Announcing Our New Executive Director, Maria Julian

Counter Tools Board — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 17:12:38 +0000

The Counter Tools board of directors is pleased to announce that Maria Julian has accepted the position of executive director to begin November 11, 2019.

Maria joins Counter Tools with a background in public health leadership and nonprofit management. Prior to joining the Counter Tools team in May, Maria led a 20-member team in the implementation and evaluation of public health policy, systems and environmental programs at AppHealthCare in Boone, North Carolina. Maria’s visionary leadership and passion for health equity bring a powerful skillset to Counter Tools that will further our commitment to advancing place-based public health with strong partnerships.

“Maria represents the exact type of leader we’re looking for to help launch Counter Tools into its critical next stages, while continuing to serve our clients’ needs and the public’s health,” said Joshua Prasad, Board Chair of Counter Tools, who led the search. “On behalf of the board, we’re excited to see her take on this new role with her special brand of enthusiasm, knowledge and experience.”

This leadership transition is another proud milestone for Counter Tools as we continue to grow with and learn from our partners in place-based public health. We are confident that Maria will propel us forward as we increase our collective capacity for building healthier communities together.

Board of Directors Announcement of Executive Director Resignation & Search

Counter Tools Board — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 15:00:03 +0000

Dear Friends, Colleagues and Partners of Counter Tools,

With both sadness and gratitude that we must announce that Nina Baltierra will be resigning as the Executive Director of Counter Tools.

Nina joined Counter Tools as a Project Director in 2014, but first took on the role of (interim) Executive Director in September 2017. Since then, she has helped usher in a new strategic plan through the Board of Directors and staff, built new important strategic partnerships with complementary partners, and helped improve and stabilize operations and organizational processes, among many other accomplishments.

Nina leaves Counter Tools in a very strong position for continued growth, and we sincerely thank her for her contribution and leadership in her time here. The Board wishes her the best of luck and opportunities in her future endeavors.

Nina’s last day will be Friday, August 30th at which point a successor or interim Executive Director will be named. Until then, the board will continue to oversee the process of permanently filling the position. We are confident that the Nina and the staff will make this a smooth transition for our clients, partners and supporters.

If you have any questions about the transition or the organization, do not hesitate to reach out to the Board of Directors at Board@countertools.org. Please see the Executive Director job description and posting announcement below.

Sincerely,

Joshua P. Prasad, MPH
Board Chair
Counter Tools Board of Directors

Job Description and Posting Announcement for: Executive Director of Counter Tools

The Counter Tools Board of Directors is excited to announce the search for an Executive Director (ED) who will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for Counter Tools’ staff, program expansion, and execution of its mission. The ideal candidate should be able to lead, organize and motivate a small, energetic, and often remote team focused on improving mission driven public health work on tight budgets and quick timelines. This candidate will also have knowledge of place-based public health policies, programs including providing technical assistance, training, advocacy expertise, and implementation of software tools.

Who we are:

Counter Tools is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was founded in 2012 in Carrboro, NC with the vision that everyone should have the opportunity to live a healthy life in a healthy, equitable place. What started out as a warehouse of resources (CounterTobacco.org) has expanded to become a national public health organization utilizing the best available science and an evidence-based model of change. Counter Tools is focused on assisting state- and local-level partners in the effort to reduce the detrimental impact of products that are harmful to health–like tobacco, alcohol, and unhealthy food–at the consumer’s point of exposure and access: the retail environment. A team of public health experts, we offer extensive training, technical assistance, and technology in order to increase their partners’ capacity to build healthier communities.

Counter Tools has partnered with 22 state agencies as well as several local (regional, county, or city) agencies, national organizations, and universities on projects ranging from implementing and enforcing health-promoting local policies to conducting and disseminating research. Counter Tools has an annual operating budget of $1-2M and a team of 10-15 employees plus contractors and vendors. Counter Tools also hosts Master’s practicum students and capstone teams when possible.

The Ideal Candidate:

The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate the ability to:

Lead, motivate and manage and highly skilled and dedicated staff;
Formulate, manage and maintain a budget;
Sustain and strengthen current operating and capital funding;
Raise public or private sector funds;
Oversee the progress of strategic plans and help guide in a clear vision for the future to staff, the Board, and clients

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership & Management:

Ensure ongoing operational excellence including rigorous program evaluation, consistent quality of finance and administration, fundraising, communications, and systems; recommend timelines and resources needed to achieve the strategic goals;
Actively engage and energize Counter Tools employees, board members, clients, partnering organizations, and funders;
Develop, maintain, and support a strong Board of Directors; serve as ex-officio of each committee; seek and build board involvement with strategic direction;
Lead, coach, develop, and retain the Counter Tools’ team;
Ensure effective systems to track scaling progress, and regularly evaluate program components, so as to measure successes that can be effectively communicated to the board, funders, and other constituents;

Fundraising & Communications:

Expand revenue generating and fundraising activities to support existing program operations and expansion while simultaneously retiring debt;
Deepen and refine all aspects of communications—from web presence to external relations with the goal of creating a stronger brand;
Develop and guide strategic partnerships: build relationships to garner new business and public health opportunities;

Planning & New Business:

Design the national expansion and complete the strategic business planning process for the program expansion into new markets;
Begin to build partnerships in new markets, establishing relationships with funders, researchers, practitioners, and political and community leaders;
Be an external local and national presence who publishes and communicates program results with an emphasis on the successes of the local program as a model for regional and national replication

Desired Skills and Abilities:

Ability to prioritize workload and delegate as necessary
Strong Management capabilities and skills (interest or experience with Lean Management, Agile Development, Six Sigma etc.)
Experience working with state and local government
Expertise and understanding of place-based public health and/or software development management
Demonstrated knowledge of the principles and practices of administration, including strategic planning, governance, and innovative leadership
The ability to maintain the fun and excitement of a small non-profit team when deadlines are approaching
Master’s degree preferred, ideally in public health, policy, business or other related social science field
Located near Carrboro, NC or have the ability to travel there with regularity

Salary Range:

$90,000 – $120,000, commensurate with experience, including health, dental, vision insurance, and 401K plan. To apply for the position, please send your CV or resume, and a letter expressing your interest to the Board of Directors, board@countertools.org.

We strongly encourage applications from diverse individuals, including but not limited to diversity in such characteristics as race/ethnicity, color, national origin, age, socioeconomic background, religion, creed, veteran’s status, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation and disability. Counter Tools is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Nina Baltierra to Serve as Executive Director of Counter Tools

Counter Tools Board — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 18:45:41 +0000

The Counter Tools Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Nina Baltierra has been selected as Counter Tools’ permanent Executive Director. Nina joined Counter Tools as a Project Director in 2014 and has since taken on roles with increasing responsibility, including Director of Programs and Director of Operations. She has been serving as Interim Executive Director since September 2017.

Dr. Allison Myers, co-founder and former Executive Director, has accepted the position of Director of Strategic Partnerships for Counter Tools until September 2019. The Counter Tools Board of Directors and staff thank Allison for her tremendous energy and creativity and look forward to her continued efforts as Director of Strategic Partnerships.

In her new role as Executive Director, Ms. Baltierra will be responsible for leadership and operations of the organization and advancing the mission. She will be responsible for financial performance and viability working closely with the Board of Directors. She has overall strategic and operational responsibilities for Counter Tools’ team members, program/project maintenance and expansion, and execution of its mission.

The Counter Tools team is committed to each of our client partnerships in tobacco prevention and control as they continue to expand their evidence-informed intervention to face additional place-based public health issues such as food and alcohol.

Project Directors are the primary points of contact for existing client-partners; inquiries about future work should be directed to Nina at nina@countertools.org.

Counter Tools Board – Counter Tools