DIVERSIFIED SEARCH - Key Persons
Abby brings to executive search recruitment nearly a decade of experience in both higher education and secondary education.
Abby has served previously as a Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Gettysburg College, her undergraduate alma mater, where she managed enrollment communications before transitioning to a college counseling role at a private secondary school.
Before joining Storbeck Search | Diversified Search Group, Abby also worked as an auxiliary application reader for the Wharton MBA program.
Abby continues to serve her undergraduate alma mater as a member of the young alumni council.
Abby joined Grant Cooper (now a Diversified Search Group company) as a Research Strategist in 2016 after graduating from Saint Louis University's College of Public Health and Social Justice. In 2018, after two years of focusing on developing targeted candidate databases, Abby began recruiting for physician leaders in large healthcare systems and continues to expand her scope of executive positions.
Before starting her career in executive search, Abby worked on the provider side of healthcare, facilitating patient care and research at major St. Louis area hospitals including Mercy Hospital, Missouri Baptist, and Saint Louis University Hospital. Abby brings the provider's perspective to her searches as she works with clients as well as Grant Cooper's internal teams to develop a focused candidate recruitment strategy for each engagement. Since joining the firm, Abby has participated in searches for nationally-recognized academic medical centers, freestanding hospitals, and managed care organizations.
Job Titles:
- Vice President and Senior Search Associate
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- Senior Associate, Connected Leadership
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- Vice President and Senior Search Associate
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- Senior Director, Business Development
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- Director of Research and Senior Associate, Education Practice
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- Senior Search Coordinator
Amy Sugin - Managing Director
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- Director, Business Operations
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- Senior Vice President, Human Resources
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- Manager
- Manager, Search Operations and Quality and Human Resources Associate
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- Senior Search Coordinator
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- Founder, President, and CEO of Williams Pacific Ventures, Inc
- Managing General Partner ( Ret. ) of Williams Pacific Ventures
- Retired Managing General Partner
Barry Lawson Williams is the retired Managing General Partner of the investment and consulting company that he founded in San Francisco in 1987. Williams Pacific Ventures (WPV) focuses on startups, acquisitions, and real estate. Williams currently serves on the board of Jacobs Engineering Group.
Williams was born on July 21, 1944, in Manhattan, New York. He attended Harvard University where he received a BA degree in government in 1966 and MBA and JD degrees in 1971. Williams is a member of the California Bar.
From 1971 to 1978, he was a Management Consultant at McKinsey and Co. in the United States and several Latin American countries. From 1979 to 1987, he worked for the Bechtel Group. He served as Corporate Secretary, then Executive Assistant to the President, and finally Managing Principal of Bechtel Investments, Inc. At Bechtel, he helped start the direct investment function that included oil and gas, real estate and diversified investments in venture capital, alternative energy, retirement centers and financial services. He assisted in the acquisition and sellback of Dillon Read & Co. and served on its board of directors.
Since founding WPV in 1987, Williams has served on 13 public company boards. He was, during late 2000-2001, the interim President and CEO of the American Management Association Inc. He has also taught an entrepreneurship course at the Haas (U.C. Berkeley) Graduate School of Business for six years; been a senior environmental mediator with JAMS for six years; and an environmental site trustee for two years. Within WPV, he has been the owner-operator of five businesses.
In civic affairs, Williams has been the past Chairman of California Pacific Hospitals, the African American Experience Fund, and Management Leadership for Tomorrow. He currently serves on the board of Sutter Health.
A great board member can transform an organization. Our resources are significant; our expertise, formidable; our determination and passion for excellence, limitless.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Associate
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- Senior Associate and Manager of Search Operations and Quality, Education Practice
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- Vice President and Senior Search Associate
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- Vice President / Senior Search Associate
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- Senior Search Coordinator
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- Senior Vice President of Operations at UPS ( Retired )
Calvin Darden, Sr., was Senior Vice President of Operations at UPS (ret.) who serves on the Boards of Target Corp., Aramark, and Cardinal Health, as well as on the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Canisius College. He retired in 2005 as Senior Vice President of Operations at UPS, the largest express and package carrier in the world. Starting his career there unloading trucks in 1971, he quickly rose through the ranks without ever asking for a promotion. From customer service supervisor to district manager to vice president, he has always been noted for his work ethic and business acumen.
Darden has received numerous awards and honors. He was named as No. 8 on Fortune magazine's list of "50 Most Powerful Black Executives." In 2000, he carried the Olympic torch on the route to the Summer Games in Sydney, Australia. He has been awarded honorary doctorates from Canisius College and Cambridge College.
He continues to engage in his community. He established the Atlanta Police Foundation, chairs the Atlanta Beltline Project, and started the Darden Development Group, which renovates foreclosed homes and helps struggling families to become homeowners.
Darden lives with his wife Gail in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.
Job Titles:
- Senior Leadership Executive Assistant
Calvin Darden, Sr., was Senior Vice President of Operations at UPS (ret.) who serves on the Boards of Target Corp., Aramark, and Cardinal Health, as well as on the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Canisius College. He retired in 2005 as Senior Vice President of Operations at UPS, the largest express and package carrier in the world. Starting his career there unloading trucks in 1971, he quickly rose through the ranks without ever asking for a promotion. From customer service supervisor to district manager to vice president, he has always been noted for his work ethic and business acumen.
Darden has received numerous awards and honors. He was named as No. 8 on Fortune magazine's list of "50 Most Powerful Black Executives." In 2000, he carried the Olympic torch on the route to the Summer Games in Sydney, Australia. He has been awarded honorary doctorates from Canisius College and Cambridge College.
He continues to engage in his community. He established the Atlanta Police Foundation, chairs the Atlanta Beltline Project, and started the Darden Development Group, which renovates foreclosed homes and helps struggling families to become homeowners.
Darden lives with his wife Gail in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.
Job Titles:
- Senior Search Coordinator
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- Senior Research Associate
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- Managing Director and Co - Practice Leader, Human Resources
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- Vice President and Senior Search Associate
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- Pulitzer Prize - Winning Washington Post Columnist
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- Senior Research Associate
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- Managing Director
- Office Representative
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- Senior Associate
- Vice President
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- Senior Research Associate
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- Chief Legal Officer
- Managing Director
Recognized by Forbes as one of the top ten executive search firms in the country for four consecutive years and identified as among the "best equipped to win the talent war."
Job Titles:
- Vice President and Senior Search Associate
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- Senior Search Coordinator
We partnered with Together Rising on the search for an inaugural Executive Director, 11 years after the organization's founding. Together Rising is a nonprofit organization that has raised $48 million for families, children, and communities in crisis since 2012. Bolstered by TEAM LOVE-a dedicated community of more than 8,000 recurring donors-Together Rising transforms collective heartbreak into effective action by investing directly in families and individuals and in partner organizations most effectively meeting the needs of their own communities.
Following a rigorous, international search, our work resulted in the recruitment of Dr. Sonya Anderson to the role. Dr. Anderson is an accomplished strategist, compelling storyteller, and adept coalition-builder with more than two decades of experience leading nonprofits.
In this role, Dr. Anderson works with the Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers to expand the organization's domestic and global footprint and build on the organization's strong foundation to set the vision and strategic direction for the organization and define its next phase of impact.
Dr. Anderson previously served as the President of Thrive Chicago where she worked to advance education, employment, and life opportunities for Chicago youth so that they can lead rich, purposeful, and contributing lives.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner, Consulting
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- Global Managing Partner, Healthcare
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- Senior Research Associate
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- Managing Director and Practice Leader, Fundraising and Advancement
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- Chairman of Omnitru Technologies
- Chariman of Omnitru Technologies, LLC
- Vice President, Corporate Responsibility and Chief Diversity Officer for Dell, Inc. ( Retired )
Gilbert F. Casellas currently serves as Chairman of Omnitru Technologies, LLC, a Washington, D.C., management consulting and investment firm. Prior to OMNITRU, he was Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, and Chief Diversity Officer for Dell Inc., where he led the creation of an integrated and global function that encompassed the company's diversity, sustainability, and corporate giving activities.
During the Clinton Administration, Casellas served as Chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force, and Co-Chairman of the U.S. Census Monitoring Board. For a number of years, he practiced law in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., with major law firms. For two years, he served as President of The Swarthmore Group, a minority-owned and -operated, registered investment advisory firm, with over $1 billion of assets under management.
He is a member of the Board of Prudential Financial, Inc., a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Law Institute. In addition to serving on the Diversity Advisory Board of Toyota Motor North America, he chairs the National Hispanic Advisory Council of Comcast Corporation. In 2009, he was appointed a civilian member of President Obama's Military Leadership Diversity Commission. He previously chaired the Committee on Workplace Diversity for Yale University and the board of the Hispanic Federation. From 2001 to 2006, he was a member of The Coca-Cola Company's Diversity Task Force.
He is a former President of the Hispanic National Bar Association and recipient of the "Spirit of Excellence" award from the American Bar Association, the U.S. Department of the Air Force's Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service, and Latino Justice/PRLDEF's Lucero Award.
He received his B.A. from Yale University and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and served as a law clerk to the Hon. A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Job Titles:
- Business Strategy Manager, Consulting
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- Senior Manager, Business Analytics and Reporting
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- Senior Search Coordinator
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- Senior Search Coordinator
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- Senior Research Associate
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- Managing Director
- Managing Partner, Industrial
Guy A. Sava is a Managing Director at Diversified Search Group (DSG). He focuses on assisting the process industry, manufacturing, energy, and other industrial sector clients with executive searches for their corporate boards, as well as executive, general management, and functional leadership positions. The focus of his search experience has been global - venture capital, private equity, and public/private companies worldwide.
Prior to joining DSG, Guy served as President of the Industrial, Chemical, Energy, and Materials Practice for a large global executive search firm, where he was responsible for business development and executive recruiting within these sectors. He also led the Board Service Practice in North America. Previously, he spent 20 years in the industry serving in various senior leadership roles.
Education
Advanced Executive Management School
The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
Job Titles:
- President and Founder of Podium Prose
Gwendolyn King is President of Podium Prose, a speakers bureau and speechwriting service, in Washington, D.C. Prior to her launch of the company, King was Senior Vice President of Corporate and Public Affairs for PECO Energy Co. (formerly Philadelphia Electric Co.) from 1992 until her retirement in February 1998. From 1989 to 1992, she served as the 11th Commissioner of the Social Security Administration under President George H. W. Bush.
King was a Founding Partner of The Directors' Council. She is a Director of Lockheed Martin Corp. and Monsanto Co., and ended 12 years of service on the board of Marsh and McLennan Cos. in May 2011. She served for six years as director of the National Association of Corporate Directors from 2004-2010. She is a trustee of the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.
King graduated from Howard University and did graduate work at George Washington University. She received honorary doctorates from the University of New Haven and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; the American Black Achievement Award from Johnson Publishing Company; and the Drum Major for Justice Award from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The Washington Business Journal selected her as an Outstanding Director in 2012.
She is married to Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post columnist Colbert I. King. The couple has endowed a Chair in Public Policy at Howard University.
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor
- Senior Advisor With Diversified Search Group, Was Elected Board Chair of Community College of Philadelphia. He.
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- Vice President and Senior Search Associate
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- Senior Research Associate
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- Managing Partner and Practice Leader, Board of Directors
- Managing Partner of the Atlanta Office
- Office Representative
Veronica Biggins is the Managing Partner of the Atlanta office of Diversified Search Group and Chairs the Board Practice. Veronica has over 15 years of experience as a Senior Partner in executive search.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Associate
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- Managing Partner, Healthcare, and Office Managing Partner, Philadelphia
- Office Representative
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- Senior Vice President, Business Operations
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- Managing Director
- Office Representative
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- Senior Research Associate
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- Senior Vice President, Search Operations & Quality
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- Manager, Search Operations and Quality
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- Vice President, Search Operations and Quality
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- Chairman of Great North Star LLC
- Chairman, Lake Harriet Capital
Jim Lawrence is Chairman of Great North Star LLC, an investment and advisory firm. Recently, among other projects, he partnered with JANA Partners in an investment in ConAgra Foods. A cooperation agreement was reached with ConAgra Foods in July 2015 after their Group had acquired approximately 7 percent of the Company's shares. Previously, he served as Chairman of Rothschild North America (2012-2015), as Chief Executive Officer of RNA, and as co-head of global investment banking at Rothschild (2010-2012).
Prior to joining Rothschild, Lawrence served as Chief Financial Officer of Unilever and as Executive Director on the boards of Unilever NV and Unilever PLC. He joined Unilever in 2007 after serving as the Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of General Mills for nine years. At General Mills, he was also responsible for international operations.
Prior to joining General Mills in 1998, Lawrence served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Northwest Airlines (1996-1998), and before that he was a Division President at PepsiCo, serving as CEO of Pepsi-Cola Asia, Middle East, Africa from 1992-1996.
In 1983, he co-founded The LEK Partnership, a corporate strategy and merger/acquisition firm headquartered in London. Before that he was a Partner of Bain and Co., having opened their London and Munich offices. Prior to that, he worked for The Boston Consulting Group.
Lawrence has served since 1998 on the Board of AVNET, Inc., a $30 billion distributor of electronic components and computer products. In 2015, he joined the Board of Smurfit Kappa Group, a global packaging leader, headquartered in Dublin. Since 1990, Lawrence has served on 16 public company boards, several private company boards, and numerous nonprofit boards.
Lawrence currently serves on the Board of AerCapHoldings NV, the global leader in aircraft leasing . He was a Director of IAG (International Consolidated Airlines Group) since its formation in 2010 until June 2018. His airline experience dating from 1990 included serving on the boards of Continental Airlines, TWA, Mesaba, British Airways, and as Chief Financial Officer of Northwest Airlines (1996-1998).
Lawrence earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Yale University in 1974 and an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School in 1976. He is active in the Minnesota community in education, the arts, and civil society. His wife, Dr. Mary Lawrence, is a surgeon and a former Professor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota. She recently concluded a run for U.S. Congress in Minnesota's Second District. They are proud parents of three sons who attend Brown and Yale Universities.
Job Titles:
- Co - Practice Leader and Managing Director, Education
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- Managing Director and Managing Partner, Miami
- Office Representative
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- Managing Director and Global Practice Leader, Technology Officers and Cybersecurity
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- Managing Director and Co - Practice Leader, Human Resources
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- Managing Director and Practice Leader, Agribusiness
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- Senior Search Coordinator
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- Managing Director
- Board Member for Habitat for Humanity
Ken Hirshman is a Managing Director in the Private Equity, Industrial, and CEO Practices, based in Philadelphia with Diversified Search Group. His global network allows him to conduct searches for C-suite executives, corporate board positions, and strategic functional leadership roles throughout the world.
Prior to joining Diversified Search, Hirshman served as a CEO for more than 12 years in the building products industry, where he built strong executive leadership teams and came to truly understand and appreciate the importance of recruiting top talent to drive strategic initiatives forward.
His firsthand experience working with industrial organizations, private equity- supported portfolio companies, and family-owned businesses makes him uniquely qualified to lead searches where it is critical to align the corporate culture, current management, and the capabilities of candidates.
For more than a decade, Hirshman has served as an active board member for Habitat for Humanity in Philadelphia and has served in numerous other board positions, including most recently as Vice Chairman.
Hirshman attended Johns Hopkins University, where he earned both bachelor's and master's degrees. He remains an active member of several university alumni organizations.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director and Practice Leader, Industrial
Kim Dukes - Managing Director
Kim Ennis - Managing Director
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Office Representative
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- Senior Search Coordinator
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- Vice President and Senior Search Associate
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- Director, Digital Communications
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Search Operations, Education Practice
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- Senior Vice President, Corporate Development
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- Senior Research Associate
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- Managing Director and Co - Practice Leader, Financial Officers
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- Chief Administrative Officer
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- Managing Director
- Office Representative
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- Executive Assistant
- Project Manager
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- Vice President and Senior Search Associate
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- Managing Director and Practice Leader, Global Insurance
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- Managing Director
- Office Representative
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- President of Bush International, LLC
The Honorable Mary K. Bush has served as President of Bush International, LLC, an advisor to U.S. corporations and foreign governments on international capital markets, strategic business, and economic matters, since 1991.
She has held several Presidential appointments, including the U.S. Government's representative on the IMF Board and Director of Sallie Mae. She also was head of the Federal Home Loan Bank System during the aftermath of the savings and loan crisis and was an advisor to the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Department. Earlier in her career, she managed global banking and corporate finance relationships at New York money center banks including Citibank, Banker's Trust, and Chase.
In 2006, President Bush appointed her Chairman of the Congressionally chartered HELP Commission on reforming foreign aid. In 2007, she was appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury to the U.S. Treasury Advisory Committee on the Auditing Profession. She is a member of the board of directors of Discover Financial Services, ManTech International Corporation, and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. Bush also was a director of Briggs & Stratton, Inc. from 2004 to April 2009, United Airlines from 2006 to 2010, and the Pioneer Family of Mutual Funds from 1997 to 2012. She also serves on the Kennedy Center's Community Advisory Board and on the U.S. Advisory Board of the Global Leadership Foundation. Bush has been a director of the company since May 2008.
She has a B.A. in Economics, Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude from Fisk University and an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago. She is a frequent speaker on financial market and governance matters.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Inclusion and Equity
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- Search Associate and Chicago Office Manager
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- Vice President, Search Operations and Quality
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- Senior Research Associate
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- Managing Director and Practice Leader, Financial Services
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- Senior Director, HR Benefits and Compliance
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- Managing Director
- Office Representative
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- Brand Strategist, Consulting
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- Global Managing Partner and Practice Leader, Nonprofit and Social Impact
- Office Representative
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- Director of Research and Impact
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- Chief Operating Officer, Consulting
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- Vice President and Senior Search Associate
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- Senior Search Coordinator
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- Senior Search Coordinator
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- Senior Search Coordinator
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- Managing Associate and Senior Client Partner
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- Vice President, Equity and Inclusive Excellence
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- Senior VP, CRM, Data Strategy and Analytics
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- President and Chief Executive Officer of the Pew Charitable Trusts
Rebecca W. Rimel is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Pew Charitable Trusts, a public charity driven by the power of knowledge to solve some of today's most challenging problems. It applies an analytical, fact-based approach to improving policy, informing the public, and invigorating civic life.
She joined Pew in 1983 as Health Program Manager, became Executive Director five years later and accepted her current position in 1994. During her tenure, Pew has evolved from a grant-making organization to become one of the nation's most innovative and influential public charities. With the board's guidance, Rimel has led the organization's expansion from fewer than 10 employees to more than 750 located throughout the United States and on environmental projects around the globe. Pew has maintained its deep roots in Philadelphia, working on urban issues, the arts, and other activities, and has a Washington, D.C., base of operations that focuses on the environment, state policy, public health, and national economic issues. The Pew Research Center, an internationally known public opinion research center, is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Job Titles:
- Chief Technology and Innovation Officer
King was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as Deputy Assistant and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House from 1986 to 1988. While there, she was appointed to the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, the Interagency Committee on Women's Business Enterprise, and later, the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development. She was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the Commission on the Social Security Notch Issue, and by President George W. Bush to the Presidential Commission to Strengthen Social Security. Prior to her Presidential appointments, King directed the Pennsylvania Governor's Washington, D.C., office for six years, following her service as Senior Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator John Heinz (R-PA).
Job Titles:
- Director, Search Operations, Quality, and Integration
Job Titles:
- Partner and Managing Associate
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- Executive Assistant to Joyce Brocaglia, CEO of Alta Associates and Founder of Executive Women 's Forum
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- Managing Director and Practice Leader, Energy
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- Office Representative
- Strategic Advisor
Shirley Franklin was elected the first African-American woman mayor of a major southern city in 2002 and served two terms until 2009. The mayor is term-limited in Atlanta. Upon leaving office, she was appointed to the William and Camille Cosby Endowed Chair at Spelman College and served in this capacity until June 2011.
During her eight years, Atlanta experienced unprecedented growth and afforded Franklin the opportunity to partner and collaborate with many local and regional leaders in addressing urban policy challenges, which included urban planning, economic development, and infrastructure. She is best known for advocating for and tackling major government operations and ethics reform, launching the Atlanta Beltline, planning and executing over $5 billion in airport and water infrastructure improvement, leading the acquisition of the Morehouse College Collection of Martin Luther King Jr. Papers, launching the Regional Commission on Homelessness, and developing successful business and public sector partnerships and alliances. Aside from her role as a public official, her community service spans over 39 years in Atlanta and includes her active participation in the arts, homelessness, and higher education.
She currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Purpose Built Communities and President of Clarke-Franklin and Associates, Inc. She co-chairs the United Way of Atlanta's Regional Commission on Homelessness, serves as the Chairman of the National Center of Civil and Human Rights, and serves on the board of the United Way of Greater Atlanta. In January 2013, Franklin joined the faculty of the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas as a Visiting Professor. Additionally, Franklin serves on the Board of Directors of Mueller Water Products and Delta Air Lines.
Job Titles:
- Global Managing Partner, Legal, Risk, Compliance, and Government Affairs
Steve Leo - Managing Director
Job Titles:
- Co - Practice Leader and Managing Director, Education
Job Titles:
- Senior Search Coordinator
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- Senior Director, People and Culture
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- Global Managing Partner, Media, Entertainment, and Sports
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- Managing Director
- Office Representative
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- Managing Director and Practice Leader, Consumer and Retail
- Office Representative