The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA), on behalf of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative, is welcoming applicants for the Initiative’s Diversity Director position. The new director will join ANCA’s staff at the regional nonprofit’s Saranac Lake office.

The Adirondack Diversity Initiative (ADI) is a volunteer-run collaboration of organizations and individuals who develop and promote strategies to help the Adirondack Park become more welcoming and inclusive to all New Yorkers, including visitors, seasonal residents and permanent residents.

The job announcement comes on the heels of the New York State Budget decision in May that awarded $250,000 for the ADI as part of the $300 million Environmental Protection Fund. The new grant funding is allowing ANCA to hire a director and expand the Initiative’s outreach and programming.

The population in the Adirondacks is predominantly white and older than other regions, a demographic imbalance which poses economic and social challenges for the region. As communities work to attract and retain families and businesses, some have seen a need for strategies that help businesses and organizations become more inclusive of people from all backgrounds.

The diversity director is expected to work closely with ADI partners to advance the Initiative’s goals, which are driven by two guiding principles: that the Adirondack region should be welcoming and inclusive to everyone and that the region should be relevant to and supported by an increasingly diverse state and national population.

ANCA requests that applications for the position are submitted by August 23, 2019. A complete job description can be found on the ANCA website.

More information about the Adirondack Diversity Initiative, partners and advisory board is available on their website. Questions about the Diversity Director position can be directed to ANCA Regional Advocacy Coordinator Jacob Vennie-Vollrath at (518) 891-6200 or jvennie-vollrath@adirondack.org.

The Adirondack Diversity Initiative was established in 2015. It evolved from a series of diversity seminars held at the Adirondack Interpretative Center in Newcomb. Those were outgrowths of a series of essays published at the Adirondack Almanack. You can read more reporting about diversity efforts around the Adirondacks here.