Diversified Search Recruits Board Members for the March of Dimes Foundation
January 21, 2020 – Dale E. Jones and Andrew Wheeler of Diversified Search have placed Honest Company CFO Muhammad Shahzad and former Kids2 CFO Lorna Street as members of the board of trustees for the March of Dimes Foundation, a non-profit fighting for the health of mothers and babies. In their roles as trustees, they will share their unique skills and knowledge to address the country’s urgent maternal and infant health crisis.
“Our nation is at a critical junction, and too many measures of health for pregnant women, new mothers and infants are going in the wrong direction, which is unacceptable,” said Monica Luechtefeld, chair of the March of Dimes board of trustees. “Time is of the essence and it’s crucial that we convene the right partners, researchers, advocates, volunteers and individuals to tackle the collective factors that are contributing to this public health crisis. I’m confident that the incoming trustees, together with our existing board members, will help us do just that.”
Stacey D. Stewart, March of Dimes president and CEO, said the new trustees will also help foster the continued growth and transformation of the organization which began in 2017 under her leadership. “We recognize that in order to solve big problems, we need to take bold actions,” Stewart said. “We’re working to increase greater awareness and engagement in our work and that requires ensuring our board and staff possess the skills and experience needed to create the positive change we seek.”
Mr. Shahzad is CFO at the Honest Company. Previously, he was a vice president in the investment banking division at Goldman, Sachs & Company, where he covered a broad array of clients in the technology and media sectors. Mr. Shahzad has previously founded his own company, and also has worked at Accenture and Deutsche Bank. He currently serves as chairperson of the board of directors at developments in Literacy, an education non-profit organization, and is involved in other non-profit endeavors.
Ms. Street brings over 20 years of financial leadership experience to March of Dimes and was most recently CFO of Kids2, a global leader in the infant product industry. During her career she held global leadership roles at Nestle, Morgan Stanley and Harland Clarke that include leading large finance, IT and legal teams. Ms. Street’s financial and accounting knowledge, impart significant expertise to the board, including strategy, risk management, audit, financial reporting and corporate governance.
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March of Dimes supports research, leads programs and provides education and advocacy so that every baby can have the best possible start. Building on a successful 80-year legacy of impact and innovation, the organization helps empower every mom and every family.
In 2016, March of Dimes also turned to Diversified Search to help recruit Ms. Stewart in her current role. She became the organization’s first black president. “The March of Dimes has an incredible legacy and history, and we were able to attract talented leaders from the non-profit, government, corporate, healthcare, and media sectors,” said Mr. Wheeler, when discussing the search with Hunt Scanlon Media in 2016. “Stacey has the right kind of experience, passion for the mission, and fundraising and fundraising experience to carry the organization forward with excellence.”
Veteran Recruiters
Headquartered in Philadelphia, Diversified Search is the largest U.S. female-owned and founded firm in the executive recruitment industry. It has offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Diversified is the U.S. partner of AltoPartners, an international alliance of 58 independent executive search firms that spans 35 countries across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific.
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Mr. Jones is president and CEO of Diversified Search. His responsibilities include oversight and management of the firm and its global CEO advisory services. Before joining in Diversified 2013, Mr. Jones served as vice chairman of Heidrick & Struggles. His philosophy on great leadership is simple: “It is important that leaders have the ability to inspire and motivate people and to lead by example. I think the best leaders have been through some testing in their journey, so that they can really empathize, not only with the people that they lead, but with their customers.”
Diversified Search has worked with more than 300 educational institutions and not-for-profit organizations over a 40-year span. Its non-profit practice recruits leaders for associations, foundations, arts and culture organizations, religious groups, workforce development entities, as well as professional and social service concerns.
Mr. Wheeler is the leader of the education, non-profit and arts and culture practice, as well as an active member of the healthcare services practice. He also serves as Diversified’s chief transformation officer. Previously, he was the firm’s chief lean officer, driving process improvement initiatives to deliver more value to clients. Mr. Wheeler’s clients have included research intensive institutions, liberal arts colleges, academic medical centers, faith-based social service agencies, museums and federated non-profit organizations.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
