Koblentz Group Tapped to Find CEO for St. Vincent de Paul of Georgia

March 30, 2020 – The Koblentz Group has been selected to find the next chief executive officer for St. Vincent de Paul of Georgia (SVdP Georgia), an Atlanta area social service group. The organization’s current CEO, John Berry, will retire in September after 13 years in the role. Partner Jeffrey Neppl is leading the assignment for the executive recruitment firm.

The CEO will serve the organization’s 72 chapters, known as conferences, and will be responsible for the operations of its support centers, pantries and thrift stores, said The Koblentz Group.


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The individual will be expected to bring new practices and efficiencies to the operations of SVdP Georgia, constantly reviewing and updating the offerings to best serve the needs of the conferences and their clients. The leader will also be charged with working to build an enjoyable and collaborative work environment that seeks to develop each individual to their fullest potential.

The CEO is “the face” of SVdP and will lead within the community, both Catholic and otherwise, said the search firm. SVdP Georgia has successfully collaborated with other non-profit organizations throughout the state. The CEO should strive to serve as a leader in the charitable community. She or he will be expected to work with other CEO’s of like-minded organizations to identify synergies and partnerships that can assist the overall charitable community to serve those in need.

Primary Liaison

The CEO will also be the primary liaison with the archdioceses of Atlanta and Savannah. The individual will work to continue to build upon this relationship. Additionally, the CEO will be involved at a national level with SVdP. They will communicate and partner with other SVdP CEOs around the country to set national direction, share best practices, and assist in any way possible to enhance the national footprint of SVdP.

Candidates must have a minimum of five years of executive-level experience, strategic planning, fund raising, budget and financial acumen, as well as operational management experience, said The Koblentz Group.

Successful experience leading a “de-centralized” organization, or “multi-site operations,” either for-profit or not-for-profit, will be highly preferred. Candidates should have the ability to be collaborative, build coalitions and inspire staff, partners, donors and stakeholders. Also required is a demonstrated ability to leverage relationship with known funders in the Atlanta area to secure personal, corporate and institutional grants and donations.

St. Vincent de Paul of Georgia will give preference to professionals who are experienced in working with multi-cultural populations, who are bi-lingual in relevant language(s); and who are experienced with accreditation standards.

Experience working directly with a board of directors, stakeholders, funders and others is also essential, said The Koblentz Group. Previous experience in a non-profit organization is preferred but not required.

Experienced Recruiters

“Additionally, given these challenging times, we would like to direct you to SVdP’s website https://www.svdpgeorgia.org/,” said Mr. Neppl. “The main source of fundraising for the organization is direct contributions during mass/church services, and with the current suspension of those due to social distancing, SVdP could use any assistance you can spare.”

St. Vincent de Paul Georgia, headquartered in Chamblee, GA, is a statewide network of over 5,000 volunteers and a small professional staff that provides coordinated assistance to people in need throughout the state since 1903. SVdP Georgia operates across 72 local conferences, four family support centers, 40 food pantries, 13 thrift stores, and one conference support center (headquarters) united by the goal of preventing homelessness, fighting hunger and changing lives.

The Koblentz Group, based in Atlanta, specializes in recruiting C-level leaders and board directors. The firm was founded by Joel M. Koblentz in 2002. His practice, as developed over the last 30 years, can best be described as “at the value creation level” for publicly traded companies and private equity concerns. He advises corporate boards on succession and recruitment of new board members, the recruitment of CEOs and executive leadership. Mr. Koblentz’s typical clients are boards of directors, chief executives or controlling shareholders. Previously, he was a senior partner at Egon Zehnder.

Mr. Neppl focuses on C-level, officer and board of director searches for public and private clients in operations, technology, sales, finance, marketing and business development. He has experience operating in very large multinational companies as well as C-level experience in venture capital and private equity backed deals. He began working with the search firm when he was leading A.I. Partners, an Atlanta-based recruiting organization. A.I. and The Koblentz Group worked together under a strategic partnership arrangement. After a period of time in that structure, they formally merged under The Koblentz Group brand.

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

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