Sage Search Partners Fills Posts for Tulane and UCLA
June 29, 2020 –
Sage Search Partners, which specializes in higher education and non-profit institutions, has made two key placements that will help the firm’s clients address equity issues as well as the financial constraints of students, which is of particular concern during the current economic crisis as well as the Black Lives Matter movement.
Marvin Smith will join UCLA’s Division of Enrollment Management as executive director for financial aid and scholarships. And Paula Booke becomes director for the Center for Academic Equity at Newcomb-Tulane College. Paula Hurley Fazli, co-founder and managing partner of Sage Search Partners, spearheaded both assignments.
Mr. Smith, who starts his new role this summer, brings 30 years of financial aid and administrative experience to UCLA. He currently serves as executive director of student financial services at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, a leading urban research university where students can earn degrees from either Indiana or Purdue.
A National Search
“Mr. Smith shares our values and commitment to providing
access, equity and support for highly qualified students from all communities,” said Youlonda Copeland Morgan, vice provost of enrollment management at UCLA. “After an extensive national search, I am excited that Mr. Smith is bringing his expertise to UCLA.”
Mr. Smith will help lead efforts to support UCLA’s enrollment management goals by strategically deploying financial aid resources to increase access, equity and student success, said UCLA. He will be responsible for strategic oversight of FAS policies and procedures and will manage an annual campus-wide financial aid budget of $1 billion.
Dr. Booke, meanwhile, is associate director of the Center for Academic Equity and director of the Newcomb-Tulane Summer Experience at Tulane University. She will begin her new responsibilities on July 1. The Center for Academic Equity supports undergraduate students of color, first generation and LGBTQ students at Tulane.
Sage Search Partners is a national executive search firm which helps mission-driven organizations succeed through the recruitment and development of talent for a wide range of leadership positions. The firm’s clients have included: Harvard University, MIT, Stanford University, Wellesley College, and University of Chicago. Ms. Fazli co-founded and has co-led Sage Search Partners since1999, following six years as vice president of a boutique executive search firm. She has partnered with hundreds of higher education institutions, not-for-profit organizations, and foundations to recruit exceptional individuals for a range of leadership positions in academic affairs, student affairs, enrollment management, administration and finance, human resources, research administration, and institutional planning.