McCormack+Kristel Tapped to Find Chief People Officer for Los Angeles LGBT Center
April 17, 2023 – Executive search firm McCormack+Kristel has been enlisted to find a chief people officer for the Los Angeles LGBT Center, which fights to advance civil rights and freedoms for LGBTQ people domestically and internationally through education, advocacy, and community organizing. Managing partner Michelle Kristel is spearheading the assignment.
The new chief people officer will be expected to modernize and optimize people-centered experiences for employees and volunteers across the organization, said McCormack+Kristel. Overseeing the people operations, volunteer, and organizational development functions, the CPO will be charged with working with staff throughout the organization to establish a culture that reflects the center’s values and DEI principles while maintaining responsiveness to change.
Essential responsibilities will revolve around leadership, people operations, and workforce development. This leader will serve on and partner with the center’s senior executive team to create a people-centered and empowering workplace culture, said the search firm. The chief people officer’s duties will include building an effective, positive relationships with staff and volunteers across the center’s sites and departments and consistently demonstrating exceptional and responsive customer service to all stakeholders.
In regard to people operations, this individual will be responsible for designing and overseeing the implementation of a modern people operations infrastructure and related practices that support employees and volunteers throughout an equitable and inclusive employment lifecycle. The chief people officer must collaborate with the chief information technology officer and outside vendors to oversee the development of streamlined employer intranets and human resource information systems (HRIS).
An ‘Exceptional Opportunity’
Among other duties, the position also requires that the CPO collaborate with center leaders to identify the professional development needs of the workforce and implement training designed to meet those needs.
“This is an exceptional opportunity for a transformative leader to partner with a workforce-focused CEO to realize a priority strategic goal: Make the Los Angeles LGBT Center the most compelling place for LGBTQ+ people to work and thrive,” said McCormack+Kristel.
Related: The LGBTQ Center Long Beach Taps McCormack+Kristel to Find New Leader
The chief people officer will be expected to create a people-first experience and foster a dynamic organizational culture in which employees of all identities, communities, and experiences will have a sense of belonging and empowerment that allows them to successfully achieve their duties and develop as movement leaders.
Key Qualifications
In addition to a strong background in human resources and change management, the ideal candidate will have a minimum of 10 years’ HR experience, with at least five years of HR leadership, said the search firm. Prospects should have knowledge of and/or experience working with the LGBTQ+ community and familiarity with issues of particular relevance to LGBTQ+ people. Exceptional listening and verbal and written communication skills are vital. Healthcare staffing experience is expected. And knowledge of California labor laws is a plus.
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university is required for this role; an MBA or MA/MS in human resources or a related field is ideal. Candidates should have experience working with unionized staff and negotiating collective bargaining agreements. A SHRM senior certified professional (SHRM-SCP) or SHRM certified professional (SHRM-CP) certification is a plus, as is bilingual English/Spanish proficiency.
Founded in 1969, the Los Angeles LGBT Center describes itself as “the world’s largest LGBT organization of any kind.” With 10 locations across Los Angeles, the non-profit’s nearly 800 employees and hundreds of volunteers offer programs, services, and global advocacy that span four broad categories: health, social services and housing, culture and education, and leadership and advocacy.
Veteran Search Consultants
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.
McCormack+Kristel Recruits Executive Director for Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
McCormack+Kristel has assisted in the recruitment of Va Lecia Adams Kellum as the new executive director of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). Managing partner Michelle Kristel led the assignment. Heidi Marston resigned from the role in April due to disagreements with the agency’s board of commissioners over pay for lower-level staff. In September, Kristina Dixon and Molly Rysman, who served as acting co-executive directors since April, returned to their former roles with LAHSA, and Stephen David Simon, who heads the Los Angeles Department on Disability, was appointed interim executive director.
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.
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.
Last year, 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.
Related: McCormack+Kristel Recruits Executive Director for Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
