Board Search Case Study
Finding DC Public Education Fund’s next Executive Director
The Challenge
build a national search and selection process for DCPS
The DC Public Education Fund is an essential piece of DCPS: their successful fundraising efforts have an immeasurable impact on DCPS’ ability to deliver on their strategic priorities and pursue innovation. We worked closely with the DC Ed Fund’s long-tenured board to build out a national search and robust selection process to lead the Fund’s next phase of support.
The Outcomes
“Honestly, this whole process has been a masterclass in search processes. You all rock – thank you, thank you!”
– Jim, President and Executive Director, DC Public Education Fund
We Led Robust Conversations
The Ed Fund is deeply embedded in the broader DC funding community and must work in lock step with DCPS and the Chancellor’s office. To better understand this unique context, we led robust conversations with the hiring committee, the broader board, stakeholders from DCPS (including the Deputy Chancellor), and former leaders of the Ed Fund to develop a well-rounded candidate profile. These conversations greatly informed our candidate review, the selection process, and our ultimate recommendation.
Quality and Quantity
Running a successful search is about the quality and quantity of candidates, but it’s also about smooth operations and timely communication for all stakeholders. For board-led searches, this is even more challenging as board members balance their volunteer board responsibilities with their other life commitments. For this search, we built out a tight timeline, worked hard to schedule well in advance, and managed all candidate communication. By supporting smooth logistics, we ensured a positive candidate experience and it allowed for board members to really be present in the times when they had to be…and not worry about the rest of it.
Our insights
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