Career Center

ABOUT AAA 

The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is the world’s largest association for professional anthropologists dedicated to advancing our understanding of humanity. Founded in 1902, AAA strives to apply this understanding to the world’s most pressing challenges from climate resilience, combating infectious disease, to migration, and protecting cultural heritage. AAA amplifies the work, voices, and impact of the global anthropological community—connecting people and creating opportunities to advance the meaningful study of humans. 

AAA is a worldwide network of scholarly and professional anthropologists with approximately 9,000 members from 86 countries. AAA serves as a convener across the broad expanse of the anthropological fields and experiences, bringing together archaeological, biological/physical, cultural, and linguistic anthropologists with academic and applied professionals. While 75 percent of AAA’s members are employed in higher education or are students of anthropology, approximately 25 percent of their members work in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, beyond the academy. As an international collective, AAA serves as the primary ambassador to the world community on the field of anthropology and strives to advance and support a wide and diverse fields and specializations. 

Anthropologists are global citizens by nature. Their work often crosses national borders and into the midst of pressing cultural, environmental, and public health challenges. AAA’s colleagues hold globally significant positions, such as Jim Yong Kim, the former President of the World Bank and have received Nobel Peace Prizes, such as Norman Borlaug’s work on food security and Svante Pääbo’s recent award in evolutionary anthropology and genetics. Anthropologists provide critical insights necessary to overcome social biases, such as Emily Martin’s pathbreaking feminist work in science and medicine. And they save lives, as evidenced by the critical role anthropologists played in limiting the spread of Ebola that served as a model for addressing COVID 19 and other highly infectious diseases.  

AAA connects their diverse membership through annual meetings, section meetings, networking, and other events. AAA has 40 individual sections of specialized knowledge with a myriad of identities, experiences, and perspectives that reflect the complexities of human existence. AAA publishes a portfolio of 22 journals, supports college and university departments, recognizes excellence through numerous prizes and fellowships, and stages biannual research conferences in the spring and fall. AAA advances careers through career planning, professional development opportunities, and paid summer internships. AAA has many inter-organizational and global collaborations, including the World Council of Anthropological Associations, the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, the Consortium of Social Science Associations, the National Humanities Alliance, the American Council of Learned Societies, and UNESCO’s Economic and Social Council. 

As a 501(c)(3) membership organization, AAA is governed by an Executive Board that sets AAA’s vision and strategic direction, safeguards AAA’s assets, ensures AAA’s financial health, and translates member values and interests into organizational plans and programs. The Section Assembly of AAA consists of the heads of the 40 Sections or designated Section representatives. In addition, AAA members engage in a wide variety of interest groups, committees, and taskforces. AAA has a robust, diverse portfolio of annual revenue that consists of membership dues (17%), grants and contributions (19%), publishing income (18%), meeting revenue (23%), and other income (23%). AAA currently has $15 million in financial investments and reserves. In 2021, AAA completed a new strategic plan for 2021-26.  In this plan, AAA is committed to focusing on four strategic priorities: (1) building trust and accountability association-wide, (2) supporting equitable knowledge production and circulation, (3) making AAA a more welcoming community for people in practice settings, and (4) increasing outreach, advocacy, and education to prospective employers, media, public officials, and the general public. AAA’s national headquarters is based in Arlington, Virginia. 

THE POSITION 

The next Executive Director of the American Anthropological Association will have an exciting and pivotal opportunity to help build AAA into its next phase of dynamic growth and impact. The Executive Director, an energizing, innovative, and entrepreneurial leader, provides overall vision, leadership, and operational direction to AAA’s membership programs and initiatives. The Executive Director reports to AAA’s 17-member Executive Board and serves as an ex-officio non-voting member on all association boards and committees. The new Executive Director will start from a highly advantageous position, with a strong foundation following ten years of strong leadership with many successes and accomplishments and will inherit a financially diverse and stable budget and vigorous financial assets. The Executive Director will advise and inform the Executive Board on strategic issues affecting AAA and will work closely with the Board to ensure AAA’s vitality, sustainability, and continued success with its global membership. The Executive Director manages a $7 million budget, a talented team of 25 association professionals, and 80 contracted service providers. The next Executive Director, a skilled listener, communicator, and relationship builder, will bring a bold vision and confident leadership to ensure the growth and vitality of the world’s most preeminent association for advancing the field and practice of anthropology. AAA seeks a visionary leader who believes that knowledge, and particularly anthropological knowledge, is vital in today’s world. This position will be based at AAA’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. 

APPLICATION 

AAA has retained Campbell & Company to conduct this search. A full position guide and instructions on how to apply can be viewed here.  

QUALIFICATIONS 

Alongside an enthusiastic commitment to advancing the field of anthropology with the drive and passion to expand its impact, the ideal candidate will bring at least seven to ten years of successful senior-level leadership experience in a complex multifaceted organization, such as a national association or a comparable multi-stakeholder institution. They will be a team-focused leader with a proven ability to hire, manage, motivate, and retain diverse high-performing teams and bring a track record of increasing revenue streams and exceeding goals and objectives, along with evidence of successfully marketing and growing an organization. Strong cultural competence with a commitment to diversity, inclusion, decolonization, and repatriation will be critical. This leader should also possess successful experience in empowering, building, and maintaining productive relationships with complex boards, committees, and other volunteer leaders. A bachelor’s degree (preferably in anthropology, history, sociology, or a related field) is required; an advanced degree would be an advantage.