Jim Zaniello

Jim Zaniello, FASAE is president and founder of Vetted Solutions, a Washington, D.C.-based executive search firm specializing in serving the leadership needs of associations, nonprofit organizations, hospitality and destination marketing industries nationwide.

Zaniello possesses a unique understanding of the executive search process, developed through more than two decades in positions ranging from nonprofit executive director to publisher of the leading tool for nonprofit executive search.

For 10 years, Zaniello conducted searches at Association Strategies, Inc., a leading Washington, DC-area executive search firm focusing exclusively on associations and nonprofits.

As vice president at ASI, he oversaw all facets of the search process, from candidate identification to compensation negotiation to successful on-boarding. Throughout his tenure at ASI, he leveraged his deep network of contacts to successfully fill dozens of executive-level nonprofit positions.

Zaniello developed an intimate understanding of the complex demands of the executive office through his own experience as executive director at several associations and nonprofits. As a senior executive with association management giant SmithBucklin, he served as executive director of the OsteoArthritis Research Society International; executive director for the start-up Community Financial Services Association; and interim executive director for the American Federation of Medical Research. All three positions gave him valuable insights into the strategic, business, and leadership demands of the executive office.

Prior to his tenure at SmithBucklin, Zaniello served as editor and managing director of CEO Job Opportunities Update, the leading biweekly resource for nonprofit executive search. While there, he grew the company’s output from a single newsletter to five and extended their product lines and service offerings, while growing his own personal network of contacts in the association and nonprofit worlds.

Earlier in his career, Zaniello spent eight years in the membership and communications departments of several national trade associations, including the American Society of Interior Designers and Menswear Retailers of America.

Zaniello received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication from St. Bonaventure University, and completed graduate-level coursework in association management at The George Washington University. A frequent speaker on managing nonprofit careers and achieving the position of CEO, he has also contributed articles to a number of highly regarded industry publications.

Zaniello is an active member of the American Society of Association Executives and has served as Chair of the organization’s political action committee (APAC.) He is on the National Alumni Association Board of St. Bonaventure University, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Community Health Accreditation Program, an independent, nonprofit accrediting body for community-based health care organizations.

He previously served on the Board of Directors of SeniorNet, a national organization focused on bringing technology access and education to adults aged 50 and over.