Storbeck Search | Diversified Search Recruits President for Monmouth College
March 29, 2024 – Higher education-focused Storbeck Search, part of the Diversified Search Group, has assisted in the recruitment of Patricia Draves as the 15th president of Monmouth College in Monmouth, IL. Julie E. Tea, Anne Koellhoffer, and Danielle Mebert led the assignment. She succeeds Clarence R. Wyatt, who has been the College’s 14th president since July 2014 and will retire at the end of this school year. “Monmouth had an impressive and deep pool of candidates who expressed interest in the presidency or were nominated for the presidency,” said Monmouth board vice chair Ralph Velazquez, who led the 10-member presidential search committee. “Dr. Draves emerged as the clear choice for the presidency, and we are excited for the future of Monmouth under her leadership.”
“We look forward to Dr. Patricia Draves’ leadership as the 15th president of Monmouth,” said Monmouth board of trustees chair Mark Kopinski. “Her groundbreaking work as a college president and academic leader, along with her track record of developing innovative student-centered programs, has distinguished her in higher education. The entire Monmouth community is excited that she is again embracing the college’s tartan as our new leader.”
A veteran higher education leader and former chemistry professor at Monmouth, Ms. Draves was unanimously chosen president by the Monmouth College board of trustees after an extensive national search. Since 2017, she has served as president of Graceland University in Lamoni, IA. Before serving as Graceland’s 18th president, Ms. Draves was vice president for academic affairs at University of Mount Union in Ohio from 2006-17. Her more than 30-year career in higher education also includes serving as a faculty member and administrator at the University of Central Arkansas.
“I look forward to returning to this community as not only president of the college but also as a citizen of the city of Monmouth,” said Ms. Draves. “I have been impressed with the community’s strong level of support for the college, and I look forward to working with other community leaders on projects that will advance the college and the region.”
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Monmouth College is a private Presbyterian liberal arts college. It enrolls approximately 767 students who choose courses from 40 major programs, 43 minors, and 17 pre-professional programs in a core curriculum. It offers bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees.
Serving Universities and Non-Profits
Shelly Weiss Storbeck launched Storbeck Search in 2007 to focus on executive search in the education and non-profit sectors. Now part of The Diversified Search Group, the firm works on behalf of colleges, universities, schools, and non-profit organizations across the nation, with headquarters in Pennsylvania and local offices in every region. Storbeck Search has conducted searches for some of the country’s top colleges and universities, private schools, and non-profit institutions. Its roster of university clients includes Brown, Columbia, Haverford, Johns Hopkins, Lawrenceville, Michigan State, Northwestern, Pomona, Princeton, Swarthmore, and the University of Wisconsin, among others.
Ms. Tea is managing director with Storbeck Search | Diversified Search. She has served higher education for more than 25 years and is in her second decade of executive search. Ms. Tea assists colleges and universities in searches for presidents, cabinet-level roles, and academic deans. She also regularly advises boards of trustees on presidential transition. Before joining the firm, Ms. Tea served as associate managing principal and as a senior consultant for two competitor firms.
Ms. Koellhoffer, senior associates, has worked on searches for multiple positions, including president, provost, vice president, dean of students, and dean of libraries, among others. Before entering the higher education executive search sector, she was assistant director for the Fund for Penn Law at the University of Pennsylvania’s Law School. Ms. Koellhoffer also worked in development at both Haverford College and the Philadelphia Foundation.
Ms. Mebert joined Storbeck Search | Diversified Search Group as a senior search associate, bringing with her two decades’ worth of experience in secondary and higher education. Prior to joining Storbeck, she spent eight years in various roles at New York University, most recently as the inaugural manager, academic advising for the BFA in film and television production at Tisch School of the Arts.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor; Lily Fauver, Senior Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
