McCormack+Kristel Recruits Executive Director for Identity
January 23, 2024 – Executive search firm McCormack+Kristel recently assisted in the placement of Tom Pittman as the new executive director of Identity in Anchorage, AK. “The board of directors is pleased to have Tom Pittman serve as executive director,” said Owen Hutchinson, board co-chair, Identity. “He brings stability and proven leadership to the organization. In his new role, he will continue to serve our community as a subject matter expert on LGBTQIA2S+ healthcare. We look forward to Tom’s depth of experience in healthcare services to further Identity’s mission. We are grateful for his leadership to help lay the foundation for the next 40 years of the organization.”
“Congratulations Tom Pittman,” said McCormack+Kristel. “We are thrilled for you and for the LGBTQ+ community in Alaska who will no doubt benefit from your expertise.”
Mr. Pittman brings over a decade of expertise to Identity having previously managed outpatient clinics, including tribal health, retail health, and specialty surgical units. His academic background includes a master’s in health administration from the University of Washington, where he simultaneously supported his tribe’s healthcare needs working for Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium.
Mr. Pittman is Tlingit of the T’akdeintaan people from Sít’ Eeti Gheeyí, “The Bay in Place of the Glacier”, commonly known as Glacier Bay in Southeast Alaska. He descends from dedicated land protectors spanning countless generations. His professional journey includes serving as a senior director at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital and regional director at Cranial Technologies overseeing 18 retail health clinics in California and Washington, successfully launching four new clinics. Mr. Pittman is passionate about healthcare equity, embracing organizational development, and collaborative strategies throughout his career. He contributes to the Alaskan Healthcare Executive Network’s membership committee and the CDC’s Indigenous Public Health Leadership Program.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to learn more about the health needs of Alaskans and contribute to the wellbeing of our community,” said Mr. Pittman. “I personally understand the significance of the life saving work Identity does every day. It’s an honor to continue developing Identity’s services and I feel the energy of the exciting things we will accomplish with our staff and community partners.”
Identity, founded in 1977, is a statewide LGBTQIA2S+ organization dedicated to advancing Alaska’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, two-spirit, pansexual, nonbinary, intersex, asexual, and queer community through advocacy, education, healthcare, and connectivity.
Serving Non-Profits
McCormack+Kristel was started in 1993 as McCormack & Associates with the mission of recruiting senior leadership for the many research, advocacy and human services organizations growing exponentially in response to AIDS pandemic. Diversity recruiting has long been on the firm’s agenda. With the advent of effective treatments for HIV/AIDS, and the diminishing needs of many of these organizations, the firm broadened its client base into areas like social justice; healthcare; women’s issues; higher education; gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender; civil rights; and more.
Related: McCormack+Kristel Recruits Executive Director for Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
Four years ago, founding partner Joseph A. McCormack formed a new business partnership with Ms. Kristel, who joined the firm in 2013 as an associate. The firm has offices in New York City and Palm Springs, CA. McCormack+Kristel clients have included the ACLU, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, TransForm, Planned Parenthood, SAGE, and the Tides Foundation, among others.
In 2022, Mr. McCormack retired. Ms. Kristel continues to run the firm’s national practice. Ms. Kristel is the former executive director of In The Life Media (ITLM), a non-profit organization producing social change media to raise awareness of issues related to gender, HIV/AIDS, and LGBT rights.
Recent Work
McCormack+Kristel recently assisted in the placement of Dion Cartwright as the new president and CEO of The Funders Network in Coral Gables, FL. “When TFN president and CEO Pat Smith announced her retirement this summer, we began the daunting but admittedly exciting work of finding a successor – one with the vision, values and strategic dexterity needed to lead our network of changemakers committed to environmental, economic and racial justice,” said Don Hickman, chair, TFN board of directors. “It turns out we didn’t have to look very far. I’m thrilled to announce that Dion Cartwright – TFN’s senior director of equity initiatives and leadership development and head of our PLACES Fellowship program – will be the next president and CEO of TFN.”
Ms. Cartwright worked for the Baltimore Community Foundation’s Community Investment team for 15 years before joining TFN. She currently serves on the board of directors for Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy and on the United Philanthropy Forum’s racial equity committee. Ms. Cartwright previously served as the inaugural board chair of the Baltimore Children and Youth Fund, a non-profit organization created to support Baltimore’s youth.
Related: McCormack+Kristel Recruits Chief People Officer for the Los Angeles LGBT Center
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor; Lily Fauver, Senior Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
