Cook Silverman Search Retained by Ploughshares to Recruit Executive Director
December 20, 2024 – Greenbrae, CA-based Cook Silverman Search has been selected by Ploughshares to lead in its hunt for a new executive director. This executive will provide strategic leadership, operational oversight, and guidance across all departments while supporting the president and board chair. This executive-level role involves fostering organizational alignment, developing strategic partnerships, and ensuring the achievement of Ploughshares’ mission and goals. The executive director reports directly to the president and serves as a key member of the executive and senior leadership teams. They directly oversee development, finance, communications, program, field building, and human resources.
Cook Silverman is looking for candidates with 10+ years of non-profit leadership and fundraising experience as well as over five years managing people and multiple functions and more than two years in nuclear policy, national security, or foreign policy, valued, but not required. They should have the proven ability to lead complex work processes across departments and expertise in managing budgets of $8–10 million. Strong written and verbal communication skills, adaptable to diverse audiences is preferred. The firm is seeking a strategic thinker with the ability to execute tactically.
Ploughshares is a global security foundation committed to reducing nuclear threats and ultimately eliminating nuclear weapons. The organization envisions a safer and more secure world, driven by its mission to transform nuclear policy. To achieve this, Ploughshares strengthens the nuclear field by amplifying diverse voices, fostering public engagement, and challenging the status quo.
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Cook Silverman Search focuses on many senior positions include but not limited to: development, CEO/COO/executive director and CFO’s for non-profit organizations, predominantly in Northern California. Its client base represents a broad span of organizations, including social service, museums, science. independent schools, universities, conservation, health care, and culture. The firm has placed advancement executives for Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, Children’s Council of San Francisco, Eviction Defense Collaborative, The Unity Council, Earth Island Institute, among others.
Proven Recruiter
Victoria L. Silverman is managing founder of the search firm. She has more than 30 years of experience in the philanthropic sector. Throughout her career, Ms. Silverman has worked in senior fundraising, advancement, and management positions at Stanford University, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of California, the American Film Institute, and the Buck Institute for Age Research, among others. Her search work focuses on higher education, the arts, biotech and environment sectors. She has been speaker for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and has served on fundraising advisory committees for several non-profit organizations.
Ms. Silverman recently assisted in the recruitment of Daniel Casanova as the new executive director of the Eviction Defense Collaborative. The organization was seeking a remarkable civic leader who is passionate about social justice to serve as their next executive director.
Cook Silverman Search Seeking New CEO for the Cancer Support Community San Francisco Bay Area
Cook Silverman Search was recently retained by the Cancer Support Community San Francisco Bay Area to lead in its hunt for a new CEO. The incoming leader will be responsible for pursuing the organization’s mission and strategic objectives, including strategic objectives such as growing the organization in size and reach and overseeing and managing the building of its new facility in Lafayette.
Cancer Support Community is a strong and vibrant organization with dedicated volunteers, highly skilled staff, solid finances and philanthropic support. This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to build upon the great foundation of current leadership and expand CSC’s outreach and services, according to Cook Silverman. The successful candidate will be an accomplished fundraiser and enjoy leading a team who is passionate about ensuring that anyone whose life is affected by cancer and seeks CSC’s help is able to receive it.
Mr. Casanova fit the bill. He is a seasoned non-profit leader with over 25 years of experience in the sector. As the executive director of global partners for development for over 10 years, he led impactful initiatives focusing on economic empowerment and environmental sustainability in East Africa and beyond. Mr. Casanova also previously served as chief programming officer of El Fondo De Las Islas Canarias. His extensive international background includes work in East, North, and West Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Central America. Mr. Casanova has been instrumental in establishing numerous NGOs from their conceptual phases to becoming established entities, with a focus on fields such as public health, education, and economic development.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
