Sterling Martin Associates Recruits New Leader for the Mount Washington Observatory
November 1, 2022 – Sterling Martin Associates, an executive search firm which specializes in recruiting talent for associations and other non-profit organizations, has placed Drew Fulton Bush as the new executive director of the Mount Washington Observatory in North Conway, NH. Board of trustees chair Robert Kirsch called Dr. Bush a passionate and visionary leader who will bring a distinctive strategy for the future while building upon the Observatory’s 90-year legacy in mountain meteorology and climate science.
“Drew has a remarkably well-rounded weather and climate science, education, fundraising, and leadership background and will advance the observatory’s strategic vision as the go-to organization for mountain-based atmospheric and climate research,” said Mr. Kirsch. “He has an empathetic and open way that will be positively received by our membership, board, and staff, leading to easier, broader, and more rapid advancements for our organization.”
The observatory trustees formed an executive search committee in February to oversee the process of finding the organization’s next leader. The committee, led by board of trustees vice chair Bruce Soper, retained Sterling Martin Associates and evaluated a broad-based and competitive pool of applicants. “At the end of that process, we unanimously selected Drew,” said Mr. Soper. “That decision, not surprisingly, corresponded with the unanimous sentiments of the staff.”
Dr. Bush has spent more than 15 years examining public perceptions of climate and weather science – as well as related renewable energy issues – to determine methods for improving public knowledge, participation, and policymaking regarding these topics. He most recently directed research in McGill University’s Department of Geography and served as assistant director of the Old Stone House Museum & Historic Village in Brownington, VT. Highlights of his career include helping to draft transition recommendations on national land use and energy policy for President Barack Obama’s incoming administration while at The Wilderness Society and leading educational research with a global climate model as a guest at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
“My work at the observatory represents the perfect next step to use my experience in scientific research, communications, development, and science education,” said Dr. Bush. “There are many opportunities for the observatory to explore, including making the organization a thriving research hub, growing fundraising processes to accomplish new goals, raising our brand profile nationally, and growing educational offerings to lead students, adults, and extreme weather professionals in learning on climate and weather science.”
Mount Washington Observatory is a private, non-profit, member-supported institution with a mission to advance understanding of the natural systems that create Earth’s weather and climate. It serves this mission by maintaining a weather station on the summit of Mount Washington, performing weather and climate research, conducting innovative science education programs, and interpreting the heritage of the Mount Washington region.
Non-Profit Specialists
Sterling Martin Associates, established in 2006, focuses on finding leaders for associations and non-profit organizations. The firm has been engaged by over 150 clients throughout the U.S. Its staff consists of professionals located in Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Orange County, CA. Eighty-five percent of the firm’s searches are for roles at the CEO/executive director level with the balance being for senior staff.
CEO and managing partner David S. Martin guides the firm’s overarching business strategy while maintaining a lead role on multiple national projects each year. For nearly 30 years, he has led complex executive search projects throughout the U.S. Mr. Martin started his executive search career in 1989 after spending eight years in the corporate world. He has held senior-level positions with such global search firms as Korn Ferry and has launched new offices in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and Irvine, CA.
Sterling Martin recently placed Eryn Carter as the new executive director of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA). She has 25 years of experience in strategic planning, business development, policy and program development, fiscal management and governance, and volunteer development. Ms. Carter joins ALA after 25 years serving in progressively larger leadership roles at the Million Dollar Round Table
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
