BoardWalk Consulting Retained by the Lumpkin Family Foundation for Executive Director

January 21, 2025 – Executive recruitment firm BoardWalk Consulting has been tapped by the Lumpkin Family Foundation to lead in its search for a new executive director. Recently, Bruce Karmazin, the foundation’s executive director since 2001, told the board of his intention to retire this coming summer. The current search is designed to identify a successor ready to guide the foundation and the family to even greater impact. Founder Sam Pettway and senior research associate Lysondra Somerville are leading the assignment.
“As I prepare for this next chapter, I am delighted to share that the foundation has engaged BoardWalk Consulting to lead the search for my successor,” said Mr. Karmazin. “I am confident their expertise will guide the foundation to find a leader who will continue building on our shared legacy. I will do my part to ensure that the new leader receives everything they need to succeed.”
The Lumpkin Family Foundation’s executive director must be a proven leader, an approachable manager and an active listener who embraces collaboration, community relationships and continuous learning. A leader versed in family dynamics and community-based philanthropy would be most attractive, but the committee is open to other relevant experiences, according to BoardWalk Consulting. The demonstrated ability to lead in a predominantly rural environment will be critical.
The ideal candidate will offer a compelling mix of the following experiences and characteristics: The ideal candidate will offer…
- Impactful executive leadership in significant community-based contexts.
- A balance of strategic and tactical leadership, informed by relationships of mutual trust with strong colleagues, board members, family members and community partners.
- The skills of a general manager, the passion of a community leader, and the commitment of an engaged resident who shows “This is my community too” Experience in one or more of Lumpkin Family Foundation’s core programmatic areas, ideally gained in a rural context.
- The budgeting and investment acumen to be a full partner in discussions with investment advisors and financial professionals.
- Experience with impact investing would be a definite plus.
A full list a experiences and characteristics can be found here.
The Lumpkin Family Foundation has been a beacon for healthy, sustainable communities in East Central Illinois and beyond for over seventy years. The foundation is situated in Mattoon, Illinois, a rural/industrial community on the main line of the Illinois Central Railroad, where Iverson Lumpkin, the family patriarch, made his home in the late 1800s. With an annual grantmaking budget of about $2.5 million, The Lumpkin Family Foundation has evolved from a responsive local grantmaker to a strategic philanthropic organization.
Serving Non-Profits
BoardWalk Consulting, based in Atlanta, is a national executive search firm that recruits CEOs and senior leadership for mission-driven non-profit organizations. Founded in 2002, the firm leads executive searches for clients from across the non-profit sector with global, national, regional, and local missions. Many of the firm’s team members have previously served as non-profit executives, grant makers, and board leaders. BoardWalk Consulting is also an active partner in Panorama, the global network of independent executive search firms.
Related: BoardWalk Consulting Assists Dare to Care Food Bank in the Recruitment of New CEO
Mr. Pettway is a 30-year search veteran. Over his career in executive search, he has worked with hundreds of board members and leadership teams with entities ranging from start-ups to mature multinationals in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors. Since founding BoardWalk in 2002, Mr. Pettway has served clients as varied as international relief agencies, national foundations, regional trade associations, and local agencies in dozens of markets.
Mr. Gamble handles C-level searches across all sectors while Ms. Henderson works in all sectors of the hospitality, travel and tourism industry. Ms. Henderson is also the leader of SearchWide’s industrywide diversity initiative, in addition to her involvement in several industry organizations.
Ms. Somerville has worked as a corporate consultant, product manager, and marketing expert. She brings a decade’s worth of experience in various business, marketing, and management roles. Ms. Somerville is an accomplished corporate strategist with a deep understanding of organizational management and operational effectiveness.
Past Work
BoardWalk Consulting recently assisted in the recruitment of Carrie Besnette Hauser as the new president and CEO of Trust for Public Land (TPL). She succeeded Diane Regas. Senior director Crystal Stephens and senior associate Diane Westmore led the assignment. In January, TPL board of directors commenced a national search for the organization’s next president and CEO. Supported by Boardwalk Consulting, the selection of Dr. Hauser was recommended by a transition committee of current and former TPL board members to the full national board, which voted unanimously to name Dr. Hauser the next president and CEO.
“We are thrilled to welcome Carrie as our next president and CEO,” said Lucas St. Clair, chair of TPL’s board of directors. “Her passion for the outdoors, commitment to equitable access to nature, and extensive community leadership will propel TPL’s mission and team forward. Carrie understands the profound impact that access to the outdoors can have on individuals and communities, and her leadership will help us bring these benefits to even more people across the country.”
Related: BoardWalk Consulting Helps Recruit New CEO for Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media