In the world of nonprofit executive search, diversity is a popular topic. Search committees often come to executive search consultants seeking diverse pools of candidates and search firms often measure their successes publicly by the number of diversity hires they have placed in organizations. In contrast, however, recent statistics suggest that between 80 and 85% of nonprofit and philanthropic leadership is white. Where is the disconnect? If organizations are motivated to engage in inclusive hiring practices, then why do so many search processes end in non-diverse hires?

The leaders at Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group believe that both the executive search industry and the mission-driven sector are long overdue for a more candid discussion about these questions so that organizations and candidates can begin to engage in a clearer dialogue with one another about the challenges, realities, and opportunities that are currently being missed in the hiring process. In our upcoming webinar we will address some broad areas nonprofits can attend to when preparing for, conducting, and completing a search for a new leader that can help ensure the search is truly inclusive of diversity and well-positioned for success.

Part of the Wednesday Webinar series for nonprofit staff and board development. Offering strategy, planning, organizational development, branding, marketing, executive search, finance, fundraising, operations, and more.

Presenters:

Laura Gassner Otting founded the Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group in 2002. Prior to forming the group, she served as the senior vice president of ExecSearches.com, the web's leading site for mid- to senior-level nonprofit job postings and search services. Laura served as vice president at Isaacson, Miller, one of the largest search firms in New England, and one of the most highly respected non-profit executive search firms in the country. Previously, Laura served as a presidential appointee for the White House Office of National Service, a program officer for the Corporation for National Service and as a member of the Clinton/Gore Transition Team and 1992 Election Team. She holds a Master of Arts in Political Management from the George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Texas at Austin. Laura sits on the boards of Camp Starfish and Newton Montessori School, and is the immediate past chair of Strong Women, Strong Girls; she has served as a member of the Alumni Board of the Graduate School of Political Management at the George Washington University and as the founding board chair of the Boston Choral Ensemble. Laura is the author of Change Your Career: Transitioning to the Nonprofit Sector.

Katherine Jacobs leads worldwide efforts to strengthen the capacity of the Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group’s nonprofit, higher education, and public sector clients and manages the strategic development of the firm’s virtual workforce. With deep national and international experience as a psychologist, teacher, researcher, and search consultant, Katherine guides organizations through transformational leadership changes and facilitates professional and craft development. Katherine's executive search experience spans the mission-driven sector from presidential searches for Ivy League universities and international advocacy organizations to mid-level and executive positions in small, grassroots organizations in their start-up phases. Katherine formerly served as Senior Associate for Isaacson, Miller. A Fulbright scholar and recipient of the Herbert L. Zimmer Award for excellence in psychological research, Katherine received her BA in Psychology from the University of Rochester while training at the Eastman School of Music as a classical cellist. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology from Georgetown University. Katherine’s doctoral research focused on the psychological foundations of policy for managing cultural diversity and, in her consulting work, Katherine has brought her research to bear on the challenges of diversifying executive leadership.