Museum of Art Fort Collins (MoA)
Fort Collins, Colorado

Position Overview

The Museum of Art Fort Collins seeks an energetic, driven Executive Director to lead the organization into its next phase of sustainable growth, visibility, and impact.

This is a pivotal leadership moment for MoA. Staff and stakeholders overwhelmingly identify the organization as being in a growth phase, with the central challenge of expanding audience, funding, and relevance while maintaining organizational capacity and staff sustainability. 

The Executive Director will serve as the museum’s chief strategist, fundraiser, artistic director, and public ambassador—responsible for aligning mission, operations, and community engagement while guiding key decisions around:

• A major capital campaign and long-term facility strategy
• Audience, member and donor growth
• Community relevance within Fort Collins’ evolving cultural landscape
• Artistic direction of the museum 
• Organizational alignment between board, staff, and stakeholders

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Lead execution of a 3–5 year strategic plan aligned with growth and sustainability goals along with Board and Staff
• Guide organizational decision-making around facility strategy
• Balance growth trajectory with staff capacity and operational sustainability
• Position MoA as a cultural anchor in Fort Collins, strengthening its visibility and relevance

2. Fundraising, Development & Financial Stewardship

• Oversee all fundraising activities (along with the Development Manager), leading all development efforts including:
  • Major gifts, planned giving, events, and annual campaigns
  • Corporate and foundation grants, partnerships and sponsorships
  • Membership growth and donor pipeline development

• Design and lead a capital campaign (mortgage, renovation, expansion strategy)
• Develop and manage annual operating budgets and long-term financial plans
• Strengthen and diversify revenue streams (earned + contributed)

3. Community Engagement & External Relations

• Serve as the primary public spokesperson and ambassador for MoA
• Build and sustain strategic partnerships across:
  • Local arts organizations and artists
  • Businesses and downtown stakeholders
  • Educational and civic institutions
• Expand MoA’s reach to new and younger audiences, addressing current gaps in engagement
• Strengthen MoA’s role as a community hub for arts and culture

4. Organizational Leadership & Culture

• Lead, support, and develop staff, fostering a collaborative, aligned, adaptable, and high-performing culture
• Ensure strong communication and alignment between staff and board, a current organizational need
• Oversee HR policies, staff development, internal systems, and performance evaluation processes

5. Programs, Exhibitions & Audience Experience

• Provide strategic oversight of exhibitions, programming, and interpretation
• Ensure programming reflects:
  • Artistic/aesthetic quality
  • Community relevance
  • Audience development goals
• Expand public programming, education, and community-facing initiatives (e.g., MoA for All)

6. Marketing, Brand & Visibility

• Oversee marketing and communications strategy to:
  • Increase attendance and membership
  • Strengthen brand identity and reach
• Leverage existing strengths:
  • Signature events (e.g., Masks)
  • First Friday participation
  • Strong but under-leveraged brand awareness
• Address current challenges in positioning the value of arts in the community

7. Operations & Facilities

• Oversee day-to-day operations, including:
  • Facility and HOA management of historic post office building (built 1911) and long-term capital planning for facility infrastructure 
  • Vendor relationships and contracts 
• Address operational challenges related to:
  • Building layout, accessibility, and visitor experience
• Ensure efficient, mission-aligned use of space (including potential redevelopment opportunities)

Core Leadership Profile

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience leading a nonprofit organization or comparable entity (5+ years of progressive management or leading a nonprofit organization) 
• Proven success in fundraising and donor engagement
• Financial and operational management
• Community engagement and external relations
• Organizational leadership and staff management

• Curatorial and artistic direction (deep expertise helpful but not required)
• Facilities and capital planning

• Exceptional communication and public-facing skills

Key Priorities in the First 3 Years

Success in this role will be defined by:

• Measurable growth in:
  • Revenue
  • Donors
  • Membership
  • Attendance
• Launch and execution of a successful capital campaign based on a clear, sustainable facility strategy
• Increased visibility within the Fort Collins community
• Strong alignment between board, staff, and organizational direction

Organizational Context 

The Executive Director will inherit:

Strengths

• Strong community presence and vibrant programming
• Central downtown location and recognizable brand
• Dedicated staff and board
• Diverse revenue streams and stable base

Key Challenges

• Limited donor base and aging supporters
• Facility constraints and mortgage burden
• Staff capacity and compensation pressures
• Competition from free arts offerings (e.g., CSU, other music/art festivals)

Opportunities

• Expanded partnerships and sponsorships
• Audience growth (especially younger demographics)
• Capital campaign and facility transformation
• Enhanced role as a regional cultural hub

Why Fort Collins? Why This Role?

Why Fort Collins

Fort Collins is one of the most dynamic and livable cities in the Mountain West—known for its vibrant downtown, strong civic culture, and deep investment in quality of life. With a growing population, a highly educated community, and a strong presence of Colorado State University, Fort Collins offers a unique intersection of innovation, creativity, and public engagement.

The city’s arts ecosystem is active and evolving, with a mix of grassroots creativity, public art, festivals, and institutional partners. At the same time, Fort Collins presents a compelling opportunity: while participation is strong, arts and culture are still competing for centrality in the community’s identity, creating space for a leader who can elevate the role of the arts as essential—not optional.

For an Executive Director, this is a place where you can:

• Shape how a city understands and values art and culture
• Build partnerships across civic, educational, and business sectors
• Contribute to a growing, forward-looking cultural landscape in the West

Why the Museum of Art Fort Collins

The Museum of Art Fort Collins (founded in 1983) is a respected and established institution with a strong foundation. 

• A history of diverse exhibitions and programming, from visual art to community-centered events
• Signature initiatives like Masks, Art After Dark and MoA for All, which anchor the museum’s identity and outreach
• A committed board, dedicated staff, and a loyal base of members and supporters
• A visible downtown location and recognizable community presence. The museum is housed in an historic Post Office, a three-story Second Renaissance Revival structure designed by James Knox Taylor, the Supervising Architect for the U.S. Treasury. The Post Office building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a designated Fort Collins local landmark. The upper floors of the building were purchased by the museum in May, 2022. 

Why This Role

This is not a maintenance role. It is a defining leadership opportunity.  The next Executive Director will step into a moment shaped by growth, ambition, and critical strategic decisions:

A Growth Moment with Real Stakes: Staff and stakeholders are aligned that the museum is in a growth phase, with a need to expand audiences, donors, and visibility—while ensuring that growth is sustainable and does not overwhelm staff capacity

A Transformational Capital Opportunity: The museum is preparing for a major capital campaign tied to one of the most important strategic questions it has faced:

• How to secure the organization’s long-term facility future
• Whether to invest in, renovate, or rethink its physical space

This is a rare opportunity to lead both financial transformation and physical reimagining.

A Platform to Shape Cultural Relevance: MoA has strong programming and community connections—but there is a clear opportunity to:

• Broaden and diversify its audience
• Strengthen its position in a city where arts participation is strong but fragmented
• Make the museum more central to how Fort Collins defines itself culturally

A Role That Blends Strategy, Community, and Creativity: This position is ideal for a leader who wants to operate at the intersection of:

• Strategy (growth, capital planning, sustainability)
• Community (partnerships, visibility, civic role)
• Creativity (programming vision, cultural impact)

Importantly, the role does not require the Executive Director to be the primary curator, allowing the leader to focus on organizational leadership, fundraising, and external engagement while ensuring artistic excellence through the team. 

Who This Role Is For

This role is especially compelling for a leader who:

• Wants to shape an institution, not just manage one
• Is energized by building something bigger than current scale
• Sees fundraising as storytelling and relationship-building
• Values community-centered leadership and visible impact
• Is comfortable leading through complex, high-stakes decisions

The Opportunity

In three to five years, the right leader will have:

• Expanded the museum’s audience and donor base
• Launched and advanced a successful capital campaign
• Clarified the museum’s long-term facility strategy
• Elevated MoA’s role as a central cultural institution in Fort Collins
• Built a strong, aligned, and sustainable organizational culture

Compensation and Benefits 

● Salary: $65-80,000 per year (FT salary position)  

● Paid time off, flex time, generous holidays and vacation package, and professional development opportunities. 

● Opportunity to be part of a dynamic team dedicated to arts and culture in Fort Collins. 

How to Apply 

Interested candidates should submit a resume, cover letter and 3 references detailing their qualifications and interest in the position to [email protected] by April 30, 2026. 

The Museum of Art Fort Collins is an equal-opportunity employer and encourages candidates from all backgrounds to apply.