Kittleman & Associates Selected by Seattle Parks Foundation to Find New President and CEO
July 24, 2020 – The economic strength of the non-profit field has increased in recent years and it is now the third largest employer in the U.S. This has certainly kept search firms busy. Chicago-based search firm Kittleman & Associates has been enlisted to find a new president and CEO for Seattle Parks Foundation (SPF).
Reporting to the board chair on behalf of the board of directors, the president and CEO partners with the board to shape and promote the organizational vision and works with the board to determine the overarching organizational goals and strategies to achieve that vision. The CEO leads the engagement and cultivation of current and future donors to support the key priorities of SPF, engaging in activities across the spectrum of development with a specific emphasis on working with high-level individual and institutional funders.
“They will also champion diversity, equity and inclusion as the lens through which to develop, implement and evaluate all work of SPF and creates and sustains an attractive and professionally rewarding work environment for all staff, contractors, and volunteers,” Kittleman & Associates said. This executive also develops for the short- and long-term programmatic, operational, and financial success of the organization, articulating and ensuring organizational alignment—internally and externally.
Desired Traits and Qualifications
Kittleman & Associates is seeking a proven, accomplished and visionary leader with a passion and drive to enhance and expand access to parks and open space. This values-based individual will bring leadership characterized by unwavering integrity, an ability to garner broad community support, and the ability to lead and execute strategic plans that impact public policy and community development, the firm noted. Proven personal success in fundraising is a key requirement. In addition to professional leadership, this could include service as a fundraising volunteer, and should include active solicitation of contributions from individuals, foundations or corporations, and through development of a supportive, diverse board of directors.
Leaders of color and others with extensive experience addressing systemic racism and inequities to promote more just outcomes are encouraged to apply.
Seattle Parks Foundation (SPF) is an amplifying force for philanthropy, planning, and advocacy on behalf of parks and public spaces throughout Seattle and a fiscal sponsor to 80 community partners across the city. Initially fueled by the energy of civic leaders whose efforts to build a 60-acre “Seattle Commons” in South Lake Union in the mid-1990s, SPF has become a convener of community leaders, donors, and pubic partners working to create thriving, accessible and connected spaces.
Serving Non-Profits
Kittleman & Associates, established in 1963, is one of the nation’s oldest executive recruitment firms exclusively serving non-profit organizations. Search services include recruitment counsel, organizational assessment, development of position specifications, prospect research, source identification, candidate development, background assessment and verification, reference checking, offer preparation and transition assistance.
The Decade Ahead for Non-Profits: Great Pressure, Transformation and Big Impact on Talent
It’s the turn of a new decade, and several social, technological, economic and political forces promise to shape the future of the non-profit sector. Some are already in play–or have been for some time –and are already challenging non-profit organizations.
These ingredients have the potential to fundamentally transform the sector, says James Abruzzo, global non-profit practice leader at DHR International. “A convergence of these factors will alter the landscape, necessitating a major shift in the way non-profit organizations operate,” he said. How talent is sourced and recruited, already a major challenge across the sector, will also undergo a radical shift.
The firm has led searches for the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN), Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation, Space Center Houston, Paws With a Cause, Indiana Historical Society and Community Foundation for Muskegon County (CFMC).
Kittleman is committed to fostering a company that respects and appreciates diversity in its many forms. “We work closely with our client organizations to bring candidates with varying points of views and life experiences to the search process,” the firm said. “We hire staff that reflects the broad diversity of our community and that of our client organizations. We retain a diverse group of product and service vendors and we strive to select vendors who are committed to promoting a diverse workplace.”
Cory King, president and CEO, leads Kittleman’s search practice as well as the overall management of the firm. He focuses on CEO searches across the non-profit sector, with a particular emphasis in social services, grantmaking foundations, cultural institutions, and conservation organizations. Mr. King has been in the non-profit sector since 1998 and brings executive-level experience in higher education, healthcare and social services.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
