Spencer Stuart Seeks New CEO for the Boston Foundation

October 1, 2020 – Spencer Stuart is currently leading the search for a new president and CEO for the Boston Foundation. Paul Grogan recently announced that he will be stepping down after nearly 20 years of transformative leadership with the organization. Mary Gorman, John Harpole, David Wick and Diane Carlyle are spearheading the assignment.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated and exacerbated inequities in education, housing, health and economic development that have being a continuing focus of the foundation’s work,” said Sandy Edgerly, board chair. “The Boston Foundation can and must play a leadership role in working to close these inequities, and it will require a talented, nimble leader who shares our commitment to equity to lead our talented, hardworking staff in this new era.”

“I appreciate the opportunity to work alongside Spencer Stuart as we search for the Boston Foundation’s next president and CEO,” said J. Keith Motley, search committee co-chair. “Our goal is to find and engage with a variety of candidates who are as diverse as the communities we serve. Spencer Stuart will assist with efforts to identify candidates that share our mission of building and sustaining a vital, prosperous city and region where justice and opportunity are extended to everyone.”

“As expert advisers on candidate assessment and the CEO selection process, Spencer Stuart has placed leaders in over 1,100 non-profit organizations over the past five years with a significant majority of those being in top leadership positions,” the Boston Foundation said in a statement. “They have extensive experience and strong relationships across Greater Boston and New England, and have worked closely with some of the top philanthropic organizations throughout the country including leading community foundations.”

“We are dedicated to recruiting exceptional leaders for organizations that advance the public good,” said Mary Gorman, consultant at Spencer Stuart. “We are committed working with the search committee to find a leader who can ensure that the foundation remains at the epicenter of philanthropy in Greater Boston.”

“For more than a century, the Boston Foundation has been an important partner to Greater Boston residents in our mutual effort to promote shared prosperity and a vibrant future for our communities,” said Elyse Cherry, search committee co-chair.  “We are committed to a fully inclusive, national search that demonstrates the foundation’s continued commitment to those values.”

The Role

The CEO of the Boston Foundation is responsible for ensuring that the foundation deliver on its mission: “As Greater Boston’s community foundation, the Boston Foundation devotes its resources to building and sustaining a vital, prosperous city and region, where justice and opportunity are extended to everyone,” said Spencer Stuart

The Boston Foundation wants a courageous, aspirational thinker on issues of equity and justice and a superb organizational leader and manager who has a vision for how to address the pressing problems in Boston and the region, said the search firm. She/he/they will possess the strategic acumen required to chart a course for the future in a dynamic environment, the operational acumen to oversee successful execution of goals, and the agility to be responsive to a changing external environment. The CEO will be expected to inspire confidence and broader investment through extensive partnerships with civic, business, and non-profit leaders, through impact analysis, and by fostering effective grassroots leadership.

The foundation wants someone with a deep, personal commitment to social and economic justice. Candidates should have an appreciation for and encouragement of different perspectives. In addition, they must embrace living in Boston and participating in its civic leadership.

Experienced Recruiters

Ms. Gorman, who works in Spencer Stuart’s Boston office, is a member of the education, non-profit and government practice. Her work encompasses liberal arts colleges, research universities, independent schools and large, mission-driven non-profit organizations, as well as functional roles such as chief financial officers and chief operating officers.

Mr. Harpole is a consultant within Spencer Stuart’s leadership advisory services and he is a member of the firm’s financial services practice. He has more than 20 years of private capital advisory and institutional investment experience, encompassing public equities, alternative- and real-assets.

Mr. Wick has more than two decades in non-profit and higher education leadership. He has deep knowledge of and experience in education technology and innovation, K-12, higher education, non-profit and philanthropic sectors.

Ms. Carlyle is a member of the firm’s education, non-profit and government practice. She brings nearly a decade of experience to her role, specializing in recruiting senior executives for clients in arts and culture, philanthropy, education, health and human services, and international development.

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor  – Hunt Scanlon Media