KIRK PALMER ASSOCIATES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Placement Team
- Principal
- Executive Search Leader
Allison is an accomplished executive search leader with over 20 years of experience within the fashion retail/wholesale sector as a global merchant at brands like Calvin Klein and DKNY. As Principal at Kirk Palmer Associates, she leverages this first-hand experience to establish lasting connections with retail executives that drive successful placements.
In her rare moments of downtime after running around with her two children, Allison has a passion for all things fashion with particular interest in hunting for vintage finds on a dime. She loves traveling abroad to scour the streets for where her next hidden treasure will be found.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate, Marketing & Business Development
Amanda DiAntonio joined Kirk Palmer Associates in 2013 and is now a Senior Marketing Associate, having previously been a member of the firm's finance and operations practice. Over the past ten years, she has honed her abilities to forge relationships and coordinate all the components of a successful search in order to match great companies with great candidates. She has made recent successful placements within global, iconic brands, off-price retailers and omnichannel fashion companies.
A Jersey girl, born and bred, Amanda lives with her husband and son and enjoys entertaining in their new house.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Member of the Placement Team
Ashley Ray is an associate at Kirk Palmer Associates. In this role, she partners with diverse fashion, retail, beauty and technology companies on executive search assignments including chief executive officer and direct report roles in eCommerce, merchandising, marketing, operations and IT.
Prior to joining the firm, Ashley gained industry exposure in roles spanning publishing, PR and fashion styling at high-growth technology enabled fashion companies including Stitch Fix. She draws on her passion for the industry and this first hand experience to accelerate the executive search process and assess talent on a deeper level.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Placement Team
- Principal
Brian Busse is a Senior Principal at Kirk Palmer Associates. In this role he leads the firm's expansion in Asia and helps global retail, fashion and consumer brands hire talented executives for regional and international leadership roles in Europe and North America.
With more than a decade of professional recruitment experience, Brian has cultivated a strong network of client partners spanning big local corporates to renowned global names in luxury, fashion, beauty and consumer. His dynamic approach is influenced by his unique global working experience and a passion for people and growing organizations.
Born and raised in California, Brian currently splits his time between London and Asia. He has lived in four different Asian cities (Hong Kong, Taipei, Bangkok, Ulaanbaatar) and travelled to more than 50 countries globally, gaining a deep understanding of cultural customs and nuances. He draws on this specialized knowledge to help complex multinational corporations hire finely-calibrated executives for roles including senior regional leadership, heads of functions and c-suite executives.
Caroline joined Kirk Palmer Associates after working in the Consumer Practice at Korn Ferry where she executed searches across CPG, beauty, retail, and hospitality. Prior to that, she worked in the Healthcare & Life Sciences division at Heidrick & Struggles focusing on executive and board-level searches. After obtaining a degree in Journalism from Georgetown, Caroline spent time in DC working at various government and Washington DC-based firms focused on policy analysis and communications.
As an Associate at Kirk Palmer Associates, Caroline leverages her journalism background, her prior search experience and passion for retail, fashion and beauty to identify top talent and work to understand each client and candidate story. She is particularly focused on DE&I and adding high-impact, diverse talent to retail C-suites and executive teams.
Caroline is also a mentor with Streetwise Partners, an organization that advances economic equity by connecting underrepresented talent with mentorship and career opportunities. A life-long athlete, Caroline has completed two marathons, and loves to run in Central Park with friends.
Wonderful to work with the team at Helly Hansen in placing Carrie Ask as Chief Executive Officer. Exciting times ahead!
Cathy manages and oversees the overall business operations of KPA supported by over three decades of experience in operations, administration, human resources and business development either as a business owner or directly supporting founders in the hedge fund, hospitality and executive search industries.
Courtney has 15 years experience recruiting talent within the consumer internet space. She joined Kirk Palmer in 2017 after a 10-year stint with Walmart.com, where she had a hand in building the team from 400 to over 2000 employees. At Walmart.com, she owned recruiting for the Marketing, Creative and Site Merchandising teams. In 2013 she joined Walmart.com's in-house executive recruiting group, where she focused on recruiting talent at the VP and above level, across the entire eCommerce business. Courtney specializes in "finding needles in haystacks." There's nothing she enjoys more than a good hunt, and prides herself on really digging into her clients unique needs from a business and cultural standpoint.
When she's not chasing her two young children around, Courtney enjoys hiking the hills of the San Francisco East Bay with her cattle dog, a good book and getting creative in the kitchen with finds from the local farmers market.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Placement Team
- Partner
Dana Levine is a Partner specializing in fashion, retail and consumer experience brands. She joined the firm in 2014 after an extensive career in merchandising, planning, digital, and stores at GAP, Ralph Lauren and Loro Piana. Dana's lifelong passion for retail, curiosity and strong foundation in brands contribute to her modern approach and success in executive search.
During her tenure at KPA, Dana has partnered with clients ranging from LVMH to PetSmart and has placed CEO, c-level and senior management executives. She deeply values the client-candidate-recruiter relationship and takes pride in providing guidance on each unique search. Her extensive network, charismatic personality and loyalty to the process enable her to recruit ‘ungettable' senior leadership talent and establish meaningful, lasting connections.
Dana resides in NYC with her husband and two daughters. When not immersed in her searches, Dana enjoys reading, hiking, running, and online/instore buying, which she unabashedly calls ‘competitive shopping.'
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate on the Knowledge Management Team
David Vasquez is an associate on the knowledge management team at Kirk Palmer Associates. He provides high-quality, in depth research and reporting to support executive search assignments and the continuous growth of the firm's best-in-class, diverse network of diverse retail talent.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer / Magnolia
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner
- Member of the Placement Team
Jaimee Marshall knows fashion and retail. As Managing Partner at Kirk Palmer Associates, she works with brands, boards, founders and the private equity community to connect a trusted network of c-level professionals with leading companies.
Prior to joining the firm in 2006, Jaimee had a diverse 20+ year career in strategy, marketing and digital roles within global fashion and publishing companies. This first-hand experience enables her to connect more deeply with CEOs, merchants, marketers, digital and stores leaders as well as operations and supply chain functions.
Jaimee is a trusted confidant to the industry's top executives in companies ranging from early-stage startups to global conglomerates, due in part to her encyclopedic knowledge of industry talent, her transparent communication style, and her unparalleled ability to bring ‘ungettable' talent to the table. Jaimee resides in New York and has a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
When not recruiting for the world's top retail and fashion companies, you can find Jaimee shopping their stores, traveling to exotic locations or consuming pop culture. As the world's self-professed ‘most curious person' with a penchant for telling people what to buy and do, Jaimee's fantasy career was to be the next Oprah. This job has given her a similar platform without having to be swarmed by paparazzi.
Job Titles:
- Head of Knowledge Management
Jason brings more than 20 years of knowledge management experience to Kirk Palmer Associates. Prior to joining the firm, he was a consultant for several years to a variety of clients, including executive recruiting firms and corporate talent acquisition departments, primarily in the consumer goods sector. His earlier experience includes knowledge management roles at Urban Outfitters and Heidrick & Struggles.
Jason was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, but grew up in North Carolina. He received his Bachelors in Music Performance from Louisiana State University and his MBA in Supply Chain Management from Nova Southeastern University. When not finding executives at work, Jason spends much of his spare time finding and researching family on Ancestry.com.
Jennifer is a Search Manager at Kirk Palmer Associates. An experienced project manager and search support professional, Jennifer began her career in search over a decade ago supporting the Board Practice at Spencer Stuart. She is adept at supporting complex executive search assignments for board, CEO and C-level through VP talent. Earlier in her career, Jennifer was an external communications specialist at McKinsey.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Placement Team
- Search Manager
As Search Manager, Jennifer is a skillful project manager who works to ensure the high-quality and timely success of every executive search assignment. She also helps to drive the firm's diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
Prior to joining the firm, Jennifer provided project support at the Rutgers Institute for Health where she implemented and co-chaired the DEI and Employee Resource group.
Proud to assist Littlejohn & Co. and Brown Jordan in hiring Jerome Griffith as Chief Executive Officer of the luxury outdoor furniture retailer.
As former CEO of Lands' End and Tumi Holdings, Griffith is a seasoned executive with a track record of success growing premium and luxury consumer brands.
Jessica Donehower is a Senior Associate at Kirk Palmer Associates. A design enthusiast, Jessica transitioned to executive search in 2018 after two decades of experience in the retail industry.
In leadership roles for several Fortune 500 retail companies, Jessica has built a track record as an effective leader, communicator, negotiator and champion of people. Most recently, she helped start and build out a new retail brand and organization from scratch.
Jessica has a keen ability to identify, assess and hire top talent as well as a cultivate strong, long-lasting relationships. Her work ethic, candor and commitment to project completion have earned Jessica an outstanding reputation.
Jessica lives with her husband and three kids in Marin county. She loves the outdoors, and is out running and hiking whenever possible.
Karen Ouchterloney is a Senior Principal with a 15+ year history of retail buying, merchandising, and planning and allocation experience in specialty, department stores and e-commerce divisions. Her expertise in building and developing strong, high-functioning teams for high-level retail brands gives her a unique understanding of talent assessement and culture fit within consumer commerce companies.
Because she speaks the language of retail, Karen is able to decipher client needs for specific roles and determine critical candidate skill sets across functional areas like finance, merchandising, marketing, supply chain and human resources.
Prior to joining the firm, Karen held senior level merchandising, buying and planning roles across retail and ecommerce with The Jones Group, Coach Inc. and J.Crew. At the start of her career, Karen spent five years in department stores, including Macy's, in a variety of merchandising and buying roles.
Karen has a love of all things athletic, including her longtime passion for tennis and golf, and a more recent appreciation of kayaking on Candlewood Lake in Connecticut.
Wonderful to work with the team at Marc Jacobs in placing Katie Gohman as Chief Marketing Officer. Exciting times ahead!
Kerry Scott is an Associate at Kirk Palmer Associates. In this role she helps to identify, engage and manage a robust candidate community with expertise spanning all functional areas of consumer retail, from marketing and merchandising to finance, human resources and operations.
With nearly a decade of experience supporting executive search teams, Kerry is the ultimate utility player. She joined the firm in 2014 and held multi-faceted positions including Search Coordinator and Operations Manager before being promoted to Associate. She draws on this experience to provide high-touch, detail-oriented service with a passion for creating a best-in-class candidate and client experiences.
With a love for all things interior design, Kerry enjoys spending her free time decorating her New Jersey house with her husband, Mike, in which they host many gatherings for family and friends.
Kevin joined the company from Apple, where he led Global BuzzMarketing Strategy for Sports and drove brand awareness, consumer engagement, and commercial results.
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Member of the Placement Team
- Recruiter
- Senior Partner
Kyle Rudy is a seasoned executive recruiter with more than a decade of search experience built upon a 20+ year HR career in specialty retailing and department stores. In his role as Senior Partner, Kyle leads a thriving search practice and drives the firm's Diversity & Inclusion efforts, helping clients recruit talent from a range of backgrounds and experiences.
Kyle joined KPA in 2009 following a dynamic career in merchandising and HR roles at Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's Merchandising Group and Coach (now Tapestry). His passion for putting the pieces of the talent puzzle together to create a stronger organization led him to partner cross-functionally across roles focused on ecommerce, merchandising, stores, marketing, and operations. Today, he pairs this first-hand knowledge with his uncanny assessment abilities to understand candidate capabilities, client needs and corporate culture.
Kyle resides in New York with his husband, Darius, and together they have visited over 50 countries.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Placement Team
- Senior Partner
Lindsay Stevens is a Senior Partner at Kirk Palmer Associates. In this role, Lindsay works at the intersection of founders and the investment community helping both established and fast-growing retail, fashion, beauty, home and CPG brands hire the leadership talent they need to scale.
Prior to joining the firm, Lindsay gained more than 15 years of marketing and digital strategy experience at companies including Apple, kate spade new york and C. Wonder. From this background she developed a passion for storytelling and creating an emotional connection with brands - expertise she now applies when placing precisely-matched executives in high-impact roles. Additionally, Lindsay is a consultative partner to businesses at every stage of growth and provides guidance on organizational design, talent assessment and executive compensation.
When her life with family and friends in San Francisco aren't on the schedule, Lindsay will duck away to either read a book, golf, run, ski or take a quiet moment to solve a puzzle - crossword, jigsaw or a good search assignment.
Wishing Lisa Williams the very best as she begins her new role as Chief Executive Officer of Eileen Fisher. Congratulations!
Job Titles:
- Knowledge Analyst
- Member of the Knowledge Management Team
- Search Coordinator
Lissette is a member of the Knowledge Management team with a penchant for details. She supports the firm's business insights and trend reporting with daily research on leadership changes, industry news, and financial transactions across hundreds of retail, fashion, beauty and consumer commerce companies. She also supports the overall data needs of the firm's proprietary database, ensuring its continuous growth and diversification.
Lissette joined the firm as a Search Coordinator in early 2022. Prior to joining that, she served as Executive Assistant to the CEO of Citadel Trucks.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Placement Team
- Principal
Mary Beth McGroarty is a Principal at Kirk Palmer Associates. She brings to the role more than a decade of executive search experience as well as direct fashion industry knowledge, recruiting talented executives for engagements spanning all categories of retail, beauty and consumer goods.
Mary Beth began her career in the Executive Training Program at Jordan Marsh. She later moved to the wholesale side of the industry working for various fashion companies including Jones Apparel Group. In 2009, she transitioned to executive search, gaining broad exposure at Korn Ferry. Now at Kirk Palmer Associates, Mary Beth draws on her robust industry insight as well as an innate curiosity for people, networking and relationship building to engender trust in the candidate community. She leads each executive search assignment with a consultative, hands-on approach at both a tactical and strategic level, and she strives to serve as a true partner to her clients.
Mary Beth has traveled extensively and is particularly passionate about her Irish heritage. At home, she grapples with a Boston/Philly sports rivalry within her family but enjoys sneaking away to relax with a baguette, some gorgonzola cheese, and a glass of red wine.
Melissa Sussberg loves people and problem solving. As a Partner at Kirk Palmer Associates, she brings a unique approach to executive search that draws on two decades of firsthand fashion and retail industry experience.
Prior to joining the firm, Melissa was the president of global sales at Victoria Beckham where she grew the business and led strategies across North America, Europe and Asia. Her earlier career experiences spanned sales, merchandising, licensing, wholesale and retail leadership in diverse environments including DVF, Jonathan Adler, Vince, Chanel and Bergdorf Goodman. This extensive industry exposure in founder-led and luxury brands enables her to approach executive search assignments with an innate understanding of the client experience and requirements for success.
Melissa lives in New York with her husband and two sons. She is a prolific cook who loves to entertain at home.
Congratulations, Michelle Peterson! Excited for you in your new role as Chief Marketing Officer at Kendra Scott. Wishing you all the best!
Job Titles:
- Chief Merchandising Officer
Wonderful to work with the team at Tommy Hilfiger in placing Nadia Azria in the newly-created role of Chief Merchandising Officer. Exciting times ahead!
Job Titles:
- VP of Operations and Talent Acquisition
Rebecca Graves is the VP of Operations and Talent Acquisition at Kirk Palmer Associates. A proud industry defector, she joined the firm in 2006 after holding sales and operational roles for companies including Condé Nast, Time Inc. and Fairbrooke Enterprises.
Today she leverages this first-hand industry background to identify and attract the best of the best to our firm - she's constantly on the lookout for exceptional search talent as well as fellow defectors with a passion for people and problem solving. Rebecca has made it her mission to recruit accomplished, hardworking, service minded, retail-devotees with the potential to enhance the white glove experience for which our firm is known. Additionally, Rebecca oversees accounting, office management and the firm's dedicated knowledge management team to keep things running smoothly.
When she isn't proselytizing her passion for KPA or candidly answering candidates' questions, you can find her in any of Central Park's playgrounds attempting to answer her toddler's hard-hitting questions like "why?" and "why?????!!!!!"
Sarah Basto is a Search Manager at Kirk Palmer Associates. She support teams in delivering a white-glove executive search experience, working to ensure clients and candidates feel prioritized and valued.
Prior to joining the firm, Sarah gained industry exposure in roles at Newell Brand, Adicora Swimwear and Amazon, where she worked as a fashion specialist.
Selena is a versatile marketer with a diverse background in fashion, branding and technology. As Vice President of Marketing for Kirk Palmer Associates, she leverages this cross-industry view to drive service innovation, digital transformation and brand-led growth.
Kirk Palmer Associates' 35-year reputation for providing exceptional service is what drew her to the role. A passionate customer advocate, Selena works closely with the recruiting teams to continuously elevate the firm's white-glove approach and anticipate evolving client needs in a disruptive business landscape.
Previously, Selena honed her marketing leadership by launching in-house brand teams at fashion label Derek Lam, global brand and innovation consultancy Wolff Olins, and technology recruiting firm Proven Recruiting. In her most recent role, she additionally launched an event series bringing together like-minded businesses committed to driving Diversity and Inclusion at the executive level.
Selena is a lifelong animal lover who has rescued creatures ranging from mice to horses. When she's not thinking about the role of brand and technology in delighting customers, she also enjoys cooking elaborate meals with obscure ingredients discovered all over the globe.
Job Titles:
- Senior Search Coordinator
Stephanie Alma is a Senior Search Coordinator at Kirk Palmer Associates. Drawing on her background in fashion, retail and private equity, she facilitates white-glove client and candidate experiences while expertly leading project management for complex senior executive search assignments.
Prior to joining the firm, Stephanie gained exposure to the private equity industry as an executive assistant supporting talent acquisition at Oak Hill Capital and Lightyear Capital. Her earlier career experiences include office management at Madewell and community management at co-working concept Spaces.
A native New Yorker, Stephanie is fluent in Spanish and English and enjoys kickboxing and fitness in her spare time.
Suzannah Hyche is an Associate at Kirk Palmer Associates. She brings to the role nearly a decade of experience within executive search as well as financial and private equity services. Most recently, Suzannah was a core member of the Global Retail, Apparel, and Luxury Goods Practice at Spencer Stuart. Prior to that, she led a team in the enterprise private equity division of Gerson Lehrman Group and held key accounts with several of their consumer-focused portfolios.
Now at Kirk Palmer Associates, Suzannah draws on her affinity for process and innate ability to build relationships to develop trust with both clients and candidates alike. Her natural curiosity and passion for learning have allowed her to become an inveterate student of the retail industry and a seasoned search partner.
When not seeking world-class candidates, Suzannah enjoys volunteering in her community, mostly notably with Ronald McDonald House Charities and God's Love We Deliver. Although a native Texan, you can find Suzannah exploring shops in Soho, NYC to see product first-hand, discover new brands, observe trends in action and (usually) treat herself to a new purchase.
Job Titles:
- Chief Merchandising Officer
Job Titles:
- Member of the Placement Team
- Project Manager and Recruitment Coordinator
- Search Manager
Truley Welch is an exceptional project manager and recruitment coordinator with more than a decade of experience supporting high touch professional services executives.
In her role as Search Manager at Kirk Palmer Associates, Truley drives the engagement process with high attention to detail, curiosity, and proactiveness to ensure clients and candidates feel prioritized and valued.
Prior to joining the firm, Truley gained extensive exposure to white glove customer experiences in best-in-class firms spanning management consulting, financial services and executive search. Prior to joining the firm, she was a project manager in the CEO and Board Practice at Heidrick & Struggles.
Additionally, Truley is a trained vocalist and opera singer.