2017 Year In Review

By NNSC Members

The following provides a compilation of our member firms’ most notable nonprofit executive searches in 2017.

Aspen Leadership Group | The Fannie & John Hertz Foundation provides some of the most prestigious fellowships in the world to the nation's most remarkable PhD students in the applied physical and biological sciences, mathematics, and engineering. Having placed the President and CEO in 2015, Aspen Leadership Group worked with the President to recruit a Senior Development Director in 2016 followed by a Senior Development Officer in 2017.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a world-class educational institution whose mission is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century. Having placed MIT's Campaign Director and the Executive Director of Strategic Information Management, Aspen Leadership Group worked with the senior leadership of the Institute and the Alumni Association to recruit a new President for the MIT Alumni Association, and she was installed in September of 2017.

Benefactor Group | The firm continued its relationship with Equitas Health, one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ health care organizations that serves over 67,000 people annually, by facilitating the search and hiring of its CDO, Robert Copeland. Robert joined the team in September 2017.

The Nashville Public Library Foundation appointed its President, Shawn Bakker, in March of 2017. Benefactor Group was honored to work with a very engaged NPLF search committee in the process to identify a new leader.

Campbell & Company | The firm conducted the search for a new Vice President for Development for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO). The CSO - a $74 million organization and one of the world’s most prestigious orchestras - needed a leader with the experience to build a strategic fundraising plan while leading and inspiring a team of 24 development professionals. The ultimate selection resulted in a placement with strong orchestra-specific experience, a record of successful turnaround fundraising leadership, and an international background well-suited to the CSO’s global presence.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), an international society of over 240 chapters, also retained Campbell & Company to recruit their next President and CEO. As one of the premiere professional organizations for career fundraisers, AFP’s 33,000 members raise over $100 billion annually in North America and millions more worldwide. AFP needed a President and CEO with experience in chapter-based organizations, member relations, finances, and outstanding leadership skills to help AFP envision its direction. The placed candidate brought exceptional financial and organizational acumen coupled with strong experience in association management, marketing, operations, leadership, and international experience.

The Dingman Company, Inc. | The firm placed the former president of 60,000-student Piedmont Community College in Charlotte as the Executive Director of the $1B Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C.
The firm also placed James Ackerman, former CEO of the Documentary Channel, to President of Prison Fellowship Ministries.

KCI (Ketchum Canada Inc.) | The firm is proud of its long-standing partnership with Queen’s University in Canada, and for the opportunity to support the University’s strategic focus on diversity, inclusion, and equity. In July 2017, Ryan Rodrigues joined the University as Associate Vice-Principal, Alumni Relations & Annual Giving, bringing 22 years of experience in alumni engagement, annual giving, student recruitment, and leadership development.

Canada’s Children’s Hospital Foundations is transforming children’s health in Canada by collectively maximizing the impact of corporate partnerships and donor contributions. Following a search by KCI (Ketchum Canada Inc.) in July 2017, Mark Hierlihy became the inaugural CEO of this new organization that represents 13 of Canada's children's hospitals.

Michelle Whiting & Associates | CDP, a London-based NGO tracking carbon usage for 90 countries and 5,600 corporations, engaged Michelle Whiting & Associates to lead their Director of Development search for the North American office in NYC. Jonathan Labozzetta, the former Director of Institutional Giving and Global Government Relations for the Rainforest Alliance, was selected for this prestigious, multinational and far reaching position.

Puente Learning Center in the Boyle Heights region of Los Angeles provides lifelong education opportunities to the underserved as well as an award-winning charter academy. Michelle Whiting & Associates led the Vice President of Development search and placed Matt Wells, the former Chief Operation Officer of Diavolo Dance, bringing a new perspective on fund development to the organization.

The Moran Company | The firm completed a successful search for New Horizons Mental Health Services in Lancaster, Ohio. We worked closely with them to overcome several unexpected challenges with candidates and ultimately hired an excellent CEO for the organization.

The firm also completed a successful search for The Jefferson Foundation is Festus, Missouri, as their CEO was retiring. We thoroughly screened and evaluated a large volume of applicants and presented strong finalists in order to identify the very best fit for their next leader.

Morris & Berger | Founded in 2003, Operation Gratitude has sent more than 2 million care packages to deployed troops and their families by organizing thousands of volunteers and recruiting in-kind gifts of merchandise valued at millions of dollars each year. Kevin Schmiegel started on December 1, 2017 as the new CEO, following the inspirational leadership of the founder, Carolyn Blashek.

Alliance for Children’s Rights | The Alliance for Children’s Rights protects the legal rights of children and youth in poverty and in foster care using more than 600 staff and pro bono attorneys, having helped more than 125,000 children since 1992. Laurie Rubiner started in September 2017 and replaced the retiring CEO, Janis Spire, who had a very successful 15-year career leading the Alliance.

Preston Human Capital Group Inc. | The firm’s client, Career Edge was seeking a new CEO as they had stagnated under the leadership in place and their Board recognized the need to evolve. We placed a candidate who had grown up in NFP as a lead fundraiser including working for two of the largest hospital foundations. He was looking for a role that wasn’t 100% about fundraising and a position that had an operational aspect, was about helping youth and would include some fundraising. A perfect match for both parties.

Christian Children’s Fund of Canada retained the firm’s services having terminated the previous CEO after seven years of service. The search committee included some very high-profile individuals who, unfortunately, had little understanding of what success would actually look like for the incoming CEO. Another key consideration making this search mandate challenging was the Christian nature of the organization. Our placed candidate is a Canadian who was living in London U.K., had just completing his COO assignment with Oxfam and was looking to return to Canada.

Waverly Partners | Based on the 2014 combined operations of the 3,600-acre Holden Arboretum and the Cleveland Botanical Garden, with 20 unique gardens and a major glasshouse, today Holden Forests & Gardens in Cleveland, Ohio is the 12th largest public garden in the United States, with 80 FT and 45 PT staff, 1,000 volunteers and an operating budget of $13.5MM. The successful finalist for the position of President & Chief Executive Officer was Jill Koski, who previously served as Vice President-Development for the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois.

Envision Greater Fond du Lac, Inc. is a $2.5MM, 17-staff organization that came about from the merger of the 850-member Fond du Lac Association of Commerce and the Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation, providing a variety of programs and services to support the economy and quality of life in a mid-sized city at the foot of Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin’s largest inland lake. The successful finalist for the President & Chief Executive Officer position was Cecilia Harry, who previously served as the Executive Director of the Greater Fremont (NE) Development Council and is a Certified Economic Developer and was recognized in 2017 by Development Counsellors International as a member of the “40 Under 40 in Economic Development.”