ISAACSON - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Committee
- Chief Marketing Business Development Strategy Officer
Aliza Cupples joined Isaacson, Miller in 2010. A member of the firm's Management Committee, she leads the Marketing + Business Development team and works closely with the firm's partners to develop and drive multi-channel marketing and business development strategies across all practice areas. Previously, Aliza served as Director of Marketing + Communications where she managed the communications function, developing written and visual content tailored for traditional, digital, and social media.
Aliza was elected as Secretary to IM's Board of Directors in 2016. Earlier in her career, Aliza served as Senior Project Manager, most notably managing the development and implementation of the firm's proprietary CRM software.
Aliza deeply values relationships with colleagues, providing excellent customer service, and fostering a relationship-focused culture.
Pronouns: she/her
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Partner
- Partner Practice Leader Office Leader
Job Titles:
- Board Member and Founding Chair
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Partner Office Leader
Cati is a member of the Executive Committee at Isaacson, Miller and serves as Office Lead of the firm's California office. Since joining the firm in 2012, Cati's practice has focused on filling leadership roles within higher education, as well as for healthcare, scientific research, and nonprofit organizations. Her portfolio of work includes presidents, vice presidents, provosts, deans, chairs, and board members at leading public and private institutions. Over the course of more than 150 searches, Cati has developed extensive experience advising search committees and boards during times of leadership transition.
Job Titles:
- Managing Associate
- Senior and Executive
Claire Hennessey focuses on senior and executive-level searches across higher education, arts and culture, architecture + design, and philanthropy. She is guided by the power of mission-driven leaders to make a positive difference in an increasingly diverse, intersectional, and fast-changing world. Claire develops deep relationships with clients and candidates who appreciate her strategic problem-solving skills, seasoned judgment, expert process management, and commitment to organizational mission and values.
Prior to joining Isaacson, Miller in 2019, Claire served as Director of Foundation Relations and then as Program Director for Strategic Planning in the Office of the Provost at Emory University. She also worked as a Senior Campaign Manager at Coxe Curry & Associates, a boutique nonprofit fundraising consulting firm in Atlanta. Outside of Isaacson, Miller, Claire is an avid museum goer and traveler and is an active volunteer with several nonprofits that focus on reproductive health equity.
Pronouns: she/her
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner Practice Leader
David Bellshaw joined Isaacson, Miller in 1992 in Boston. In 2003, he founded the firm's offices in California, which significantly expanded Isaacson, Miller's presence and impact in the Western United States and Hawai'i. Today, under David's leadership, the Los Angeles and San Francisco offices support an array of civic organizations and institutions, encompassing public and private universities and liberal arts colleges, health sciences entities and academic medical centers, foundations, education reform organizations, research institutes, economic and community development organizations, and environmental and advocacy groups.
David has extensive experience recruiting for the most senior-level leadership roles in all of the firm's practice areas, including chief executive officers-presidents, chancellors, and executive directors; chief academic officers-provosts, deans, and chairs; and chief functional officers.
He also serves as the leader of the firm's higher education practice and as a member of Isaacson, Miller's Executive Committee, providing firmwide leadership and governance.
David began his career in search with a major international corporate retained firm.
A passionate advocate for the importance of high-quality social-sector leadership, Ernest has served on governance and advisory boards for a number of national and local organizations including Interfaith Community Initiatives, Southern Initiative Algebra Project, Rural School and Community Trust, Forum for Theological Exploration, and Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership honor society.
Isaacson, Miller is a purpose-driven firm, dedicated to building partnerships and establishing trust with our clients. Your success is our mission. Our staff of professional and experienced consultants will stand with your organization, from our first meeting to your final decision. Meet the people behind IM.
Isaacson, Miller is a mission-driven retained executive search firm. For over 40 years, we have partnered with clients to solve their most demanding leadership challenges and build highly qualified and diverse teams to shape the future.
Isaacson, Miller has honed the craft of search over the past four decades and we continue to evolve and pursue excellence. We attend carefully to learning the unique strategic challenges and cultures of the organizations we serve, viewing ourselves as extensions of our clients in the marketplace. Many of our clients and past candidates see their own missions reflected in the work of the firm and become part of our vast network, assisting us generously in our quest for the finest talent in their fields.
Experience + Dedication
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Partner Practice Leader
Jack Gorman joined Isaacson, Miller in 1995 and has spent his tenure building and broadening the firm's advancement practice. A member of Isaacson, Miller's emerging development practice early on, Jack assumed its leadership when he became a Vice President and Director in 2002. The firm's advancement practice has grown from a two-person team to its current size of 23 and focuses on cabinet-level advancement roles for clients in a range of sectors including higher education institutions; independent schools; research institutes; associations; foundations; and advocacy, conservation, healthcare, and visual and performing arts institutions. Jack has also led searches for chief executive officers and senior-level roles in communications and finance.
Jack has built strong and lasting relationships with many organizations, working closely with them to build robust leadership teams. He maintains an extensive personal network in the field of institutional advancement and is a valued friend and advisor to both established and growing nonprofits across the country.
Jack joined the firm as a consultant after serving as a senior financial executive for a leading healthcare organization.
Jack is a member of Isaacson, Miller's Executive Committee and is active in the leadership of the firm.
Jacqueline "Jackie" Mildner joined Isaacson, Miller in 2005, continuing her career in executive development for associations and higher education institutions. She has recruited leaders for non-profit and international organizations, including the Missouri Botanical Garden, Heifer International, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, National Audubon Society, The Mutter Museum at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence, as well as for a range of higher education institutions, including Bucknell University, Rutgers University, Furman University, Rollins College, The University of Michigan, Georgia State University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Duke University, Columbia University, Scranton University, Colorado State University, and Wichita State University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Committee
- Chief People Culture Officer
Jennifer Carignan joined Isaacson, Miller as Chief People and Culture Officer in 2022. A member of the firm's Management Committee, she leads the human capital function including talent acquisition, learning and development, compensation and benefits, employee relations, and people operations. She most recently served as Director of Talent at Borrego, one of the nation's leading private renewable energy companies. At Borrego, Jennifer led enterprise talent acquisition, management, and development, and she served as the head of People + Culture for the company's Development business.
Prior to joining Borrego, Jennifer spent nearly five years in IM's Washington, DC office in Associate and Senior Associate roles. She primarily served liberal arts institutions and environmental organizations in a client-facing capacity. Later, she became IM's Internal Recruiting Manager responsible for attracting talented and values-aligned professionals to the firm. Earlier in her career, Jennifer worked as a Lead Career Advisor at American University's School of Public Affairs and in education and research roles at the nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service.
Pronouns: she/her
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Committee
- Senior Director, Search Services
Jennifer Wry joined Isaacson, Miller in 2007 as a reference specialist, working on searches across all of the firm's practice areas. She served as Director of Referencing prior to assuming her current role in 2018. As Senior Director, Search Services, Jennifer leads IM's research and referencing teams, advancing the continuous improvement of our craft and partnering with recruiters to achieve successful outcomes for our clients. She serves on the firm's Management Committee and is a standing member of the firm-wide Quality and Craft Development Committee.
Earlier in her career, Jennifer produced educational and documentary films in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She also held administrative roles at Harvard University and Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Outside of work, Jennifer is a proud founding member of the Boston-based women's chorus Voices Rising.
Pronouns: she/her
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Member of the Management Committee
John Fahy joined Isaacson, Miller in 1999 and serves as the firm's Chief Financial Officer. John has built a strong operations team that supports him in the areas of finance, legal, information technology, real estate and facilities. He also serves on the firm's Management Committee. He led Isaacson, Miller's conversion from a privately held firm to an employee-owned company (ESOP).
John previously served in financial and human resources roles for companies in for-profit and nonprofit sectors, including special education, healthcare management, and construction.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chairman of the Executive Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Partner
- Partner Practice Leader Office Leader
John Muckle serves on Isaacson, Miller's Executive Committee and co-leads the firm's Science, Technology, and Society practice area, building scientific capacity at many leading academic institutions.
John also has engaged in a number of the firm's most recent university president and provost searches. In addition, He is a leader in the firm's healthcare practice, where he oversees the recruitments of deans, department chairs, division chiefs, and biomedical center and institute directors. He has assisted clients such as Duke University, Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, the University of Iowa, and the University of Pennsylvania, among other leading academic healthcare organizations to attract talent at all levels.
Prior to Isaacson, Miller, John was with Opera Solutions, an international management consulting firm serving Fortune 100 companies. In addition to leading operations projects for large financial institutions, John helped launch Opera's new practice area that serves research universities. Earlier in his career, John worked in campaign finance law investigation and enforcement for the Federal Election Commission.
Pronouns: he/him
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Partner
Job Titles:
- Director of the Weatherspoon Art Museum at the University of North Carolina
IM Partner Jackie Mildner and Ryan Leichenauer, Managing Associate, connect with Juliette Bianco, incoming director of the Weatherspoon Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner in the Isaacson, Miller Washington
Karen Avery is a partner in the Isaacson, Miller Washington, D.C. office, with a deep background in philanthropy, foundations, arts and culture, and education. Karen offers substantive insights on executive leadership in the nonprofit organizational management sphere, in the community impact space, and in schools and higher education.
Prior to joining IM, Karen was Senior Director of the PBS Foundation, responsible for securing foundation and corporate support for PBS digital initiatives, educational outreach, and programming. While at PBS, she worked closely with the PBS Digital Studios, PBS LearningMedia, and PBS KIDS teams on developing strategies to enhance and broaden PBS' content distribution nationally, particularly to reach those in underserved communities. Her success at PBS was built upon her work with the Smithsonian Institution, where as Director of Foundation Relations, she oversaw all foundation fundraising for 19 museums, 9 research centers, and the National Zoo. At the Smithsonian, she also was staff liaison to the Education Committee of the Smithsonian National Board.
Earlier in her career, Karen spent a decade in academic administration at Harvard University and served as Senior Admissions Officer prior to becoming Assistant Dean of Harvard College. Karen has an entrepreneurial spirit and a proven ability to adapt and grow in new arenas. She has a breadth of knowledge and contacts with funders, foundations, education associations, and nonprofit leadership. She has expertise in fields that has helped bolster IM's growing practice areas and service to clients across a variety of sectors.
Karen has been active in the civic sector for many years. Currently, she is Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for ACT for Alexandria Community Foundation, a voting member of the Vaccinate Your Family Board of Directors, and a member of the Board of Visitors for The Albany Academies. Past volunteer service includes the Harvard Club of Washington, D.C. Board of Directors, the Grantmakers for Education Arts Education Impact Group, the Wolf Trap Associates Board of Directors, and The Albany Academy for Girls Board of Trustees. Karen is a contributing author to Real Women, Real Leaders: Surviving and Succeeding in the Business World.
Job Titles:
- President
- Senior Associate
- Managing Associate
Nicholas "Nick" Strand joined Isaacson, Miller as an Associate in 2019. His practice is focused on academic medicine with a specialization in research leadership. Nicholas has recruited hospital CEOs, deans, directors, and chairs across clinical and research departments. His placements span public and private universities and hospitals across the United States and across the fields of medicine, pharmacy, nursing, and public health. He also works with nonprofit organizations that support research. Nicholas leverages his experience in academic research, receiving his PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Washington and completing a postdoctoral fellowship at San Diego State University, to recruit diverse leadership.
Nicholas Strand, PhD, Senior Associate in IM's Healthcare, Academic Medicine + Health Sciences practice sits down with Dr. Lou Muglia, president of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Founding Partner of Globalislocal
Beyond her search work, Pat is a founding partner of Globalislocal, a foundation of women leaders investing in the sustainable empowerment of women and children living in extreme poverty. She serves on the investigative division of the Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention of the Philadelphia Bar Association and served as a member of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Partner