About Us

Leadership. Impact.

Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES) brings game changing innovations for both institutions seeking candidates and candidates seeking positions. These approaches help universities and colleges get precisely the right talent, faster, at far less expense and academics make better career decisions. 

Executive Search: Six search options for every need and budget. The only constant – a unique search process driven by experienced recruiters, researchers and academics guaranteed to attract the ideal candidate. The firm works with the client until they find the right fit.

Academic Career Services: The firm helps academics understand and leverage their personal and academic assets. The outcome is a Precision Fit™ for them and the institutions. They cap all this with innovative compensation methods and broader search choices. The result is an entirely new search and selection roadmap. One with greater precision and affordability.

The heart of this paradigm is challenging basic assumptions and deep scrutiny of all the factors making careers successful. They bring in AI, neuroscience, psychometrics, mathematics & statistical methods, and modeling to help academics and schools understand their preferences, creating a degree of precision eclipsing current methods.

Jennifer Muller created Academic Career & Executive Search, her team of nine consultants have global search experience in all sizes and types of institutions: private, researchfaith-baseded, public and community colleges. Before starting ACES, Ms. Muller established the executive search business for Academic Keys. To assure high caliber and uninterrupted service, she brought along her consultants and augmented them with a cadre of higher ed leaders. The current staff has decades of recruiting and leadership experience.

Achievements

Find a Recruiter

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Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES) offers menu driven, ala carte search services

Every search is different, every budget is different and one size doesn’t fit all. The firm provides you total flexibility to tailor your search to your needs.

The result, you pay for only the services you need.

The only constant – a unique search process driven by experienced recruiters, researchers and academics guaranteed to attract the ideal candidate. We work with you until we find the right fit.

They work for both the candidate and the institution using proprietary tools to find the perfect fit. No one does search the way they do.

Solutions And Expertise

Academic Career & Executive Search has six levels of search services designed to meet your needs and budgets, giving you affordable options for every position level from faculty to senior administrative positions.

Enhanced Search

Our most comprehensive search service works with you from candidate profile development through to candidate acceptance including in-person candidate review and analysis, interview coordination, and candidate negotiations.

Full Search

The firm is involved in virtually every step of the search process from candidate profile development to delivery of vetted candidates. You need only shortlist, conduct first round interviews, final interviews and present an offer. To save you money, the firm stripped away items often done by the institution including background and reference checks and interview coordination.

Candidate Generator

An economical service casting a wide net sourcing active and passive candidates. Traditional advertising expires in 60 to 90 days, our search services keep searching until you’re satisfied.

Multiple Hire

An economical service ideal for multiple hiring initiatives, this service reaches a broad base of active and passive candidates. Traditional advertising expires in 60 to 90 days, our search services keep searching until you’re satisfied.

Contingency Search

Designed for non-faculty positions like IT, the biggest benefit of this search service, you don’t pay the full fee until you hire your candidate. Why spend thousands of dollars on ads that expire in 60 or 90 days? With its service, the firm continues searching until you hire the candidate.

Interim Search

Our interim search service find you qualified candidates to fill your temporary hiring needs. They work closely with you to align the skills and characteristics of our interim candidates to your needs. On a weekly basis individuals are retiring or considering new employment options therefore, they continually recruit and renew our interim pools to guarantee you access to top talent.

Solutions
  • Board Services
  • Career Services
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Executive Coaching
  • Executive Search
  • Interim
  • Leadership Develop.
  • On-Demand Recruiting
  • Onboarding
  • Recruitment Research

News Briefings

Academic Career & Executive Search Seeking CHRO for Boise State University

A number of universities have recently turned to search firms to find new chief human resources officers. Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES) has been called in by Boise State University to lead its search for a CHRO. Reporting directly to the president, the CHRO is a senior member of Boise State’s leadership team, responsible

Academic Career & Executive Search Seeking CEO for Kansas State University

Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES) has been called in by Kansas State University Olathe to lead its search for a new chief executive officer. Managing partner Jennifer Muller is spearheading the assignment. The university is seeking a dynamic individual with exceptional leadership, strategic and interpersonal capabilities. The CEO reports directly to the provost and executive

Academic Career & Executive Search Recruits Dean of Greehey School of Business at St. Mary’s University

Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES) has placed Rowena Ortiz-Walters as the new dean of the Greehey School of Business at St. Mary’s University. She is the first Latina to lead the business school. Dr. Ortiz-Walters comes to St. Mary’s from SUNY Plattsburgh, a public liberal arts college that is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) System,

Academic Career & Executive Search Taps Founding Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for University of Pittsburgh-Bradford

Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES) has placed Tasha Alston as the inaugural chief diversity and inclusion officer for the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford in Bradford, PA. Jennifer Muller, managing partner and senior consultant, led the assignment for the search firm. “The University of Pittsburgh-Bradford required a committed, dynamic leader with a proven history of providing students

Press Releases

Academic Career & Executive Search Congratulates Connecticut State & University Systems (CSCU) on New Campus CEOs

(May 11, 2021) Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES) proudly announces the completion of their searches for Campus CEOs at Connecticut State & University Systems. The five campus CEOs selected are Dr. Michelle Coach, Asnuntuck Community College (ACC); Dr. Lisa Dresdner, Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC); Cheryl DeVonish, J.D., Norwalk Community College (NCC); Dr. Karen

ACES Congratulates St. Mary’s University on Dean of The Greehey School of Business

(May 11, 2021) Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES) proudly announces the completion of their search for Dean of the Greehey School of Business at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, TX. St. Mary’s University will welcome Dr. Rowena Ortiz-Walters to the role in June 2021. St. Mary’s University, as a Catholic Marianist University, fosters

Academic Career & Executive Search Congratulates Hartwick College on New Controller

(April 21, 2021) Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES) proudly announces the completion of their search for Controller at Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY. Hartwick College welcomed James Chatterton to the role in March 2021. Hartwick College is a non-denominational, private, four-year liberal arts and sciences college in Oneonta, New York offering 35 majors leading

Academic Career & Executive Search Congratulates the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford on Founding Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer

(April 21, 2021) Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES) proudly announces the completion of their search for Founding Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at University of Pittsburgh-Bradford in Bradford, PA. University of Pittsburgh-Bradford welcomed Dr. Tasha Alston to the role in April 2021. High academic standards, challenging and nurturing academic programs, and high-quality, teaching-oriented faculty

Academic Career & Executive Search Congratulates Beloit College on New Director of Facilities

(April 21, 2021) Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES) proudly announces the completion of their search for Director of Facilities at Beloit College in Beloit, WI. Beloit College welcomed Robert Oehler to the role in March 2021. Located in a diverse community close to Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago, Beloit College is a private institution founded