Director of Belonging

Position Summary:

The Director of Student Belonging will provide leadership in college-wide strategies that build community and student belonging. This position develops and implements innovative programs and services that promote student engagement and connectedness, provide leadership development, increase student retention, and advance the educational value of the co-curricular experience. The Director supervises new student orientation, advises student government, and provides high-level direction for the institution's identity-based communities. This role requires a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, coupled with excellent leadership and collaboration skills.

Job Description:

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Provide vision, leadership and operational oversight to the Belonging Team, which includes the following centers:  Student Involvement Center, El Centro de Muchos Colores, the Environmental Center, the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, the Native American Center and the Black Student Resource Center, with varying staffing structures, capacity and operational needs across centers
• Lead Student and Family Orientation programs in partnership with Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, ensuring experiences that foster meaningful connections, inclusivity, and a strong sense of belonging within the campus community.
• Oversee administrative processes and governance structures related to the Associated Students of Fort Lewis College (student government), ensuring alignment with institutional policies, strengthening student leadership and compliance practices, and support and supervise processes related to the Financial Allocation Board to ensure fair, transparent, and values-aligned allocation of student resources.
• Oversee administrative processes and manage center budget accounts to ensure programs and funding are implemented in alignment with college policies and procedures.
• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for the development of student programming, ensuring coordinated implementation and accountability for tracking student participation to measure progress towards student belonging, retention, and success in alignment with the college’s strategic plan
• Hire, supervise and mentor professional and student staff in developing inclusive leadership practices, strengthening intercultural communication, and cultivating the skills needed to foster belonging and community across campus.
• Lead assessment strategies for the Belonging Team, utilizing data to evaluate student belonging, satisfaction, learning, and retention serving as the team’s liaison to the Student Affairs Assessment Committee.
• Establish direction and provide oversight for the planning and execution of major annual campus wide events—including Welcome Week, heritage months, and cultural events—ensuring cross-campus coordination, clear accountability, and inclusive, high-impact outcomes related to connection and belonging.
• Guide and ensure alignment of campuswide training efforts with institutional priorities for student belonging, working in partnership with campus departments and subject matter experts, including the Reconciliation Department, to promote consistency in learning outcomes and inclusive practices.
• Execute contract negotiations, goal setting, and assessment of key campus contracts and partnerships, including the Durango Transit and Skyhub.
• Engage in key campus committees and partnerships – including Diversity Affairs, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Enrollment Management, Athletics, and Institutional Research - ensuring the perspectives and priorities of the Belonging Team inform institutional practices that shape student experience and inclusion.
• Maintain knowledge and awareness of digital accessibility including the American with Disabilities Act and Section 508.
• Produce and remediate digitally accessible materials in accordance with FLC standards.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Required Education, Specialized Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
• Demonstrated experience hiring, supervising, and evaluating and full-time professional staff and student employees
• Skills, knowledge, and a minimum of two years of experience working with or focused on the needs of diverse populations, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), Latinx, LGBTQIA2S+ students, and/or first-generation students, preferably on a college campus
• A minimum of three years of experience supervising professional staff
• A demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and student success, as well as working with broadly diverse communities
• Familiarity with scholarship research in areas of college student development, student engagement belonging, and high-impact student practices
• Demonstrated commitment to assessment and evaluation with a focus on continuous improvement
• Demonstrated skill in the management of complex budgets
• Demonstrated strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
• Experience using Microsoft Office products, such as Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and Excel

Preferred Education, Specialized Skills and Experience:

• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university
• Knowledge of and experience in working with minority student institutions, specifically NASNTI and HSI
• High-level knowledge of principles and procedures for student development
• Experience working with student government and Robert’s Rules of Order
• Direct experience supervising professional staff in a higher education setting
• Ability to communicate in more than one language that is common to our student body (English, Spanish, Navajo, etc.)

Reports To / Supervisory Responsibility:

Reports directly to the Vice President of Diversity Affairs. Will supervise Assistant Director of the Native American Center, Assistant Director of the Student Involvement Center, Assistant Director of El Centro de Muchos Colores, Assistant Director of the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, Assistant Director of the Environmental Center, Black Student Resource Center Coordinator, a part-time Administrative Assistant, and student employees.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that an employee can expect while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Moderate noise (i.e. business office with computers, phone, and printers, light traffic).
• Ability to work in a confined area.
• Ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period of time.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential function

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to, stand, sit; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard reach, stoop kneel to install computer equipment
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision requirements due to computer work
• Light to moderate lifting is required

Travel:

Less than 5% of travel time expected for the position, for professional development and conferences.

FLSA Status/ Position Type/Expected Hours of Work/ and Salary Range:

• Exempt
• Full Time
• Permanent
• Full Year
• Typical Work hours are weekdays from 8-5pm, with some evenings and weekends required for Orientation, events and programs.  

Compensation

The salary range is $76,500 to $79,500, plus a comprehensive benefits package.

Application Process
A complete application packet includes:

• ​Cover letter addressing interest and qualifications for the position
• Resume
• Names and contact information for three current, professional references

Application materials received by 11:59 PM on July 19, 2026, will receive full consideration.

The successful candidate will be required to submit official transcripts

and pass a background check.

About Fort Lewis College:

On a sage-brushed mesa overlooking downtown Durango and the La Plata Mountains, Fort Lewis College is Southwest Colorado’s premier public undergraduate research institution. With more than half of the 3,300 students identifying as people of color, FLC’s academic programming and campus life thrive on nurturing safe, diverse spaces for intellectual exploration and helping people achieve their career goals. A Native American-serving, Non-Tribal Institution, FLC is committed to promoting economic development in neighboring tribal communities and connecting students with the education they need to be the change in the world they want to see. Degree programs span the arts, business, education, health sciences, humanities, and social and natural sciences. Coursework builds on the natural, cultural, and historical resources found around the Four Corners region. Students work closely with faculty on research projects with real-world implications. Like the mountain town it resides in, FLC promotes a culture of work-life balance for students, faculty, and staff. Skyhawks enjoy unparalleled access to a healthy outdoor lifestyle thanks to 300 days of sunshine a year and more than 300 miles of hiking and biking trails in and around Durango

Notice to Prospective Employees:
 The Fort Lewis College is required by the Clery Act of 1990 to notify prospective employees, current employees, students and applicants where to access our Campus Security Report.  The report is updated and published annually in accordance with the Higher Education Amendments of 1998, Federal Student Right-to-Know, the Federal Drug-free Schools and Campuses Act of 1989. This report contains information about:

• Fort Lewis College's alcohol and other drug policy

• Sexual assault policy

• Campus security policies

• Campus/community resources

• The Colorado Riot Offense Statute restriction on enrollment

• Where to find registered sex offender information

• Crime statistics for the previous three calendar years

• Reporting crimes

 
 The Campus Security Report can be accessed in two ways:
By going to the internet website at:   www.fortlewis.edu/AnnualSecurityReport Fort Lewis College Student Affairs Office will also provide a paper copy of the annual security report upon request.   You can reach them at (970) 247-7331.

Equal Opportunity
Fort Lewis College does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, religion, national origin, sex*, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, family or domestic status, political beliefs, veteran status, pregnancy, or genetic information. Accordingly, equal opportunity for employment shall be extended to all persons. The College shall promote equal opportunity, equal treatment, and affirmative action efforts to increase the diversity of students, faculty, and staff. The College is dedicated to building a culturally diverse and pluralistic faculty and staff committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment. To file a report, get resources, read policies, or make an appointment, See www.fortlewis.edu/CARE.

Discrimination Questions?

Office of Compliance and Community Standards
David Pirrone, Director of Compliance
210 Berndt Hall
1000 Rim Drive
Durango, Colorado 81301
(970) 247-7182 djpirrone@fortlewis.edu

Questions about Title IX sex discrimination?    
Office of the Title IX Coordinator
Madeleine Gillman, Assistant Director of Compliance and Title IX Coordinator
210 Berndt Hall
1000 Rim Drive
Durango, Colorado 81301
(970) 247-7049 mgillman@fortlewis.edu

Information about Fort Lewis College’s alcohol and drug policy, sexual assault policy, campus security policies, campus crime statistics, fire safety procedures and fire statistics, and campus/community resources can be found in the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. Hard copies are available upon request.

* Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Part 106 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, including in admission and employment. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and CFR 106 to Fort Lewis College may be directed to FLC's Title IX Coordinator and/or to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights of the Department of Education.

ADAA Accommodations
Any person with a disability as defined by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) may be provided a reasonable accommodation upon request to enable the person to complete an employment assessment. To request an accommodation, please contact Kristin Polens by phone 970-247-7459 or email kpolens@fortlewis.edu at least five business days before the assessment date to allow us to evaluate your request and prepare for the accommodation. You may be asked to provide additional information, including medical documentation, regarding functional limitations and type of accommodation needed. Please ensure that you have this information available well in advance of the assessment date.