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Note: This document is from the archive of the Africa Policy E-Journal, published by the Africa Policy Information Center (APIC) from 1995 to 2001 and by Africa Action from 2001 to 2003. APIC was merged into Africa Action in 2001. Please note that many outdated links in this archived document may not work.


WOA/APIC: Executive Director Announcement

WOA/APIC: Executive Director Announcement
Date distributed (ymd): 970521
WOA Document/APIC Document

This posting contains:
(1) an announcement of the WOA/APIC Executive Director vacancy, and
(2) a letter sent last month to WOA and APIC members from outgoing Executive Director Imani Countess.


WOA/APIC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ANNOUNCEMENT

The Washington Office on Africa (WOA), an Africa advocacy organization, and the Africa Policy Information Center (APIC), its educational affiliate, are seeking an Executive Director.

WOA was founded in 1972 by a coalition of religious denominations and trade unions. Our original mission was to support the movement for freedom from white-minority rule in southern Africa. Today, WOA promotes public policies in the United States that foster peace, justice, and economic development throughout the continent of Africa.

APIC is a non-profit educational organization with the primary objectives of widening policy debate in the United States around issues affecting grassroots African interests throughout the continent. APIC facilitates linkages between the Washington policy arena and the American public and others concerned with U.S. policy towards Africa.

Accountability:

The Executive Director is accountable to the WOA and APIC Boards of Directors and will provide strong overall leadership, coordination and supervision for carrying out the work of WOA and APIC.

Major Responsibilities include:

Financial Management and Fundraising: Develop annual budget, oversee revenues and expenses, and provide comprehensive fiscal oversight; ensure that adequate funding is secured through diversified fundraising strategies; ensure compliance with record keeping procedures for incorporation and tax status, payroll, taxes and grants.

Building Relationships: Maintain close contact and build relationships with WOA/APIC-related groups in the USA and with partner organizations and groups in Africa; build relationships with a wide range of governmental contacts, justice/peace and NGO organizations, including religious and labor communities, to project and further the goals of WOA/APIC; represent WOA/APIC in various fora and with the media.

Program Development and Implementation: Work collaboratively with board and staff in developing WOA/APIC programs; oversee advocacy and legislative work of WOA; oversee educational work of APIC; provide services for grassroots networks in the USA and Africa; maintain ongoing communications with different WOA/APIC constituencies; oversee media work.

Administrative Work: Strengthen the WOA and APIC boards and their working committees; facilitate regular strategic planning processes for WOA and APIC; conduct searches and appoint staff; supervise staff and exercise leadership in a manner that encourages collaborative working style.

Qualifications:

Commitment to justice and peace in Africa and in U.S. relations with Africa.

Familiarity with political, economic and social developments in Africa.

In-depth knowledge and support of African grassroots agendas and interests with demonstrated experience in constituency mobilization.

Sensitivity to the concerns of different segments of the U.S. Africa advocacy community including labor, diverse faith-based groups, academia, the African American community, community organizations, etc.

Good interpersonal skills, personal maturity and high energy level.

Skills:

At least five years of experience in a non-profit organization in a role involving staff supervision and relations with a board of directors.

Prior professional experience related to African peace and justice issues.

Ability to organize work and use time effectively; to work in a team setting with division of labor; ability to analyze complex issues and to express ideas clearly and concisely in speech and in writing.

Excellent administrative skills.

Financial management and fundraising abilities.

Program development and implementation abilities.

Academic Requirements:

An advanced academic degree is preferred.

Salary Range:

$42,000 - $50,000 depending on experience.

Benefits:

Full health and dental, simplified employee pension plan (includes a 403(b) pre-tax contribution plan and an employer sponsored IRA), paid vacations and holidays.

Closing Date: June 18, 1997 (Interviews begin in July.)

Starting Date: August 1, 1997 (negotiable)

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter detailing interest in the position, resume, and a sample of writing to:

          Washington Office on Africa
Africa Policy Information Center
Search Committee
c/o Anna Rhee
Women's Division
United Methodist Church
100 Maryland Avenue, N.E., Box 56
Washington, D.C. 20002

No phone calls or fax messages, please.

WOA/APIC are affirmative action/equal opportunity employment employers and do not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.


Letter from outgoing WOA/APIC Executive Director Imani Countess

April 4, 1997

Dear WOA/APIC supporter:

This is a tough, tough letter to write. After seven years with the Washington Office on Africa and the Africa Policy Information Center (WOA/APIC), with five of those years as Executive Director, I am leaving. I have been offered a position as Congressional Liaison Officer with the African Development Foundation (ADF) and I have accepted. My new position allows me to continue working for US policies that are aimed at supporting grassroots African initiatives and enhancing African self-reliance, but does so without the pressure, stress, and long hours that characterize the progressive, non-profit environment. And with two children--ages 5 and 2--a more predictable work setting has become extremely important to me.

I leave WOA/APIC satisfied with the level and quality of work we have been able to produce during these seven challenging years, yet still humbled by the privilege of being allowed to lead these two extremely important organizations. A copy of the Washington Office on Africa 1996 Annual Report, which provides a snapshot of our most recent activities, is available on request. A 1996 APIC report will be available shortly.

I also leave, however, extremely excited by what the future holds for both organizations. After the initial difficulty and disarray of the post-Cold-War/post-apartheid era, a number of interesting possibilities are emerging. Anyone familiar with the current state of the Africa advocacy community knows that it is premature to claim clear directions or even the existence of fully developed alternative political visions. There are, however, fresh voices from grassroots communities in Africa and the US which are moving toward developing new partnerships and information-sharing techniques.

For example, just a few days ago I received a fax from the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund, which historically has worked to help African-American farmers in the South retain their land, but is now also working in partnership with an agricultural cooperative in The Gambia. From the Berkeley-based US/South Africa Sister Community Project to the New York-based Religious Action Network of the American Committee on Africa, creative linkages and substantive networks are developing.

On the political side here in Washington, we continue to face uphill battles on many fronts. Budget-cutting, indifference and uncritical free-market assumptions threaten new creative options that a post-Cold-War era should promise for sustainable and equitable development and trade. Africa's pro-democracy struggles often receive lip service in Washington, but rarely the substantive support they need. Reaction to crisis is most often ad hoc, crippled by US failure to participate responsibly in the UN and other multilateral institutions, and insufficiently attentive to the range and diversity of African opinion. These are not new battles, but the context is new. Many aspects of the new political environment are hostile to the human values for which we stand. But there are hopeful signs as well, in a growing number of voices and arguments asserting that the US is required to develop human-centered policies for an interdependent world. As WOA and APIC sort out their place in this new terrain, I'm sure that both will continue to affect US policy toward the African continent positively.

There are many other things that I'd like to say: Thank you for your support to both organizations. Thank you for your patience when we have been late in fulfilling our subscription requirements. Thank you for the work that you have done to change US policy toward the African continent. But I think the most important message I'd like to convey is that your support for the Washington Office on Africa and the Africa Policy Information Center remains critical. I'm leaving my salaried position here, but my first act as outgoing director is to join both organizations. I have sent in my membership check to each organization. I hope that you will also renew or increase your support! Thank you again.

A luta continua,

Imani Countess
Executive Director

Note (May 21, 1997): Imani Countess can be reached at her personal e-mail address (imani@igc.org) or at the African Development Foundation (telephone: 202-673-3916; e-mail: icountess@adf.gov).


Washington Office on Africa / Africa Policy Information Center 110 Maryland Ave. NE #509
Washington, DC 20002, USA
Tel: (202) 546-7961 Fax: (202) 546-1545
E-mail: woa@igc.org, apic@africapolicy.org
Web: http://www.africapolicy.org


URL for this file: http://www.africafocus.org/docs97/ann9705.php