Lindauer Assists Destination Imagination with CEO Search
February 6, 2026 – Lindauer has assisted in the recruitment of Mark Giordono as the new CEO of Destination Imagination, Inc. in Blackwood, NJ. She succeeds Michele Tuck-Ponder, who served as CEO for eight years. The assignment was led by Megan Abbett, assistant vice president, and vice president and managing director Maureen Huminik. “Mark understands the power of creativity in learning, leadership, and problem-solving,” said Chuck Good, chair of the Destination Imagination board of trustees. “He brings a rare combination of strategic insight and genuine respect for how people learn and grow. We are confident he will help Destination Imagination continue to expand its impact while staying true to the values and mission that make this organization special.”
Mr. Giordono brings more than two decades of leadership experience spanning education, innovation, and mission-driven organizations. Most recently, he served in senior executive roles at FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), where he helped lead organizational strategy, partnerships, alumni engagement, and large-scale events serving millions of students and educators worldwide.
Throughout his career, Mr. Giordono has worked across the public and private sectors, building programs and partnerships that expand access to learning and support all students and educators at scale. His leadership approach emphasizes collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving as essential skills for navigating an increasingly complex world, Destination Imagination explained in a release.
As CEO, Mr. Giordono will work closely with Destination Imagination’s staff, affiliates, volunteers, alumni, donors, and current and future supporters to strengthen its learner-led programming, support sustainable growth, and expand opportunities for more students worldwide.
“I’m honored to help lead Destination Imagination,” said Mr. Giordono. “In an increasingly AI-driven world, it is the creativity, compassion, and conscience of young people that make innovation truly human. I look forward to working alongside our volunteers, global Affiliates, and supporters to put creativity through STEAM learning into action and expand opportunities for students worldwide.”
Destination Imagination is a 501(c)(3) volunteer-led non-profit organization that advances creativity as an essential skill for innovation, collaboration, and driving positive impact. The organization creates student-led, STEAM-based experiences grounded in the Destination Imagination Creative Process, which provides a framework for students to work together to identify problems and opportunities, generate ideas, and develop solutions. Founded in 1999, Destination Imagination has impacted more than one million students worldwide.
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Lindauer serves higher and secondary education, hospitals, academic research centers, think tanks, research facilities, and foundations, as well as advocacy, public service, social justice and other mission-driven non-profits. The firm has led searches for The Aspen Institute, Auburn University, Franklin & Marshall College, Brown University, Bryn Mawr College, Princeton University, MIT Sloan, Dickinson College, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Columbia University, University of Illinois, Room to Read and Educate Girls, among others.
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Deb Taft leads Lindauer with over 25 years of executive and senior-level experience across the non-profit sector, from education to healthcare/academic medicine to the youth service and voluntary sectors. Her expertise includes governance, strategic planning, fundraising, program and staff management, strategic marketing, analytics, and constituent engagement, as well as talent recruitment, retention, and development.
Lindauer Recruits Chief People Officer for Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Lindauer has assisted in the recruitment of Sarah Cox as chief people officer of Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. The search was led by Lindauer senior vice president Paula Fazli, who co-leads the firm’s higher education practice alongside SVP Faith Montgomery. “With Paula Fazli’s support and guidance, we cast a wide net and considered candidates from a range of backgrounds, including from outside academia,” said Dan Shore, chief operating officer of the broad. “We hired someone as chief people officer who we couldn’t have anticipated at the beginning of the search. And yet she is exactly who we hoped we’d find for the role. That speaks to the level of trust we had in Paula as our search partner from start to finish.”
Ms. Abbett brings more than 20 years of non-profit experience to Lindauer. Some of her notable clients at Lindauer since 2011 include The Aspen Institute, Auburn University, Franklin & Marshall College, Michigan State University, Bryn Mawr College, City of Hope, Dickinson College, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, University of Kansas Hospital, Marietta College, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, University of Illinois, and Intelligence Squared Debates.
Ms. Huminik co-leads Lindauer’s healthcare and academic medicine practice and its advocacy, policy, and social enterprise practice. Her healthcare clients include City of Hope, Cleveland Clinic, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic, Moffitt Cancer Center, and University of Tennessee Health Science Center, while her work in higher education includes Arizona State University, Binghamton University, DePauw University, New York University, and University of Massachusetts. Ms. Huminik has also worked with organizations and missions as diverse as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Catholic Charities, JDRF, YMCA, and YWCA.
Related: Lindauer Recruits Dean of Music for the Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
