Overview
Director of Outdoor Education and Environmental Stewardship Jobs in Hendersonville, USA at Kanuga Camps & Conferences
Director of Outdoor Education and Environmental Stewardship
Nestled on 1,400 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, Kanuga is a conference, retreat, camp, and outdoor education center rooted in the Episcopal tradition and committed to forming and feeding faithful, compassionate, skillful, and brave leaders.
At Kanuga, we believe that formation happens not only in classrooms and chapels, but also on trails, around campfires, in gardens, beside streams, and through meaningful encounters with the natural world. Our mission calls us to connect people with one another, with creation, and with the Creator.
As we look toward the future, Kanuga seeks a visionary and collaborative leader to serve as Director of Environmental Stewardship and Outdoor Education. This position offers a unique opportunity to shape the next chapter of environmental learning, outdoor formation, and creation care within a growing and evolving institution.
Position Summary
The Director of Environmental Stewardship and Outdoor Education provides leadership for Kanuga’s Mountain Trail Outdoor School (MTOS), environmental programming, ecological stewardship initiatives, and related outdoor education efforts.
This role is both operational and strategic. The Director will oversee existing programs while helping Kanuga evaluate, strengthen, and reimagine how outdoor education, environmental stewardship, and experiential formation can best serve future generations.
Kanuga values the programs and traditions that have shaped its history. At the same time, we recognize that changing educational models, financial realities, environmental challenges, and participant expectations require ongoing discernment and innovation. We are seeking a leader who will inherit our mission—not necessarily our methods.
The successful candidate will be energized by the opportunity to build upon strong foundations while imagining new possibilities for the future.
Essential Responsibilities Outdoor Education Leadership
- Provide high level leadership for Mountain Trail Outdoor School.
- Guide educational vision, program development, and strategic growth.
- Evaluate current outdoor education models and recommend improvements or new approaches.
- Ensure high-quality experiential learning programs that align with Kanuga’s mission and values.
- Cultivate partnerships with schools, churches, nonprofits, and community organizations.
- Identify opportunities to expand year-round educational programming and impact.
Environmental Stewardship Leadership
- Lead Kanuga’s environmental stewardship initiatives and creation care efforts.
- Develop and implement strategies that integrate ecological learning across program areas.
- Strengthen environmental programming for guests, schools, camps, retreat groups, and parish communities.
- Explore opportunities related to sustainability, land stewardship, conservation, and environmental education.
- Help articulate and advance a theology and practice of creation care grounded in Kanuga’s Episcopal identity.
Program Innovation and Strategic Development
- Assess existing programs for mission effectiveness, sustainability, and growth potential.
- Identify emerging opportunities in outdoor education, environmental stewardship, and experiential learning.
- Develop recommendations for new partnerships, funding opportunities, and program models.
- Collaborate with institutional leadership to align programming with Kanuga’s long-term strategic goals.
- Pursue grant opportunities and other external funding sources that strengthen program sustainability.
Staff Leadership and Supervision
- Supervise Mountain Trail Outdoor School Operations Manager
- Supervise the Seasonal Lead Faculty Member.
- Supervise the Seasonal Gardener/Garden Coordinator.
- Recruit, train, mentor, and evaluate seasonal staff and faculty.
- Foster a collaborative, mission-centered staff culture.
- Develop leadership pathways for seasonal employees and emerging educators.
Collaboration and Institutional Integration
- Collaborate closely with Camp Kanuga leadership, conference center staff, and other program leaders.
- Create opportunities for shared programming, training, and stewardship initiatives.
- Encourage…
Title: Director of Outdoor Education and Environmental Stewardship
Company: Kanuga Camps & Conferences
Location: Hendersonville, USA
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