The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) seeks a Director for its University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) who will bring vision, values, and expertise to advance our mission of improving the lives of people with disabilities and their families by advancing the research, training, community service, and dissemination efforts and capabilities of the UCEDD and the VKC.

The organization: The VKC, a trans-institutional center across Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and Vanderbilt University (VU), facilitates discoveries and best practices to improve the lives of people with developmental disabilities and their families. The Center includes four programs: the UCEDD, the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC, one of 15 national centers), the Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND), and Treatment and Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD). The VKC offers numerous research and training programs, services, and outreach locally, nationally, and internationally. The UCEDD provides innovative leadership in education, interdisciplinary training, research, and service to promote the independence and inclusion of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the lifespan, with a commitment to promote equity, access, and diversity. The UCEDD works in partnership with numerous agencies, disability organizations, school districts, and community programs and uses applied research and rigorous evaluation methods to achieve these goals.

The position: The UCEDD Director reports to the VKC Director and oversees all aspects of UCEDD activities. Key Director activities include setting overall vision and direction for the UCEDD; maintaining/managing existing funding support and identifying new opportunities and initiatives; and providing leadership and supervision to UCEDD faculty, staff, and trainees. The UCEDD Director works with the directors of the VKC programs to guide overall VKC activities and identify synergistic opportunities between VKC programs. Within Vanderbilt, the Director promotes UCEDD activities and recruits affiliated faculty and trainees. Key externally facing roles of the Director include working with the UCEDD Community Advisory Council to interface with the Tennessee Developmental Disabilities Network and other stakeholder groups to inform and assist on disability issues, policies, and best practices supporting statewide system change initiatives, and ensuring that voices of individuals with disabilities and their families remain prominent in all UCEDD activities. The Director acts as a liaison to governmental agencies and stakeholder organizations by serving on local, state, and national committees/boards/etc relevant to the UCEDD mission and representing the UCEDD/VKC in community engagement efforts. The Director will also maintain independent scholarship focused on improving the lives of people with developmental disabilities.

Required qualifications:

• A doctoral/terminal degree and strong record as an academic or organizational leader.
• Deep knowledge of intellectual and developmental disabilities, especially policies and best practices.
• Demonstrated leadership in carrying out the mission and functions of a UCEDD (or similar program) including compliance with all federal and local regulations.
• Demonstrated capacity to represent/promote an organization to the local and broader community.
• Experience in securing and managing external funding from varied sources.
• Demonstrated experience in fostering and developing a diverse and inclusive team.
• Independent scholarly and research activities in the field of developmental disabilities.
• The successful candidate will be nominated for a faculty position in the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine at a level commensurate with background and experience.

Preferred qualifications

• Prior experience in a UCEDD or LEND.
• Demonstrated relationships with a State Developmental Disabilities Network.
• Experience partnering with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.