Lumpkin Foundation Mattoon, Illinois

The Foundation makes grants to central and downstate Illinois organizations in education, preventive health, conservation and organizational capacity building, as well as for youth mentoring and the arts in communities across the country where family members live.  In addition to grant-making, The Foundation operates programs aimed at building nonprofit organizational capacity and community leadership.    

The Foundation seeks a program officer to create and run a local food program leading to economic development and job growth based on the creation of new food enterprises, and to healthy lifestyles and eating habits among people in the region.  The program officer reports to the Executive Director. 

Responsibilities:

·         In consultation with the community and the executive director, design and execute programs and targeted actions that support and encourage new, food related businesses.    

·         Work with organizations that seek to educate institutions and people on the health benefits of consuming locally produced food.   

·         Lead the development of the knowledge-base and LFF’s understanding of food issues, conducting or commissioning research on the economic, social and health benefits of local food production.     

·         Develop evaluation tools to measure the impact of LFF’s activities, and support and assess individual grant requests to LFF. 

·         Build and support collaborations and partnerships among organizations businesses and people with missions of economic development, healthy food consumption and environmental stewardship, encouraging increased purchases of local food and the modeling of healthy eating habits.

Qualifications:

·         Minimum credentials include a B.A. and a minimum of 5-7 years relevant experience leading to an understanding and appreciation of food system issues.  This could include a background in economics or agricultural economics, business development, community and rural economic development or sociology.  A related Masters degree will be helpful. 

·         Strong communication, relationship-building, listening, and interpersonal skills; the ability to work well both independently and collaboratively and to balance innovation and vision with focus on detail and follow-through.  Available for area and occasional state and national travel.

Personal Qualities:

The successful candidate will be a smart, high-energy person with strong organizational skills who can work comfortably in the rural Midwest and as a facilitator and enabler of the family’s role as agents of change.  S/he will welcome the challenge of finding ways to leverage strong family commitment and finite foundation resources to substantially strengthen the food system in East Central Illinois.  A sense of humor and a constructive outlook are highly valued. 

The Lumpkin Family Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.

Selection will be made in May.

Further information about The Lumpkin Family Foundation is available at www.lumpkinfoundation.org.

Send a cover letter and resume to the Executive Director, The Lumpkin Family Foundation, 121 South 17^th Street, Mattoon, Illinois 61938 or by email to mary.weber@consolidated.com.