BoardWalk Consulting Tapped by the National Endowment for Democracy to Lead Chief People Officer Search
October 7, 2024 – Executive recruitment firm BoardWalk Consulting has been tapped by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) to lead in its search for a chief people officer. Director Michelle Hall and senior research associate Lysondra Somerville are leading the assignment. NED seeks a skilled and visionary chief people officer to join its leadership and drive organizational change to support its urgent mission. As an accomplished and deeply credible thought leader and partner, this executive will bring best practices and strategies to move the endowment’s work and culture forward. The chief people officer will help the endowment optimize its greatest asset, its people, by bringing efficacy, accuracy, and collaboration across the 300-person organization.
With responsibility for all aspects of human capital strategy and operations, the chief people officer plays a pivotal role in shaping organizational culture, driving employee engagement and accountability, and developing strategies to attract, retain, and develop top talent. They will bring innovation and efficiency to support and enhance the experience of NED’s talented experts.
NED’s next chief people officer will be hungry and eager to bring excellence and change. This requires exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively at all levels of the organization. BoardWalk Consulting is looking for candidates with proven experience as a strategic human resources leader with at least 15 years of progressive management experience, ideally in a complex nonprofit or globally focused organization of comparable size with a minimum of five years in a leadership role.
The search firm notes that those applying must have experience in change management as well as the demonstrated ability to design and effectively implement strategic people and culture initiatives, processes, and policies. Strong knowledge of people and culture best practices, including talent management, organizational development, labor laws, regulations, compensation and benefits, and employee relations is preferred.
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The National Endowment for Democracy is a private, non-profit, grantmaking organization dedicated to supporting democratic ideals and institutions around the world. NED serves as America’s leading foundation for freedom, providing support for democratic activists, civil society organizations, and independent media throughout the world, as well as the NED core institutes: the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the International Republican Institute (IR), the Solidarity Center, and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE).
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 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. Hall is focused on finding leaders who are a fit for the organization so they can make a difference on day one. Prior to joining BoardWalk, she served for 11 years as vice president and dean at Oglethorpe University where she directed a large staff in support of a growing university that has earned numerous accolades for its academics and support of a diverse student body, community service, and first generation students.
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.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
