Melissa Madzel

Vice President, Executive Search

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Based in New York City, Melissa is responsible for all aspects of the executive search lifecycle, from candidate development to partnering with clients in the placement of top talent, with focus on social justice and advocacy missions. Recent and representative placements include: CEO for the Foundation for a Just Society, Director of Development for the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, Executive Director of the U.S. Human Rights Network, and Executive Director of Community Voices Heard.

Having served the nonprofit sector through development, program, and operations positions, Melissa has first-hand understanding of the needs for a variety of nonprofit roles and organizational cultures. Through previous positions with the U.S. Fund for UNICEF (Deputy Director, Corporate Partnerships), Safe Horizon (Corporate Partnerships Manager), City Year New York (Founding Corps Member and Program Manager), and Cities of Service (Founding Chief of Staff), Melissa has applied a social justice lens to developing marginalized communities and critical missions through a range of functions.

Melissa serves on the Advisory Council of Equity in the Center, a national initiative dedicated to creating a more diverse and equitable social sector talent pipeline.

Melissa holds an M.S.W. from the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, with a specific focus on philanthropy and nonprofit leadership. She earned her B.A. in Human Services and Theatre Performance from Northeastern University.