Responsibilities of the Position
Reporting to the vice president for finance, administration, and chief financial officer, the director of auxiliary services provides visionary leadership and strategic oversight for the auxiliary services portfolio, including dining services, The Davidson College Store, Carnegie Guest House, summer programs, CatCard services, and post and print services. This role ensures operational excellence, fiscal sustainability, and the delivery of high-quality services that enhance the campus experience for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The director has five direct reports and over 150 employees across the overall area, while managing a $18 million budget.
Key responsibilities as outlined in the job description include:
Strategic Leadership & Operational Oversight
- Provide direct supervision and professional development for departmental managers across dining, retail, guest services, summer programs, and integrated mailing/ID services.
- Drive continuous improvement in service delivery and product quality to ensure a “student-first” culture of excellence.
- Establish and champion the department’s commitment to broad college goals, ensuring auxiliary operations align with the institution’s mission.
- Lead strategic planning initiatives for all auxiliary units to adapt to evolving campus needs and industry trends.
Fiscal Management & Stewardship
- Manage and oversee eight distinct departmental budgets within the guidelines established by the vice president of finance and administration.
- Ensure rigorous fiscal responsibility, revenue generation, and cost-containment strategies to maintain the long-term health of auxiliary enterprises.
Collaborative Partnerships & Relationship Management
- Serve as the primary liaison between auxiliary services and key internal stakeholders, including residence life, physical plant, college union, and technology and innovation.
- Optimize the use of campus resources to effectively support the college’s strategic plan.
- Cultivate and maintain positive relationships with external vendors and community partners.
Stakeholder Engagement & Problem Resolution
- Actively engage with the campus community to seek opportunities for collaboration and innovation.
- Field inquiries and complaints with a solution-oriented approach, identifying creative resolutions to complex operational challenges.
- Promote cross-departmental coordination to ensure a seamless and integrated auxiliary experience for all users.
Qualifications and Characteristics of the Successful Candidate
Requirements include a bachelor’s degree in business administration, higher education leadership, or a related field, and eight years of progressive leadership experience in auxiliary services, hospitality management, or business operations. Preferred qualifications include experience within a higher education environment and a master’s degree. Competitive candidates will possess: a proven ability in strategic planning and budget management, strong interpersonal skills with a track record of cultivating collaborative relationships, and a demonstrated commitment to high-standard customer service and operational efficiency.
In addition to the qualifications stated above, key stakeholders identified the following capabilities and attributes of a successful candidate:
- Accomplished, enterprising professional with a successful background in generating and implementing innovative ideas and partnerships.
- Excellent organizational skills and the ability to lead multiple concurrent projects and departments.
- Ability to build relationships across departments and collaborate successfully with internal and external partners.
- Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to present information clearly and effectively to a wide range of stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, and trustees.
- Strong sense of how auxiliary services contribute to community building through robust relationships and services.
History of the Position
The position will become vacant following the planned retirement of the current director, Richard Terry, in June 2026, marking more than 20 years of dedicated service.
Opportunities and Challenges of the Role
In transitioning to Davidson College, the director of auxiliary services will encounter the following opportunities, priorities, and challenges, as shared by key campus stakeholders:
New Campus Master Plan. The campus plan includes a new dining facility and a new programming space with the new library. The director will be instrumental in implementing the robust vision and priorities for these new areas.
World Class Experience. The expectation is that the director will lead auxiliary areas with exceptional customer service and clearly represent the Davidson mission to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests.
Innovative and Creative Thinking. The director will bring forward-thinking ideas and solutions to serve the college’s best interests. They will bring best practices and innovative expertise to the areas within their portfolio.
Partnerships and Collaborations. Partnerships with internal and external stakeholders will be essential to this director’s success. The director will develop new collaborative relationships and strengthen existing partnerships.
Measures of Success
The items listed below will define success throughout the first year of employment. The new director of auxiliary services has:
- Demonstrated leadership with the implementation of campus master plan components within their area.
- Advanced the leadership transition in a collaborative and seamless manner, maintaining service continuity and reinforcing staff and stakeholder confidence.
- Established themself as an essential team member and collaborator with faculty, staff, and students working toward achieving departmental, divisional, and institutional goals.
- Taken time to learn the people, processes, and priorities within the portfolio, developing a thoughtful understanding of its operational complexities and opportunities.
Overview of Auxiliary Services
Auxiliary services encompass several departments at Davidson College, all devoted to supporting essential aspects of the living experience beyond academic and co-curricular activity for faculty, students, and staff members. These self-op services provide food throughout campus, textbook and general merchandise needs, CatCard support, overnight accommodations, postal help, and offer care packages for any member of the college campus community.
Departments:
- Post & Print
- Davidson College Store
- CatCard Services
- Dining Services
- Carnegie Guest House
- Guest Services
Auxiliary Services Organizational Chart
More Information About Auxiliary Services
Division of Finance and Administration
The division of finance and administration is a group of professionals dedicated to supporting and enhancing the college by nurturing financial and administrative resources and providing continuously improving services to the entire campus. The director of auxiliary services is a key member of the division’s leadership team and is one of eight direct reports to the vice president for finance, administration, and chief financial officer.
Divisional Leadership
Antoinette McCorvey
Antoinette McCorvey joined Davidson College in February 2019 as the vice president for finance, administration, and chief financial officer. Previously, she served as George Washington University’s deputy executive vice president and treasurer for five years. In that role, she held primary responsibility for the university’s financial and physical resources. Her duties have also included managing information systems and human resources divisions. She moved from a divisional director into a series of vice president roles and, last, as CFO and senior vice president of Kodak, a $5 billion company. Her work included navigating markets around the globe, overseeing a $250 million bond issuance, and, as digital photography overtook the company built on analog film, helping steer it into digital imaging markets.
Institutional Overview
Established in 1837 by Presbyterians of North Carolina, Davidson is a liberal arts college with a rich history and heritage. The college works to preserve the traditions that make the Davidson experience unique, while evolving to meet the needs of learners in an interconnected and rapidly changing world. Currently, 95 percent of the 1,927 enrolled students live on campus. Davidson College is located in the town of Davidson, North Carolina, approximately 20 minutes north of Charlotte. Davidson provides the best of all worlds—a vibrant campus community close to a major metropolitan area with opportunities for outdoor adventures.
The Student Body
Total Enrollment: 1,927
Male: 53%
Female: 47%
African American/Black: 7%
Asian: 6%
Hispanic/Latino: 10%
White: 61%
Two or More Races: 4%
Unknown: 1%
Non-Resident: 10%
Institutional Leadership
Douglas A. Hicks
Douglas A. Hicks, a member of Davidson’s class of 1990, returned to his alma mater in 2022 as president. He joined Davidson from his role as dean of Oxford College at Emory University, where he developed new programs to enhance the curriculum and build intellectual and social community. Under his leadership, the Mellon Humanities Pathways program integrated career experience and reflection into academic courses. He also co-led a working group to memorialize the labor of enslaved persons, planning for twin memorials on Emory’s Oxford and Atlanta campuses and related educational and community projects.
Hicks received an AB degree magna cum laude with honors in economics from Davidson, a Master of Divinity summa cum laude from Duke University, and MA and PhD degrees in religion from Harvard University, where he studied with distinguished theologian Ronald Thiemann and Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen.
Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
“Davidson College understands that cultivating a broadly diverse community is crucial to our educational mission and to our foundational commitment to leadership and service.
We strive to sustain a culture of belonging for staff, faculty, and students from diverse cultures, ethnicities, races, religions, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages, national origins, socio-economic backgrounds, and abilities. Ourpolicies do not discriminate, our student Code of Responsibility centers valuing individual differences and condemns discrimination, and our employee benefits plans reflect our commitment to all staff, including our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA) staff. We believe that these policies are crucial to the realization of our aspirations and that they enable us to recruit, develop, and retain the highest caliber colleagues and students.
Davidson encourages students to acknowledge and discuss the faith traditions and spiritual practices of its diverse student body. The college, through student interest groups and Davidson-sponsored programmatic efforts, supports students of all faith and religious traditions and those without specific traditions.”
Benefits Overview
Davidson College offers a competitive benefits package to support the long-term health, financial security, and ongoing well-being of faculty and staff.
Application
Review of applications will begin immediately, and continue until the position is filled. To apply for this position, please click the Apply button, complete the brief application process, and upload your resume and a position-specific cover letter. Applicants needing reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process should contact Spelman Johnson at 413-529-2895 or email info@spelmanjohnson.com.
Visit the Davidson College website at https://www.davidson.edu/
Davidson College fosters a positive environment in which all employees and students enjoy a work and academic environment free from illegal discrimination or harassment. Davidson’s policy is to admit qualified students and administer all educational, athletic, financial, and employment activities without discrimination based on race, color, gender, national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law unless allowed by law and deemed necessary to the administration of the college’s educational programs or operations.
RELATED LINKS: