The Moran Company Seeks New CEO for Open Excellence
July 22, 2020 – The Moran Company, an executive recruitment firm that specializes in the non-profit sector, has been tapped by Open Excellence (Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care) to lead its search for a new CEO. Steven Byers is leading the assignment.
Open Excellence is seeking a CEO to lead and grow its U.S. and international programs. The successful candidate will have a passion for recovery-based care and be able to skillfully engage key constituencies to improve the mental health system. The CEO should embody an entrepreneurial spirit, seeking out creative new initiatives and engaging funders to enable those efforts. In addition, the CEO will provide thought leadership in charting a strategic pathway for the future of Open Excellence with a process that engages staff, governing board, scientific advisory council, fund advisors and donors.
Open Excellence wants candidates with a passion for the organization’s mission and a heartfelt commitment to its philosophy of recovery-based care and wellness. They should have a successful track record of non-profit management, especially in health or social justice-related organizations.
The group is seeking individuals with strong interpersonal skills as a convener and bridge-builder to forge partnerships among diverse stakeholders with sometimes differing views. They should be comfortable in seeking donations from high net worth individuals and other funders.
Some other traits and qualifications that candidates should possess include:
- Exceptional public speaking, presentation and motivational abilities.
- Budgeting, accounting and financial management experience.
- History of a disability and/or personal experience with mental health services is an asset.
- Willingness and ability to travel to meet with partners and donors and attend meetings.
A bachelor’s degree is required; advanced degrees are preferred.
As the new brand for the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care, Open Excellence seeks to connect the passion of private philanthropy with the world’s top researchers and programs to bring recovery–based care and support to every community. The organization was founded on the principle that people experiencing distress should be treated as people first—not as diagnoses or cases. Its core beliefs revolve around the conviction that the current medical model of mental illness should be challenged in favor of a wellness model where the expectation is recovery rather than a lifetime of disability.
Open Excellence is headquartered in Wilsonville, OR. The preference is for the CEO to be based in the area, though a remote work arrangement may be an option for the right candidate. Open Excellence does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation or military status.
Non-Profit Recruiters
The Moran Company, based in Leawood, KS, specializes in searches for non-profit leadership, including executive directors, fundraising/development directors, hospital foundation directors and other senior executives. Some of the Moran Company’s current searches include: executive director of Cultural Survival, executive director of Mount Nittany Health Foundation and executive director of TNC Community.
The Decade Ahead for Non-Profits: Great Pressure, Transformation and Big Impact on Talent
It’s the turn of a new decade, and several social, technological, economic and political forces promise to shape the future of the non-profit sector. Some are already in play–or have been for some time –and are already challenging non-profit organizations.
These ingredients have the potential to fundamentally transform the sector, says James Abruzzo, global non-profit practice leader at DHR International. “A convergence of these factors will alter the landscape, necessitating a major shift in the way non-profit organizations operate,” he said. How talent is sourced and recruited, already a major challenge across the sector, will also undergo a radical shift.
Bill Moran founded the search firm in 1996. He has worked on more than 60 non-profit searches over the past 12 years. He brings a combination to the search sector of having spent another 10 years as senior fundraising staff and 12 years as a fundraising consultant serving more than 100 clients.
Mr. Byers has more than 30 years of fundraising and non-profit experience. Helping non-profits secure the financial resources they need to change the world has been the focus of his career for over 30 years. He brings an understanding of what it takes to succeed in development and the non-profit world to The Moran Company’s executive search team. During Mr. Byers’ 18-year tenure at Children’s Mercy Hospital and Clinics, the hospital raised over $200 million, including more than $125 million in capital campaigns.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media