Description

The Organ Historical Society welcomes nominations and applications for the position of Chief Executive Officer, available in September 2026.   

Organ Historical Society

www.organhistoricalsociety.org 

Now celebrating the 70th Anniversary of its founding, the Organ Historical Society (OHS) enriches public knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the pipe organ and its place in history and culture.

OHS began in 1956 with an impromptu meeting of young organ enthusiasts who shared an interest in locating historic pipe organs in New York City. Membership has since grown to include an international roster of musicians, organ builders, historians, scholars, and music lovers. The founders of OHS aspired to visit extant American “tracker” organs, create a comprehensive list with specifications, and share information with interested organ scholars. OHS has far exceeded this aspiration in the decades since and has created an online database of pipe organs with more than 60,000 entries; an historic organ citation program that has recognized more than 400 instruments; the world’s largest collection of pipe organ-related archives, books, journals, pamphlets, and other ephemera; publications including a quarterly journal and award-winning scholarly books on the pipe organ; and an online store with organ-related books, CDs, videos, and sheet music. Members and organ enthusiasts gather annually for conventions in cities across North America where they explore, study, and listen to the community’s most interesting historic instruments. OHS nurtures the next generation of organ performers, researchers, and builders through its annual E. Power Biggs Fellowship.

In 2017, with generous support from Wyncote Foundation, OHS moved its headquarters to Stoneleigh, a historic mansion in Villanova, Pennsylvania, located on a 40-acre property managed by the Natural Lands Trust. The OHS Library and Archives, a world-renowned research collection, is housed in state-of-the-art facilities at Stoneleigh. An historic Aeolian-Skinner organ, Opus 878, the centerpiece of the OHS headquarters building, allows OHS to present public performances as well.

OHS is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors. The Chief Executive Officer oversees a staff of eight full- and part-time employees. The OHS manages endowed funds of $4 million; the FY 26 operating budget is $700,000.

The Opportunity

The next Chief Executive Officer will take the helm of a healthy organization that is well-positioned for growth both organizationally and financially. The CEO will have the opportunity to build on the strength and success of existing OHS programs and lead the organization toward demonstrable strategic growth, institutional strengthening, and renewed membership engagement. The next CEO will expand OHS’s reach, deepen its impact, and ensure its long-term sustainability.

The Position

The Chief Executive Officer ensures that OHS realizes its vision, fulfills its mission, and achieves its goals for financial, organizational, and programmatic success. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the CEO is responsible and accountable for all aspects of OHS’s operations, including: strategic planning; program development and management; fundraising; membership development; member satisfaction; financial management; communications and marketing; publications; public relations; educational programs and activities; human resource management; community and local government relations; and advocacy.

Working closely with the Board of Directors, the CEO leads OHS’s strategic planning process to clarify priorities, align programs with member values, and ensure that resources are used wisely and effectively. The CEO works with the Board to refine governance practices to ensure that OHS’s structure supports its mission, strategic goals, and future growth. The CEO ensures effective communication across all channels, especially with OHS’s membership, to maintain a strong public relations and media presence across multiple platforms. The CEO recruits, motivates, mentors, and evaluates an effective professional staff within a culture of accountability, responsiveness, and collaboration.

The CEO serves as the chief fundraiser for OHS. The CEO develops and implements multi-year fundraising strategies designed to increase annual giving, develop special project support, and achieve significant expansion of OHS’s endowment. Working with the Board of Directors, the CEO leads efforts to identify, cultivate, solicit, and provide excellent stewardship of gifts from individuals, government, and private foundations.  

The CEO develops and implements a plan to increase and diversify OHS’s membership to include opportunities for organ professionals and enthusiasts of all ages from their student days, throughout their careers, and on through retirement. The CEO leads the development of a revitalized educational program at Stoneleigh and in partnership with schools, universities, and cultural institutions throughout North America. The CEO develops professional convenings and national conferences that engage members and provide valuable professional growth opportunities for all participants.  

The CEO of OHS is an active participant in the Villanova and greater Philadelphia arts, culture, and conservation community, representing OHS and encouraging interest and support from local residents.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will be a proven leader with the ability to embrace and articulate the vision, mission, and goals of the Organ Historical Society with clarity and conviction. The successful candidate will have a good working knowledge of music and musical instruments, and enthusiasm for learning about the history and development of the pipe organ. Experience as an organ builder or an organist, while not required, will be seen as an asset, as will successful experience leading a nonprofit membership organization.

The successful candidate will be a strategic thinker with the vision to chart future directions, recognize opportunities, forge consensus, and harness the energies of diverse constituencies to accomplish common goals. The candidate will be a good listener with excellent interpersonal skills. The candidate will have a track record for encouraging participation of various constituents in planning and decision-making in an atmosphere of mutual respect. 

The successful candidate will be an enthusiastic fundraiser with the proven ability to achieve and exceed goals for philanthropic support and the willingness to devote substantial time and effort to fundraising.  The candidate will have experience in all aspects of fundraising, including annual giving, special events, planned giving, capital and endowment campaigns, and grant writing. The successful candidate will have excellent verbal and written communication skills.  

The successful candidate will be an experienced manager with the demonstrated ability to set expectations and assure both financial and operational accountability throughout the organization. The successful candidate will be experienced in working with an active and engaged volunteer Board of Directors. The candidate will be skilled in promoting effective governance and utilizing the talents of Board members to the maximum benefit of OHS. The candidate will lead staff in an environment that fosters creativity, transparency, a commitment to excellence, and teamwork. The candidate will be able to innovate, manage change, move an agenda forward, and resolve conflict. 

The successful candidate will have an engaging public personality and presence, high energy, and excellent public speaking and listening skills. The candidate will have the ability to relate and interact effectively with stakeholders who represent a broad diversity in age, education, gender, and socio-economic status. The successful candidate will be kind, creative, curious, and flexible. The candidate will bring at least ten years’ senior executive leadership experience and will possess common sense, sound judgment, and good humor in abundance. 

Compensation

OHS offers a competitive compensation and benefits package. The annual salary range for this position is $100,000 to $120,000; the benefits package includes paid vacation and sick leave and funding for health insurance and a retirement program.

Applications

OHS welcomes recommendations, nominations, and applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, religion, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, gender, national origin, or marital status, or any other basis protected by law. Candidates must be authorized to work legally in the United States.

Please submit a resumé along with a cover letter that describes your specific interest in the mission and work of OHS and your qualifications for the position as described in the candidate profile. On a separate sheet, provide the names and contact information for several professional references. All applications will be treated as confidential and references will not be contacted without the applicant’s knowledge and agreement.

Electronic submissions are requested.  Please send to:

President and CEO – Organ Historical Society

c/o Catherine French Group

applications@catherinefrenchgroup.com

(Adobe Acrobat PDF attachments only, please)