Diversified Search Group Names Managing Directors
January 24, 2022 – Diversified Search Group (DSG), a leading search firm backed by private equity firm ShoreView Industries, has named three new managing directors, each adding to the firm’s capabilities in serving the needs of clients across key industries and sectors. Allen Chan joins the firm’s corporate practice, Lois Mufuka Martin joins its education practice, and Alicia Salerno has been promoted in the firm’s non-profit practice. “In the past year, Diversified Search Group has had unprecedented growth across our education, non-profit and corporate practices,” said Diversified Search Group CEO Aileen K. Alexander. “With the addition of Allen Chan and Lois Mufuka Martin as managing directors, and the promotion of Alicia Salerno to managing director, we are even better positioned to serve clients who are seeking to find transformational leaders in these key growth sectors.”
Mr. Chan brings more than 30 years of leadership experience to the firm and will be serving clients across the corporate sector, as well as providing leadership advisory services – in diversity, equity and inclusion assessment and strategy, CEO and board alignment, and board effectiveness and governance. From 2012 to 2020, Mr. Chan served as executive director of the Robertson Scholars Leadership Program. During his tenure, the program became one of the country’s preeminent undergraduate leadership programs. Mr. Chan has worked in a range of entrepreneurial, educational, corporate, and consulting organizations, including Booz, Allen & Hamilton, where he conducted and led studies for large corporations in strategy, operations, and business process re-design.
Ms. Mufuka Martin joins the firm’s education practice having been active in independent school search since 2017. She previously served as vice president of search and consulting services at CalWest Educators Placement—a California-based search firm focused on fostering equitable and inclusive hiring practices. She spent two decades in key non-profit leadership roles including as chief volunteer engagement officer for the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania; as CEO of the Pittsburgh-based Bethlehem Haven, a homeless services and housing organization for women; and as community fund director at the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County in Asheville, NC. She began her career as a social worker, children’s advocate and as a community college transfer counselor for first-generation students.
Ms. Salerno has experience in leading searches for non-profit organizations including Community Change, Food & Water Watch, and RAW Art Works. Her longstanding interest in the environment, social justice and philanthropy will continue to guide her work in the firm’s non-profit practice. She began her career in higher education, working in student recruitment, leadership and training at Brown University, Providence College, University of Massachusetts (Dartmouth) and Salve Regina University. In 2016, Ms. Salerno joined Koya Leadership Partners, which was subsequently acquired by Diversified Search Group.
Related: Diversified Search Group Adds Veteran Recruitment Leader as a Managing Director
Diversified Search Group is a family of recruiting firms serving specialized sectors. The firm was founded almost five decades ago by Judith M. von Seldeneck for the express purpose of placing diverse candidates in client organizations. It is today the largest U.S. female-owned and founded firm in the executive recruitment industry.
Newly Appointed CEO
Diversified Search Group recently appointed Ms. Alexander to chief executive officer, reporting to Judith M. von Seldeneck, founder and chair. Ms. Alexander’s accession comes following Dale E. Jones’ recent decision to step down after nine years as CEO. “Aileen Alexander is an innovator,” said Ms. von Seldeneck. “Her exceptional experience and industry insights will contribute significantly not only to our rapidly growing firm, but also to our clients as we cultivate new leadership for a changing world.”
Ms. Alexander is known as a values-driven, innovative, and people-first leader. She has had a distinct mix of clients spanning large, multinational, and mid-cap corporations, as well as high-growth start-ups across a wide range of industries. Before joining DSG, Ms. Alexander was a managing partner with Korn Ferry and held positions in the Defense Department and on the Armed Services Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. With a background in international security and defense policy, Ms. Alexander is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, and earned a master’s degree from the Harvard Kennedy School. She is a military veteran, having served as a captain in the U.S. Army.
Related: Diversified Search Group Names Vice Chair and Leader of Global Corporate Practice Group
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
