UTSA and Koya Partners post call for applications for ITC leader

DECEMBER 20, 2022 — The University of Texas at San Antonio has posted its candidate position profile for the new Associate Vice Provost for the UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures. UTSA and nationally renowned search firm Koya Partners have put a call out for applicants with administration, arts and culture, nonprofit, and social impact backgrounds to apply. UTSA anticipates announcing the AVP appointment in June 2023.

The university contracted with Koya Partners following the conclusion of the ITC Centennial 2068: Community Stakeholder Visioning process, which included robust community engagement to envision the future of the ITC. To develop the position profile, Koya representatives were informed by the Museum of the Future task force findings, which outlined goals to build strong connections between the museum and the university, extend the museum’s capability beyond the exhibit floor, educate K-12 students on diversity and evolving Texan identities, and provide teachers a bold set of tools to teach history, culture, and other vital subjects in their classrooms.

Koya representatives also met with diverse stakeholders and audiences at the ITC and the university to help them identify the qualities and skills this new leader will need to guide the ITC into a sustainable future as a 21st-century cultural resource for a thriving university and active community.

“We are excited to find an experienced and imaginative innovator to lead the ITC into the future.”

“The ITC is an important resource for the people of Texas and beyond and vital to the mission of UTSA,” said UTSA Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Kimberly Andrews Espy. “The ITC Centennial 2068: Community Stakeholder Visioning process confirmed the center's importance in our community. We are excited to find an experienced and imaginative innovator to lead the ITC into the future, creating even more pathways for our students and community to engage and benefit.”

In addition to embracing the institute’s mission, its new leader is expected to enliven the museum's operations in accordance with the recommendations from the Community Stakeholder Visioning process. Providing students classroom-to-career experiences, conducting scholarly work, and making resources available to a broad audience through online digital media will enrich educational experiences and outcomes that benefit the community.

The ITC is a valued resource for those interested in learning about the rich mosaic of cultures of the Lone Star State—past, present and future. It opened in 1968, at a critical moment in history: the height of the Civil Rights era and the Vietnam War. It quickly became a place of dialogue and discovery and has contributed to essential statewide and national conversations.

“The real beauty of culture is that it is alive. The new leader of ITC will have a deep understanding of Texas cultures in the past and future tenses,” said Glenn Martínez, search committee co-chair and dean of the UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts. COLFA is home to museum studies, the Center for Archaeological Research, UTSA Arts and the Interdisciplinary School for Engagement in the Humanities and Social Sciences, which support ITC’s mission. “The new leader of the ITC will embody the bold futures that UTSA is looking to create in ITC as the ‘museum of the future.’”

“The ITC and its mission occupy such an important place, and its potential for the future is extraordinary,” said Veronica Rodriguez, interim head curator and co-chair of the search committee. “The Centennial 2068 project and the search for the right leader are deliberate and considered processes. The right leader for the ITC will empower and enable the institute to undertake the bold, groundbreaking work UTSA is known for.”

Koya has conducted over a thousand executive searches for mission-driven organizations across the U.S. and around the world. Managing Director Naree W.S. Viner and Senior Search Associate Tenley Banks are heading the team engaged in active outreach to find the next ITC leader.

— James Benavides and Debra Del Toro