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Search Firms

Each of the search firms listed below has experience conducting searches for colleges and universities.

  • Academic Search

    Founded in 1976, Academic Search is one of higher education’s first search firms. The company provides search services for colleges and universities looking to hire senior officers including presidents, provosts, academic vice presidents, and administrative vice presidents.

  • Advocate Staffing

    Advocate Staffing provides executive search, direct placement, temp-to-hire, temporary staffing, and outsourcing services for colleges and universities. According to their website, they have experience with private colleges, career colleges, and online education companies.

  • AGB Search

    AGB Search assists colleges, universities, systems, coordinating boards, and institutionally related foundations in planning for, recruiting, selecting, and transitioning new executive leaders. AGB Search is an affiliate of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges.

  • Alden & Associates, Inc.

    Specializes in providing executive search services for colleges and universities seeking to hire Chief of Staff/Presidential Assistants, General Counsel, and intercollegiate athletics administrators. Also provides consulting services related to intercollegiate athletics.

  • Association of Community College Trustees

    Offers a variety of services including executive search assistance to governing boards of community colleges.

  • Auerbach Associates

    Specializes in executive search services for colleges, universities, health care, and not-for-profit organizations.

  • Ayers & Associates Inc.

    Provides strategic and executive search services to higher education and philanthropic organizations.

  • Boyden Global Executive Search

    Provides retained professional executive search service to identify, evaluate, and attract senior-level administrative leadership for higher education clients, both public and private.

  • Brill Neumann Executive Search Consulting

    Executive search consulting firm focused on recruiting leaders to colleges and universities, academic medical centers, and research institutes.

  • C. V. O’Boyle, LLC

    C. V. O'Boyle, LLC has specialized in recruiting senior scholars and administrators for colleges and universities since 2005. Their list of former and current clients includes over 20 colleges and universities.

  • CarterBaldwin

    CarterBaldwin provides executive search services for a variety of industries, including higher education and nonprofit organizations. According to their website, they focus primarily on presidential and senior cabinet level positions.

  • Deerfield Associates Executive Search, Inc.

    Retained executive search firm that specializes in recruitment and placement of executive and senior level administrative positions in education. Experience conducting searches for development and chief financial officers at colleges and universities.

  • Development Guild/DDI

    Development Guild/DDI specializes in executive search for development professionals at colleges, universities, and other non-profit organizations. They also provide management consulting services.

  • Diversified Search Odgers Berndtson

    Provides executive search firm recruiting services for senior-level management positions in a variety of industries, including education and non-profits.

  • Ed-Exec, Inc.

    Ed-Exec, Inc. specializes in executive search for education institutions. They have experience filling dean and vice president level positions, both administrative and academic, for non-profit and for-profit colleges and universities.

  • EFL Associates

    Provides executive search services for a variety of industries, including higher educaiton. Started higher education practice in 1999. Experience conducting searches for Chancellor, President, Provost, Deans, and other administrative roles.

  • Emerson Professionals, Inc.

    Founded in 1976, Emerson Professionals has managed searches for higher education positions since 2010. They have a particular focus on nursing leadership positions in academia, however, their website also lists other specializations including campus presidents and academic deans.

  • Ford Webb Associates

    Search firm with experience serving non-profit organizations, government agencies, and for-profit corporations. The firm's web site also lists a few college and university clients.

  • Galler Group, The

    Consulting firm specializing in executive searches, capital campaign services, major gift programs, organizational development, and strategic planning for nonprofit organizations. Past experience with higher education searches has primarily been for development and fund raising positions.

  • Gold Hill Associates

    Gold Hill Associates was established as a community college presidential search firm in 1990 by Dr. Bob Barringer. Since its inception, the firm has successfully completed nearly 100 searches across the country.

  • Greenwood/Asher & Associates, Inc.

    A women-owned executive search firm with experience in executive search for elementary, secondary, and higher education as well as for nonprofit associations and cultural institutions.

  • Harper Associates

    Past experience conducting searches for development officers.

  • Harris & Associates / IIC Partners

    An executive search and board advisory consulting firm with experience in a variety of industries, including higher education. Has conducted over 200 higher education assignments for positions such as CEO, COO, CFO, Provost, Dean, Vice President, and other high level administrators.

  • Heidrick and Struggles

    Heidrick & Struggles specializes in senior-level executive search and leadership consulting services. They have over 50 years of experience helping a wide variety of clients including multinational corporations, mid-cap and start-up companies, nonprofit entities, educational institutions, foundations, associations and governmental units.

  • Helbling & Associates, Inc.

    Specializes exclusively in securing construction, engineering, facilities management, and real estate asset management professionals for colleges, universities, and other organizations.

  • Hermitage Consulting

    Provides strategic planning, information technology, financial strategy, and international faculty recruitment consulting services to higher education and not-for-profit organizations.

  • Higher Ed Strategies, LLC

    Higher Ed Strategies, LLC provides executive search, consulting, and training for financial aid and admissions positions at colleges, universities, and post-secondary programs.

  • Higher Talent

    Specializes in development and fundraising searches for higher education and other non-profits.

  • Himmelfarb Group

    The Himmelfarb Group works exclusively on searches for non-profit and philanthropic organizations. Their client list includes college and university searches for a professorship, executive director, and senior director.

  • Hollander Group, The

    Consultancy company which provides search services to companies looking to fill executive and senior-level positions.

  • Hollins Group Inc.

    The Hollins Group has managed searches for colleges and universities, non-profit organizations, and for-profit corporations. They were founded in 1988 and are headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

  • Hudson Group, The

    Founded in 1989, The Hudson Group provides executive search and related services to colleges and universities. According to the firm's website, they work with a network of venture capital/private equity groups, publicly-traded education corporations, and traditional higher education universities and colleges.

  • Institutional Advantage, LLC

    A retained executive search firm specializing in higher education, with expertise in "difficult to fill" positions, particularly at the dean, department chair, and program director levels.

  • Isaacson, Miller

    Conducts nationwide searches for a variety of not-for profit and select for-profit organizations.

  • It's Academic Educational Staffing Ltd.

    A specialized academic recruiting firm that has conducted searches for K-12 schools, colleges and universities from the US, Canada, and around the world. Within higher ed, they have conducted searches for faculty and director level administrators in the US and internationally, with a particular focus on international programs and departments.

  • Janet Wright & Associates Inc.

    Founded in 1995, Janet Wright & Associates specializes in senior-level recruiting for mission-driven organizations in the public and not-for-profit sectors, primarily colleges and universities.

  • Kaye/Bassman International, Corp.

    Kaye/Bassman International, Corp. offers recruitment solutions for a variety of industries, including higher education.

  • Keeling & Associates

    Keeling & Associates has handled executive search for student affairs and health related positions at the senior, associate, and assistant vice president level.

  • Kittleman and Associates

    Provides executive searches exclusively for non-profit organizations.

  • Koppen and Associates, LLC

    A retained executive search firm that provides recruitment and human resources consulting.

  • Korn/Ferry International

    Provides executive human capital solutions including recruitment, assessment, and development.

  • Kulper & Company, LLC

    A retained search firm with experience conducting high level assignments for senior executives and administrators. Experience in many industries including manufacturing, financial services, consumer products and higher education/not for profit.

  • LAC Group

    LAC Group specializes in filling positions at libraries. They also have experience placing information professionals in competitive intelligence, primary research, journalism, records and knowledge management positions. Their clients include college and university libraries, public libraries, law firms, corporations and government agencies.

  • Lahti Search Consultants

    Lahti Search Consultants specializes in searches for enrollment related positions at colleges and universities.

  • Lois L Lindauer Searches

    Executive search firm solely dedicated to the recruitment of development and institutional advancement professionals. Client roster encompasses leading colleges, universities, medical centers, social services, and arts institutions.

  • MacNaughton Associates

    Founded in 1987, MacNaughton Associates is a national, full-service retained executive search firm located in Southern California. The firm concentrates primarily on education and not-for-profit organizations, handling searches for presidents through directors.

  • Management Recruiters - Mid Hudson Valley

    Search firm specializing in a variety of industry searches including human resources, non-profits, fundraising and development, sales and marketing executives, attorneys, insurance, and hospitality.

  • Morris & Berger

    Morris & Berger is a generalist executive search firm that specializes in serving the nonprofit sector, including institutions of higher education, independent schools, and foundations. We have recruited presidents and other officers, board members, directors, and other professional staff.

  • Myers McRae

    Myers McRae provides seasoned executive search counsel to private educational institutions in search of presidents, vice presidents, deans, and directors. Formerly Jon McRae & Associates

  • Next Generation

    Specializes in executive search for senior information technology positions (typically Chief Information Officers) for colleges, universities, and non-profit associations.

  • Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group LLC

    Search firm that specializes in nonprofit organizations including (but not limited to) higher education, foundations, associations, and K-12.

  • Parker Executive Search

    According to the firm's web site, Parker Executive Search has conducted more than 400 successful higher education searches for Chancellor, President, Vice President, Provost, Dean, Chair, Director, and Collegiate Athletic positions.

  • Paschal•Murray

    Paschal Murray, Inc. has experience handling executive level searches for fundraising, non-profit management, and other organizational advancement positions. Operating since 1978, the firm's roster of current and previous searches includes a number of universities, research institutions, hospitals and health systems.

  • People & Systems

    People & Systems has conducted searches for a number of nonprofit organizations. The majority of their experience is with non-profits outside of higher education . However, they have worked with higher education, and higher education related, institutions. Experience conducting searches in fundraising, finance, public relations, marketing, human resources and senior administration.

  • R. William Funk & Associates

    R. William (Bill) Funk, founder and President of R. William Funk & Associates, has conducted more than 300 searches for college and university Presidents and Chancellors.

  • R.H. Perry & Associates

    Serves as search counsel to higher education. The 14-member firm specializes in presidential and senior-level administrative search.

  • Registry for College and University Presidents

    Mission is to place interim presidents and senior administrators in colleges and universities, with the goal of achieving solid leadership transitions.

  • Rent Consulting Group, LLC

    Provides consultation in executive search, organizational and leadership development, and marketing and strategic planning, especially for public and private higher education institutions and other non-profit and for-profit organizations.

  • RPA Inc.

    Experience conducting searches for a number of colleges and universities for a variety of positions including presidents, provosts, development officers, vice presidents, and executive directors.

  • Russell Reynolds Associates

    Provides executive search and assessments services to a variety of industries, including higher education.

  • Sage Search Partners, LLC

    Specializes in senior-level searches for academic institutions and related not-for-profits.

  • Scott Healy & Associates

    Experience conducting national and regional executive searches for leadership positions in enrollment management, admissions, financial aid, and alumni affairs.

  • Shelli Herman and Associates, Inc.

    This generalist firm is national in scope and has a client list which includes colleges and universities, as well as non-profit organizations that are outside of higher education. They have experience conducting management level searches in finance, communications/marketing, human resources, student affairs and academic administration.

  • SIMA International

    International consultancy organization providing executive search, outplacement counseling, and management consulting for a variety of industries.

  • Spelman and Johnson Group

    Founded in 1991, the Spelman and Johnson Group provides executive search services for colleges and universities. Experience helping higher education institutions hire candidates for a variety of administrative positions including admissions, counseling, financial aid, financial administration, student affairs, and residential life.

  • Spencer Stuart Executive Search Consultants

    Spencer Stuart's education, nonprofit, and public policy practice recruits high-level academic, administrative, and advancement executives for academic and nongovernmental organizations.

  • Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates

    Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates is a minority and female owned retained executive search firm specializing in providing executive recruitment services to colleges, universities, independent schools and not-for-profit organizations.

  • Summit Search Solutions Inc.

    Summit Search Solutions specializes in executive search in the higher education sector. In addition to full-service retained search, Summit offers an hourly candidate sourcing model.

  • TCR Group

    Provides executive search and fundraising services for a variety of organizations including colleges and universities.

  • William Spelman Executive Search

    An executive search firm that specializes in filling executive positions at colleges and universities and non-profit organizations.

  • Witt/Kieffer

    Specializes in conducting executive searches for healthcare, education, not-profit, corporate, insurance and managed care industries.