FaithSearch Partners Names Leader of New Service Line NonProfit+

March 11, 2022 – FaithSearch Partners (FSP) has named Zándra Bishop as senior vice president and leader of its newest service line, NonProfit+. Dr. Bishop brings more than 15 years of executive consulting, leadership, and non-profit management to this new role. Dr. Bishop joined FaithSearch two years ago as a search and management consultant after nine years in various senior leadership roles for a large Houston, TX-area not-for-profit organization. “FaithSearch Partners has served the non-profit community over the last 15 years and this realignment will enhance the team’s ability to do so in the future,” said the firm. The NonProfit+ team will also serve ministries, churches, and K-12 academic institutions.

“Zándra has been a tremendous asset to our firm since day one,” said Ed Fry, FaithSearch Partners’ president and CEO. “Her leadership and passion for non-profit work combined with her mission-focused approach to executive search made her an easy choice to lead our NonProfit+ team.”

Dr. Bishop’s appointment, the realigned service line, and the recent additions of David Walters and Mike Tucker have positioned FaithSearch’s NonProfit+ team to make a major impact on mission-focused organizations, said the firm. “It is with great gratitude that I join FaithSearch Partners,” said Dr. Bishop. “I love inspiring mission impact organizations to advance their scalability, strengthen their organizational purpose, and add value through their faith, resilience, and experience. I strive to have a positive impact on all of our non-profit, school, and faith ministry clients and their leaders and to connect the right talent with the right organizations. I couldn’t be more excited to serve in this new opportunity.”

Faith-Based Search Firm

FaithSearch Partners is focused exclusively on serving faith-based hospitals, healthcare organizations, non-profits, ministries, churches, educational institutions, and faith-oriented businesses. The firm is based in Dallas with locations in Denver; Houston; Los Angeles; Orlando, FL; Nashville, TN; Asheville, NC; and Tyler, TX.

At the end of last year, FaithSearch Partners added pastors Walters and Tucker as search consultants focused on the firm’s non-profit and ministry-based searches. “Both pastors Walters and Tucker significantly increase FaithSearch’s ability to support our church and parachurch clients during senior leadership transitions,” said Mr. Fry at the time. “David and Mike have sat in the pastor’s chair, preached from the church’s pulpit every week and led large congregations. They know and understand the challenges pastors and parachurch leaders face and the importance of a structured, guided, comprehensive process FaithSearch can bring to search committees.”

Mr. Walters serves as senior pastor of Alpharetta First United Methodist Church in Alpharetta, GA, and will continue in that role as he complements his pastoral service with a supporting role at FaithSearch. Mr. Tucker recently retired as the speaker/director of “Faith for Today,” the longest continuously broadcast religious television program in the world.

Serving Higher Education

Earlier this year, FaithSearch Partners brought aboard Andy Westmoreland as senior vice president and leader of its higher education service line. “Andy Westmoreland has dedicated his professional life to Christian academic institutions and I’m excited to have him lead our higher education practice,” said Mr. Fry. “He is a great addition and will have an outstanding impact on our team and our clients. In addition to his leadership and executive search experience, Andy is an accomplished faith leader who is a perfect fit for our culture and mission.”

Dr. Westmoreland’s career in higher education spans 42 years including two college presidencies and hundreds of executive searches. He most recently served as president of Samford University in Birmingham, AL, for 15 years and president of Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, AK, for eight years. In addition to his tenure as president, Dr. Westmoreland also taught political science, served on charity boards and is an accomplished author and speaker.

With the addition of Dr. Westmoreland, FaithSearch’s higher education service line will focus on executive searches for faith-based and other colleges and universities, including collegiate athletics searches.

Dr. Westmoreland’s educational credentials include an undergraduate degree in political science from Ouachita Baptist University, a master’s degree in political science from the University of Arkansas and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He is former chair of the board of trustees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and he served as president of the American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities.

Related: FaithSearch Partners Names Leader of its Mission Enterprise Service Line

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media