Storbeck Search Recruits SVP of Talent, Culture & HR for Ohio State University
September 10, 2021 – Higher education-focused search firm Storbeck Search, part of the Diversified Search Group, has helped to place Jeff Risinger as senior vice president of talent, culture and human resources at Ohio State University. The assignment was led by Steve Leo and Vicki Henderson of Storbeck Search and Matt Vossler of Diversified Search Group.
For the past several months, Paul Patton, senior advisor to the president, has served as interim human resources leader. “As Ohio State’s top advisor on workplace and human resources issues, Dr. Risinger will provide leadership across the university to support our values, help advance our diversity and inclusion efforts, and continue to foster a Buckeye culture that positively impacts our entire community,” said university president Kristina M. Johnson. Dr. Risinger brings nearly three decades of experience building strategic talent and culture groups to become important partners in their organizations. He has a deep background shaping cultures and leading higher education, government and corporate human resources organizations.
The new senior vice president of talent, culture and human resources joins Ohio State from Texas A&M University, where he served as vice president for human resources and organizational effectiveness. At Texas A&M, Dr. Risinger led efforts to increase diverse recruitment for faculty and staff, created new leadership development and coaching programs, and established human resources as a university-wide strategic partner.
Dr. Risinger previously served as chief human resources officer and vice chancellor of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, chief human capital officer at the Federal Housing Finance Agency and chief human capital officer at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Higher Education Recruiting
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.
Stephen Leo has more than two decades of experience in higher education executive search. He has conducted searches for presidents, vice presidents, senior development officers, deans and other executives. Prior to joining Storbeck Search as a principal partner, he served as a consultant in the education practice at A.T. Kearney for six years, after previous experience as a senior search consultant at an international search firm placing senior executives in a variety of industries – corporate, academic and not-for-profit – for clients based in North America and Europe. While living in London, Mr. Leo was vice president for international recruiting and operations for a major international search firm based in Europe.
Ms. Henderson, a senior associate at the search firm, began working in higher education recruiting more than 15 years ago. She has led and managed recruitment efforts for college and university president, provost, dean, and director searches, as well as searches for leaders in development, student affairs, finance and administration, and institutional effectiveness, at both public and private institutions. Prior to joining the firm, she spent seven years as an executive recruitment specialist with a search firm specializing in higher education. Previous work experience includes searches for the nonprofit sector with specialization in institutional advancement and development.
Mr. Vossler is a managing director at the Boston office of Diversified Search Group, where he serves primarily in the life sciences and healthcare services practices. He has completed searches at the CEO and CFO levels, as well as executive director and vice president in a range of therapeutic areas within general management, research and development, commercial operations, regulatory affairs, and technical operations. He also has considerable experience in the non-profit sector, specifically working with hospitals, universities and independent research institutes.
Related: Storbeck Search Leads CHRO Search for University of Rochester
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
