Florida Health Justice Project Retains Charity Search Group to Find New Leader

March 26, 2025 – Charity Search Group was recently called in by Florida Health Justice Project to lead in its search for a new executive director. Vice president of executive search Pascale Hughes is leading the assignment. The executive director position at the Florida Health Justice Project presents an exceptional opportunity for a visionary leader passionate about advancing health equity and systemic justice. As the chief executive, they will guide the organization in addressing critical health policy issues impacting vulnerable populations, including Medicaid expansion, access to affordable healthcare, and the elimination of health disparities across Florida.

This position is ideal for a leader who thrives in a mission-driven environment, combining strategic planning, advocacy, financial and operational excellence. For a seasoned non-profit leader or health policy expert, this role offers an excellent platform to leverage skills, experience, and passion to make a tangible difference in the lives of Floridians.

Charity Search Partners is looking for candidates with five to seven years of leadership experience, preferably in non-profit management, health equity, social justice, or similar advocacy organizations. Experience working with diverse and underserved communities is preferred as well as demonstrated success in strategic planning, program development, and organizational growth. Candidates must have a track record in fundraising, including securing government and private grants, cultivating donors, and managing fundraising campaigns.

Florida Health Justice Project engages in comprehensive advocacy to expand healthcare access and promote health equity. Founded in 2017, it addresses systemic healthcare barriers through advocacy, education, and legal support. The organization focuses on key issues such as Medicaid access, long-term care for seniors, immigrant health, maternal health, and reducing racial and economic disparities in healthcare.

Charity Search Group is a recruitment firm that specializes in hiring for nonprofit and charitable organizations across North America. The firm focuses on filling leadership and executive roles within mission-driven organizations. It operates remotely, with a team of consultants and recruiters located in various regions.

Ms. Hughes is a talent acquisition professional with more than 10 years’ experience in human resources operations and talent recruitment. Partnering primarily with non-profit organizations to identify, place, and grow talent, her industry scope is broad and includes talent acquisition strategy and execution for education, conservation, finance, health, and technology organizations.

Using Retained Search Firms for Non-Profit Leadership Recruitment

In the wake of the 2024 election, the dynamic landscape for non-profit organizations has shifted, making the need to secure and retain top-tier leadership more crucial than ever. Recruiters tell Hunt Scanlon Media that strong, effective leadership is now key to driving mission success and ensuring long-term organizational sustainability in an increasingly complex environment. A new report from J. Michael Durnil, director of executive search at Cooper Coleman LLC , and Michelle Alvis, principal owner at Alvis People Solutions, LLC, explains that internal HR functions play a critical role in organization operations and managing day-to-day human resources needs, yet the time required to navigate the complexity and high stakes of executive recruitment often benefit from an external, specialized, and laser focused approach.

Related: Non-Profits Seek New Kinds of Leaders with Help from Search Firms

“Retained search firms who specialize in the social sector and not-for-profit organizations bring a wealth of specialized knowledge, talent networks and experience to the process of search,” the report said. “Unlike general recruitment processes, retained executive search firms are adept at identifying and attracting candidates who not only possess the requisite skills and experience but also align with the unique culture and values of non-profit organizations, including ones that might not be in the hunt for their next position. This alignment is crucial for leadership roles where the impact of a mismatch can be particularly detrimental to a mission driven organization operating with limited resources of capacity, capital, and time.”

One of the significant advantages of partnering with a retained search firm is access to an extensive network of high-caliber candidates, including finding the best passive candidates, according to the Cooper Coleman report. The notes that many organizations use the strategy of “post and pray” in hopes of attracting talented candidates. “Often overlooked as an advantage, retained search firms maintain a variety of proactive strategies to develop a curated candidate pool through intensive research and potential candidate engagement,” the report said. “Additionally, many firms maintain robust databases and relationships with industry leaders, enabling them to tap into a broader and diverse, albeit often passive talent pool. This is particularly beneficial for non-profits, which may not have the same reach, resources, or recognition as their for-profit counterparts in advertising the opportunity or sourcing and screening candidates for a mission critical position.”

“Additionally, most executive talent who are not actively seeking a new role, are not on the job scene or using job boards such as LinkedIn or Indeed,” the Cooper Coleman report said. “While they may be looking for a new executive role, they do not know if an organization is looking for their expertise. An executive search consultant works to close that gap and bring the brightest and best talent to the non-profit.”

To read this full report click here!

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor  – Hunt Scanlon Media