Storbeck/Pimentel Recruits Provost for Colorado School of Mines
January 16, 2019 – The Colorado School of Mines, commonly known as Mines, with the assistance of Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, one of the nation’s leading boutique providers in the higher education space, has named Richard Holz as its next provost.
Mr. Holz is currently dean of the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences at Marquette University and will join Mines in June.
Alberto Pimentel, the firm’s managing partner, and Salvador Venegas, senior associate, led the search.
“Rick brings skills and experience that we identified as critical to achieving our MINES@150 strategic plan,” said Paul C. Johnson, president of the school. “He is a great listener and is entrepreneurial. He highly values impactful teaching, research and industry partnerships. And he has experience and new ideas related to expanding the reach and impact of our unique programs. This is an exciting time to be joining Mines as we look toward our 150th anniversary in 2024 and work to position Mines for its next 150 years of success and global impact.”
Proven Leader
At Marquette, Mr. Holz led the largest of the university’s nine colleges and schools, guiding 12 academic departments, 40 undergraduate majors, 14 interdisciplinary programs and 18 graduate degree programs. During his tenure as dean, he oversaw the establishment of five new entrepreneurial centers of excellence – including the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute, made possible by a $6.25 million corporate donation – launched multiple innovative interdisciplinary degrees and more than tripled the number of student internship opportunities.
Prior to joining Marquette in 2013, Mr. Holz spent seven years at Loyola University Chicago, where he served as associate dean for resources and planning in the College of Arts and Sciences (2011 to 2013) and as chairman of the chemistry and biochemistry department (2006 to 2011).
New Role
As provost, Mr. Holz will serve as Mines’ chief academic officer. He will work closely with Mr. Johnson and other members of the executive cabinet, providing leadership on strategic initiatives that ensure that Mines is a top-of-mind and first-choice university for top engineering and science students, industry partners, and world-renowned faculty and staff, said the school.
“I am extremely honored to join such an accomplished faculty at a world-class university,” Mr. Holz said. “Mines has such a bright future and I can’t wait to begin working with faculty, students and alumni to bring the university’s strategic plan to fruition and raise the profile of Mines to the next level.”
Hunt Scanlon Top 50 Non-Profit & Higher Education Search Firms
Hunt Scanlon Media presents its first ever roundup of leading recruiters in the non-profit / higher education sectors. Check out these top 50 trailblazers – ranging from the largest recruiting and talent leadership solutions firms to the leading boutique specialists.
| Top 50 |
Colorado School of Mines, located in Golden, CO, is a public university focused on science and engineering. It has been a state institution since 1874. Since its founding, the school has evolved from an institution serving the needs of the local mining industry to an internationally recognized research university offering disciplinary and interdisciplinary engineering and applied science degrees through the doctoral level. The Colorado School of Mines enrolls over 6,000 students with about 4,700 undergraduate students and 1,300 graduate students. In 2017, U.S. News and World Report ranked Mines as one of the nation’s top 30 public schools.
Higher Education Recruiters
Storbeck/Pimentel has a strong history of recruiting top leadership in higher education. The firm has placed presidents at the University of Arizona, Swarthmore College, Pomona College, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Wyoming and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, among many others. Minority and female owned, the firm has more than 25 consultants and support staff in two main offices in Los Angeles and Philadelphia, with affiliated offices in Vermont, Virginia and Florida.
Mr. Pimentel co-founded Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates in 2007 and has led and managed hundreds of search assignments for a variety of public and private universities and colleges, non-profit organizations and governmental agencies over the past 20 years. He has recruited candidates for both academic and administrative positions for university systems as well as individual campuses. His experience includes conducting searches for chancellors, presidents, provosts, vice presidents, academic deans, executive directors and managers across all functional areas. He is also widely known for his work across multiple campuses in the University of California and California State systems.
Mr. Venegas’ career in executive search spans more than a decade and has been exclusively dedicated to serving higher education clients. He has worked closely with the partners of Storbeck/Pimentel in conducting searches for public and private universities across the U.S. He has directed every aspect of the search process, including research, strategy, recruitment, evaluation, referencing and logistical support. His extensive experience includes recruiting for all senior administrative positions (president, chancellor, provost, dean, vice president) in higher education.
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
