individual who will have the following experience and qualifications:

  • Leadership and senior-level management, organizational, and planning skills within a complex public or private environment; significant park, gardens, historic property, agency, or related educational or environmental institution known for quality is a plus, but not required. 
  • A demonstrated ability to actively seek out new and innovative ideas in developing strong relationships with community leaders, other nonprofits, and other sources of support from within a public/private partnership is essential. 
  • A strong track record of success in raising funds from a variety of sources, including the cultivation and solicitation of gifts from individual donors; an understanding of the full range of funding tools, including earned income from special events, exhibitions, programming, foundation support, and member programs.   
  • A knowledge of the kinds of programming and activities that attract and engage audiences and are financially viable; experience defining and building membership a plus.
  • Superior communications, presentation, and publication skills that are effective with a range of audiences including volunteers, staff, business and community leaders, the media, and the general public.
  • An undergraduate degree is required; an advanced degree in business or other appropriate discipline is preferred.

Personal Characteristics
The President and CEO should be passionate about the role and impact of public parks and gardens and be:

  • Enthusiastic about Oklahoma City, its unique character, and how Myriad Botanical Gardens and Scissortail Park reflect it and contribute to it.
  • Capable of creating and sustaining a vision; an individual of personal integrity and credibility who shares information readily, listens as well as counsels, and respects the abilities of others. 
  • Charismatic, energetic, and dynamic; able to inspire staff, colleagues, volunteers, and others; a strong and capable presence who inspires confidence and enthusiasm; adept at creating and maintaining relationships that are critical to institutional success.
  • Someone who can effect change; flexible, yet decisive; able to remain focused on the big picture and prioritize multiple activities and responsibilities with clarity and confidence. 
  • Emotionally mature and self-confident, with a sense of humor and the ability to maintain balance and perspective.

How to Apply

The anticipated compensation range for the combined positions is $200,000 to $250,000.

Applications, including cover letters and resumes, and nominations should be sent to the attention of Mark Tarnacki at Myriad@PhillipsOppenheim.com.

For more information about Myriad Botanical Gardens/Scissortail Park, please visit https://myriadgardens.org/about-us/.

Myriad Botanical Gardens/Scissortail Park is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applications without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.