Sterling Martin Leading Search for American Association of Law Libraries Director
July 25, 2018 – The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) in Chicago has retained Sterling Martin Associates to search for its next executive director. CEO and managing partner David Martin is leading the assignment along with senior associate Leigh Beal.
“This is an exciting opportunity for a highly skilled executive who has experience in a leadership role for an organization of AALL’s size and scope,” said Sterling Martin Associates. “The executive director will be a strategic visionary and an experienced executive with significant leadership experience.”
AALL’s executive director reports to the executive board, through the president, who is the legal head of the association. The executive director is the chief staff executive, responsible for executing AALL’s strategic plan and overseeing the organization’s day-to-day activities. The executive director assists the executive board in formulating policies, is responsible for implementation of policies set by the board, and represents AALL to other organizations and the public.
The next executive will inherit an organization that is respected by its members, with a highly motivated and engaged staff and a solid governing board, said the search firm. Familiarity or experience with information services or the legal profession will be a plus for candidates.
A Venerable Non-Profit
AALL is governed by an 11-member board and the staff team includes 13 full-time professionals. The association’s budget is in the $4 million range. A three-year strategic plan covering knowledge, community and leadership was approved in 2016.
Founded in 1906, AALL is a non-profit organization whose members work in such sectors as law firms, academia and government entities (such as the Library of Congress). AALL helps keep its members on the cutting edge of industry advancement and champions the value of law librarianship and legal information as a profession, said the search firm.
AALL’s more than 4,300 members include law librarians, chief knowledge officers, legal information managers, outreach services heads, students, judges and other legal information professionals. AALL has 30 local, regional and state chapters throughout the U.S., and the organization has “sister partnerships” with law library associations throughout the world.
California Speech-Language-Hearing Association In Search of New Leader
Sterling Martin Associates was also selected by the California Speech-Language-Hearing Association to find its next executive director. CSHA is a non-profit association with the mission of fostering excellence in the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology through education, advocacy and collaboration.
Sterling Martin said the organization is seeking candidates who have experience managing an association of CSHA’s size and scope. The executive director will be a strategic visionary and an experienced leader and executive with appropriate leadership and/or practice experience.
Established in 2006, Sterling Martin Associates 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 16 professionals located in Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco and Orange County, CA.
Respected Recruiters
Eighty-five percent of the firm’s searches are for roles at the CEO/executive director level with the balance being for senior staff. The firm recently recruited executive directors for the Chemical Educational Foundation, the Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions, the Texas Society of Association Executives and the Texas Society of CPAs. It also filled CEO roles for the National Speakers Association, Maryland Food Bank and the American Rental Association.
Mr. Martin, of Sterling Martin, has three decades of professional experience, including national executive search, non-profit leadership and with Georgia-Pacific Corp. Mr. Martin has conducted searches in a broad range of executive leadership positions at the C-suite level, including president and CEO roles, executive directors and chief operating officers.
Ms. Beal focuses primarily on recruiting senior-level leadership for associations and non-profit organizations. She honed her recruiting skills working for an executive search firm for non-profit boards. Her clients have ranged from start-up organizations to some of the most established names in the non-profit community. She also spent several years recruiting for the private sector with a premier search firm whose clients ranged from hedge funds and private equity firms to marketing and entertainment companies. Ms. Beal’s earlier non-profit experience includes over four years at Enterprise Community Partners, a national non-profit organization focused on developing affordable housing for low- and middle-income families, where she focused on fundraising and event-planning.
This spring, Sterling Martin Associates helped place Lori Tremmel Freeman as chief executive officer of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining NACCHO, Ms. Freeman served for four years as CEO of the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, where she oversaw all of the organization’s operations. From 2010 to 2014, Ms. Freeman was NACCHO’s associate executive director for administration and advancement. In that capacity, she built strategic partnerships with local health departments and other key organizations, ensuring that NACCHO was a relevant, responsive, member-driven and fiscally sustainable organization.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
