We're Hiring - Chief Executive Officer (CEO) - Patriot Art Foundation, Veteran Art Programs

Help Lead Patriot Art Foundation
Into Its Next Chapter

Patriot Art Foundation is seeking an exceptional nonprofit leader to help guide the organization into its next chapter of growth and national impact for veterans through the arts.

Since 2019, PAF has built a meaningful and growing organization that brings veterans together through creative arts, healing, connection, and community. We are now looking for a leader who can help build upon that foundation and carry the organization forward.

The Chief Executive Officer will work closely with Founder Mary Whyte and the Board of Directors to strengthen PAF’s programs, partnerships, fundraising, operations, and national reach — while preserving the heart and artistic vision that make Patriot Art Foundation unique.

This is an extraordinary opportunity to help shape the future of a growing national organization serving veterans through the transformative power of art.

Organization Overview

Patriot Art Foundation (PAF) serves veterans through therapeutic and educational art programming delivered in partnership with Veterans Administration (VA) clinics, community organizations, and a growing national network of instructors. Since its founding in 2019, PAF has built a track record of impactful, high-touch programming — including its signature Art of Valor initiative — that gives veterans a creative outlet for healing, connection, and community reintegration.

Patriot Art Foundation is currently a founder-led organization supported by an engaged volunteer Board of Directors and a growing network of volunteers, instructors, and strategic advisors. The CEO will play a pivotal role in building the organization’s first professional leadership team and operational infrastructure.

As PAF enters its next chapter of growth, the organization is professionalizing its leadership structure and building the infrastructure, partnerships, and funding base needed to scale its impact nationally. This is an exceptional opportunity for an entrepreneurial nonprofit leader to help shape one of the nation’s emerging veteran-serving organizations and build a lasting legacy at the intersection of veteran wellness, creative arts, and public service.

Position Summary

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the strategic and operational leader of Patriot Art Foundation, accountable to the Board of Directors for advancing the organization’s mission, financial sustainability, and national growth. The CEO will professionalize and scale PAF’s programs, deepen its partnerships with the VA and allied military-serving organizations, build a diversified funding base, and elevate the organization’s brand and public profile.

The CEO will work closely with PAF’s founder to honor the organization’s history and values while building the systems, team, and strategy required for PAF to become a nationally recognized leader in veteran-focused creative arts programming.

The CEO’s highest priority during the first 12–24 months will be building organizational capacity: expanding sustainable revenue, strengthening operational systems, and positioning PAF for long-term national growth — building a trusted partnership with Founder Mary Whyte that preserves the authenticity and artistic vision of Patriot Art Foundation while allowing the organization to mature operationally and strategically.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Organizational Growth

Set and drive the strategic vision and multi-year growth plan for PAF, in partnership with the Board and founder.
Lead PAF’s evolution from a founder-led organization into a professionally managed, sustainably funded national nonprofit.
Identify and prioritize PAF’s highest-impact, most fundable programs, using data and outcomes to guide decisions.
Build organizational infrastructure — including staffing, systems (CRM, evaluation), and policies — to support scale.
Develop organizational systems and processes that enable PAF to operate with the governance, financial stewardship, and operational excellence expected of leading national nonprofits.

Fundraising, Development & Partnerships

Develop and execute a diversified fundraising strategy spanning individual giving, major gifts, corporate partnerships, foundations, grants, recurring donors, planned giving, and strategic campaigns.
Cultivate and steward relationships with corporate partners, veteran-serving organizations, and philanthropic allies (e.g., USAA, Wounded Warrior Project, Gary Sinise Foundation, and similar mission-aligned partners).
Lead and support grant strategy and reporting in partnership with development staff.
Serve as PAF’s principal relationship-holder with Veterans Administration leadership and clinic partners, expanding and deepening VA site partnerships nationally.
Represent PAF at national conferences, speaking engagements, and public events to build visibility and credibility.

Program Oversight & Impact

Ensure high-quality, consistent delivery of PAF’s core programming across VA clinics and community settings, including signature initiatives such as Art of Valor.
Establish a data-driven culture that measures veteran outcomes, program effectiveness, organizational performance, and return on philanthropic investment.
Guide the growth of PAF’s online and virtual programming, including differentiation strategy and member engagement models.
Ensure programs and partnerships comply with VA protocols and all applicable organizational and regulatory standards.

Board Governance & Financial Stewardship

Partner with the Board of Directors on governance, strategic planning, and organizational policy.
Prepare and present regular reporting to the Board on programmatic, financial, and fundraising performance.
Develop and manage PAF’s annual budget, ensuring fiscal discipline and appropriate general & administrative expense levels.
Ensure sound financial controls, compliance, and audit readiness.
Build a culture of financial stewardship, transparency, and accountability that inspires confidence among donors, grantors, and strategic partners.
Lead implementation and effective use of modern nonprofit technology platforms, including CRM, donor management, financial systems, volunteer management, and program evaluation tools.

Brand, Communications & Public Profile

Serve as PAF’s primary public spokesperson and storyteller, elevating the organization’s brand and national reputation.
Guide an emotionally resonant, identity-driven communications and marketing strategy that supports donor growth.
Oversee coordinated national campaigns tied to key military and veteran observances.
Support media, PR, and public relations efforts that raise PAF’s visibility among veterans, donors, and partners.

Team Leadership & Culture

Recruit, hire, mentor, and manage a growing staff team, building a culture of accountability, compassion, and mission alignment.
Bridge operational program staff and organizational leadership to ensure alignment and smooth execution.
Work in close partnership with PAF’s founder, honoring the organization’s history while building toward its future.

Qualifications

Required

Demonstrated senior nonprofit leadership experience, ideally as an Executive Director, CEO, or senior officer of a mission-driven organization.
Track record of successful fundraising, including major gifts, corporate, and foundation relationships.
Experience building or scaling organizational infrastructure, staff teams, and program evaluation systems.
Strong public speaking, storytelling, and relationship-building skills with donors, corporate partners, and government agencies.
Genuine passion for and connection to the veteran community and PAF’s mission.
Willingness and ability to travel regularly for partnership meetings, events, and speaking engagements.

Preferred

Familiarity with the veteran-serving nonprofit landscape, military culture, and/or personal military or veteran family connection.
Experience partnering with the Veterans Administration or similar federal/clinical systems.
Experience with arts-based, therapeutic, or educational programming.
Prior experience working with or reporting to a nonprofit Board of Directors.
Demonstrated executive presence and emotional intelligence, inspiring confidence among donors, board members, veterans, volunteers, and strategic partners.

Compensation & Application

Compensation includes a competitive salary commensurate with experience, with the opportunity to grow alongside the organization as Patriot Art Foundation expands nationally. Patriot Art Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds, with particular interest in candidates connected to the veteran and military community.

Location Preference will be given to candidates located in or willing to relocate to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Hybrid work arrangements may be considered for exceptional candidates.

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Positive Impact of Art“Thank you for what you are doing. Learning how to paint has given me my life back.” - Zach H., Veteran

DonateSupport the Patriot Art Foundation With your Donation

Why We Matter:

According to the VA nearly 4 million veterans ages 21-64 report having a disability.
Engaging in the creative arts has proven to improve the perceived physical and psychological health of participants.
Research suggests that art therapy programs, when engaged early, lessen the risk of developing greater PTSD severity later on.
Our programs provide free education and materials to veterans seeking to use art as a pathway to a healthier and more meaningful life.

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Join UsVolunteer Art Instructors and Mentors

In 2019, Mary Whyte’s groundbreaking traveling exhibition of 50 watercolors called We the People: Portraits of Veterans in America opened to the public in Charleston, South Carolina. In the first six weeks alone over 22,000 people viewed the collection. The response, especially from veterans, confirmed Whyte’s belief in art’s extraordinary power to communicate and connect. And so, what began as fifty portraits turned into a national mission giving veterans a means of finding whole health through art and self expression.

If you have a heart for veterans, art and teaching, contact info@patriotartfoundation.org