Spencer Stuart Assists the National Council on Aging with CEO Search
July 10, 2020 – Spencer Stuart has assisted the National Council on Aging (NCOA) with the recruitment of Ramsey Alwin as its next president and CEO. Current president and CEO James Firman announced late last year his plans to retire from the organization after 25 years of service. Consultants Jennifer Heenan and Leslie Hortum led the assignment.
“Ramsey has a vision for the organization’s future and innovative ideas for how we can grow NCOA and the scope of its impact,” said James Knickman, chairman of NCOA’s board of directors. “More importantly, she understands the DNA of the organization. We met an ambitious goal of improving the lives of 10 million older adults by 2020, a goal that we met one year early. Under Ramsey’s leadership, we will aim to improve the lives of 40 million older adults by 2030.”
Ms. Alwin is very familiar with NCOA, having served as vice president, economic security for the organization from 2009 to 2015. During this time, she oversaw the development and implementation of programs designed to promote the economic security of older adults and developed and secured funding for a holistic economic assistance program for older adults during the last economic recession. She joined AARP in 2016 as director, global thought leadership – financial resilience.
“I am thrilled to return to NCOA to lead our team into the organization’s next chapter of social impact, accelerating reach and broadening impact to help older adults age with dignity,” said Ms. Alwin. “NCOA leads the way as a champion for the health and economic security of older adults. Everyone deserves the opportunity to age well.”
Ms. Alwin said she was inspired to pursue a career in public policy while student teaching in Boston’s public schools. Seeing the socioeconomic issues that affected her students convinced her that she could have greater impact by working to bring about changes to systems and policies than teaching in a single classroom. Prior to her initial role at NCOA, Ms. Alwin served as director, national economic security programs for Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) and held several roles within the National Association for State Community Services Programs, most recently as director of program services.
The National Council on Aging works to ensure that every person can age well. Since 1950, its mission has been to improve the lives of millions of older adults, especially those who are struggling. By offering online tools and collaborating with a nationwide network of partners, the organization is working to improve the lives of 40 million older adults by 2030.
Serving Healthcare Organizations
Spencer Stuart has helped build the leadership teams of some of the world’s preeminent healthcare organizations. In the past three years, the firm has conducted more than 2,000 board director and senior-level executive assignments around the world, across all healthcare disciplines. With a reach extending beyond geographies, Spencer Stuart searches across disciplines, often outside the healthcare sector, to find candidates in emerging areas to help clients respond to changing industry dynamics. The firm has a special expertise in all facets of healthcare, including biopharma, healthcare services and medical technology.
Ms. Heenan is a consultant in Spencer Stuart’s Los Angeles office and a member of the firm’s healthcare practice. With 20 years of healthcare consulting, strategic planning, business development and marketing experience, she works with healthcare institutions across the continuum including healthcare systems, academic health sciences universities, physician organizations, payers and healthcare associations to identify and recruit executive leaders. Ms. Heenan is a recipient of the firm’s prestigious Lou Rieger Quality Award for high quality work on behalf of her clients.
Ms. Hortum manages Spencer Stuart’s Washington, D.C., office and is a member of the firm’s education, non-profit and government practice, focusing on recruiting and assessing senior leaders in associations and nonprofits. She advises trade associations and mission-driven organizations and boards on how they can enhance value for members and constituents, advance their advocacy agenda, and find the leaders to succeed in a changing landscape. Before entering the search industry, Ms. Hortum spent 20 years in association management, culminating in her appointment as the first woman senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
