BoardWalk Consulting Seeks Executive Director for Temple Israel
June 29, 2023 – Executive recruitment firm BoardWalk Consulting has been enlisted to find the next executive director for Temple Israel, one of America’s largest and most historic Reform Jewish synagogues, in Memphis, TN. Managing director Kathy Bremer and director of research Patti Kish are leading the assignment.
“The executive director has a lifetime opportunity to join a visionary team that is empowered to deliver innovative initiatives that, in essence, secure and sustain engagement,” said BoardWalk Consulting. “In partnership with outstanding thinkers and doers across clergy, lay leadership, and staff, the executive director will directly contribute to and catalyze the next era of success for this significant Reform Jewish community.”
This leader reports to the board of trustees as primary staff liaison and works closely with trustees, clergy, staff, and members as a trusted, valued partner and leader. Temple Isael’s executive director will be the representative of the organization’s multifaceted areas of operations and impact—from finance to facilities, technology to talent/HR, an innovative preschool to historic cemetery, to security and securing its pipeline of membership.
Key Requirements
The ideal executive director candidate will be relational, forward-looking, and collaborative, with business acumen and the passion to serve a thriving Reform Jewish membership that anchors the greater community both religiously and relationally, said the search firm. The executive director must be an encouraging manager of people, the institution’s three campuses, and their collective progress. This leader will proactively build alignment with clergy and lay leadership while fostering a positive, motivated working culture.
The executive director must bring experience and expertise in five main areas: leadership, management, business acumen, innovation, and advancement. This leader will be expected to be an engaged director and catalytic force for advancing Temple Israel’s vision and implementing its strategic plan, designed for a post-pandemic world. The executive director must be an aligned partner to a clergy team of both tenured and new rabbis and invested lay leadership.
The ideal executive director will have an engaging personality, broad relevant skills, and passion for the people, mission and potential of Temple Israel, said the search firm. This individual’s skills and capabilities should include vision, leadership and strategic acumen; management, delegation, and teambuilding abilities; operations, finance, facilities, and business acumen; and problem-solving and project management know-how.
Temple Israel, which celebrates its 170th anniversary in 2024, is a renowned spiritual anchor of hospitality and authentic community. The institution serves 1,450 households and operates a $6.8 million annual budget. Founded in 1854, Temple Israel has led in the work of social justice and commitment to the Jewish and non-Jewish communities of Memphis and the Deep South.
Non-Profit Specialists
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.
BoardWalk Consulting Tapped by St. Louis Community Foundations to Find New President
BoardWalk Consulting has been retained by St. Louis Community Foundations (STLCF) to lead its search for a new president and CEO. Senior director Crystal Stephens and director Michelle Hall are leading the assignment. “BoardWalk is excited to partner with St. Louis Community Foundation in its search for a new president,” the firm said. “STLCF is primed for continued growth and impact. The new president and CEO will take the foundation to its next level of influence and expand the foundation’s leadership role in tackling the communities’ most persistent challenges.”
BoardWalk Consulting was founded by Sam Pettway, 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.
Ms. Bremer joined BoardWalk Consulting in 2007 after eight years as head of Porter Novelli Atlanta. Prior to that, she served as senior vice president of fundraising and marketing for CARE. Earlier in her career, Ms. Bremer was a senior executive at three New York ad agencies, where she led assignments for Procter & Gamble and other client work. Prior to these roles, she worked as a journalist and writer in Tokyo. She has led numerous executive searches for clients including ADL, Heifer, Save the Children, CDC Foundation, Oxfam, HIAS, Research!America, Jane Goodall Institute, TSNE MissionWorks, The Trustees, and many others.
Ms. Kish works closely with search consultants to develop and implement research strategies and proactively recruit senior level executives into non-profit leadership roles. Prior to joining BoardWalk Consulting in 2015, she led full life-cycle talent acquisition for a national search firm that specialized in C-suite executive search for consumer products organizations. She began her career with EDS (now HP) where she spent several years managing the entire talent acquisition organization for the southeast region. A career recruiter, Ms. Kish has placed CEOs, presidents, executive directors, and CFOs for organizations with national and global impact.
Related: BoardWalk Consulting Assists Dare to Care Food Bank in the Recruitment of New CEO
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
