Fort Lewis College Taps Buffkin / Baker to Find Next President
December 5, 2024 – Partner-led executive search firm Buffkin / Baker has been retained by Fort Lewis College to lead in its search for its next president. Partner Ann Yates and associate partner Pelema Ellis are leading the assignment. Reporting to the board of trustees, the president is responsible for shaping the college’s vision and strategic direction. The new president will assume the role at a pivotal moment in the institution’s history as the college pursues the ambitious goals articulated in the strategic plan. In its next president, Fort Lewis College seeks a visionary leader who will continue championing the college’s diversity, innovation, and economic development mission.
The new president will embrace Fort Lewis College’s unique role as a Native American-Serving Non-Tribal Institution and as a convener for the Four Corners region’s arts, sciences, and economic vitality. The next president will build on the school’s strong foundation while fostering educational excellence and expanding the college’s role in regional, state, and national growth and development.
Buffkin / Baker notes that Fort Lewis College plays a vital role in workforce development and regional collaboration through initiatives like Opportunity NOW, a statewide grant program that connects students to internships, job training, and career opportunities. In addition, the FLC Foundation has secured unprecedented support, raising nearly $21 million in 2023-2024 alone. These funds have supported major projects, including the CU Nursing Fort Lewis College Collaborative, the new Katz School of Business, and reconciliation initiatives tied to FLC’s historical legacy.
The college’s next president will bring significant professional accomplishments that present ample alignment to meet future challenges and opportunities of the college. In its next president, the college seeks an authentic, transparent, relational leader with enthusiasm and optimism for the work ahead. This will require an action-oriented, bold, and entrepreneurial leader who will be an unwavering champion of students, faculty, staff, and the college.
The ideal candidate will be a fiscally minded, results-driven leader who has the demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with various constituencies; proactively engage with the internal and external communities; actively pursue fundraising and partnership opportunities; and promote the college externally. A proven record of successful, progressive leadership in a complex organization, a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a demonstrated understanding and appreciation for the college’s diverse culture and history are required. Dynamic leaders from mission-aligned organizations outside of higher education are encouraged to apply and will be given full consideration.
Related: WittKieffer Recruits 7th President for Franklin Pierce University
Fort Lewis College is home to approximately 3,400 students, more than half of whom are students of color, mostly Native American Hispanic/Latinx. In addition, 38 percent of the students are Pell-eligible, and 44 percent are first-generation. This year, Fort Lewis College’s student body represented more than 11 Native American Tribes and Alaskan villages, making it one of the most diverse campuses in Colorado. The college’s faculty of 240 plus members are nationally recognized for their innovative teaching and research, securing over $38 million in grants last year alone.
Firm Composed of Industry Leaders
Buffkin / Baker is a specialty boutique search firm composed of industry leaders in their respective fields and each has over a decade of retained search experience. Their focus as search professionals is to recruit leaders in digital marketing/advertising, technology, healthcare, media/entertainment, finance, higher education, and non-profit. The firm serves public, private, venture, and private equity-backed companies. Its office locations include Nashville, TN; New York; Washington, D.C.; and Winston Salem, NC, with affiliate offices in London.
Buffkin / Baker is a member of Panorama Search, an international federation of retained firms with 18 firms and over 30 offices globally. Buffkin / Baker formed in 2017 with the merger of the Buffkin Group and Baker and Associates LLC.
Craig Buffkin, the firm’s founder, serves as the managing partner, and as head of the private equity and transformation practices, where he is actively involved with client engagements and business development. He has completed search work at the board, executive and senior level both nationally and internationally for a wide range of private, public, venture-backed, and private equity-back companies.
Based in Winston Salem, NC, Martin Baker has been in executive search for more than 22 years. In addition to his role as managing partner, he is also head of the firm’s higher education practice. He previously worked in the Atlanta office of Korn Ferry, where he developed search strategy and executed searches for numerous senior-level appointments. He began his career as a research associate with Saxton Bampfylde, an executive search and management assessment firm in London. He has conducted searches for the positions of CEO, CFO, CIO, provost, dean, director, and professor, having worked on over 350 searches throughout his career.
Ms. Yates serves as a partner in the higher education practice. With a career spanning over two decades, her executive search career includes prior experience at two national executive search firms, most recently at ZRG Partners and before that at Witt/Kieffer where she served as a senior partner. Ms. Yates has completed more than 300 executive-level searches throughout her career, including engagements for presidents, provosts, deans, and vice presidents at leading public and private colleges and universities.
Dr. Ellis works within Buffkin / Baker’s higher education practice. He brings more than 20 years of experience in driving a strategic effort through a variety of roles in higher education. Previously, Dr. Ellis served as president at Great Bay Community College.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
