APTEC Executive Director Overview

The Applied Polymer Technology Extension Consortium was originally created by an act of the Louisiana Legislature as a university-affiliated, not-for-profit, state-sanctioned engine of economic development, research, teaching and outreach. APTEC now enjoys all the freedom of any other non-profit and combines the physical and human resources of polymer-strong universities in the Southeastern US. Unlike a government bureaucracy, APTEC operates at the speed of business. APTEC is engaged in education, innovation, community improvement and development of a new generation of the polymer industry.

APTEC’s signature event is an annual graduate/undergraduate student meeting highlighting discovery, innovation and education in the polymer space. These meetings rotate around the Southeastern US and Gulf Coast States at various affiliated universities. This meeting provides an excellent foundation for regional growth, and for growth of APTEC too. The Board is particularly interested in linking students and faculty to industry in order to provide the proper education and training bilaterally to students and industry. Another dimension is the technology transfer and applied research possibilities between APTEC members and industry.

APTEC is seeking a passionate, motivated Executive Director who will creatively shape and promote the Board’s expanded vision for the consortium. The responsibilities of the Executive Director will be as follows:

1. Work with Board to set strategic direction and priorities of the organization
2. Raise funding via donations or grants from corporations, individuals, foundations or other sources for non-profit funding
3. Manage the day-to-day activities of the organization, such as appointment and payment of APTEC fellows (who would work on industry-sponsored projects), working with committees established by the Board for meetings, membership, and education, and facilitating exchanges between industry, academia and other non-profits
4. Engage with members and supporters to promote the mission
5. Increase membership and communicate with members on a regular basis

APTEC is lean and self-sufficient, with a proud tradition of volunteerism. While maintaining that base and spirit, the objective to build upon recent success and grow the organization will require consistent effort. Qualified applicants will have demonstrated creative thinking in some combination of these fields: chemical sciences and engineering; other sciences; fund-raising in the non-profit sector; law; business; communications; marketing. Non-technical candidates should be prepared to acquire rudimentary knowledge of polymer science. Compensation for the Executive Director will come directly from fundraising generated by the Executive Director in conjunction with the Board, and will be competitive with non-profit organizations using the same compensation model.