The New York Society for Ethical Culture Taps Development Guild DDI to Find New Leader

April 24, 2024 – Non-profit specialist recruitment firm Development Guild DDI has been retained by the New York Society for Ethical Culture (the Society) to lead in its search for a new executive director. Senior vice president and principal Tracy Marshall is leading the assignment. Reporting to the Society’s board of trustees and working in close collaboration with clergy leaders and highly engaged volunteers, the executive director will utilize their business acumen and exceptional relationship, program, and project management skills to oversee the day-to-day operations for the Society.
Development Guild DDI is looking for candidates with a minimum of 10 years of experience managing complex projects, operations, facilities, staff, volunteers, and external relationships in a multi-layered organization. Candidates should have outstanding interpersonal skills and the ability to create buy-in and enthusiasm for the work; collegial, collaborative, and diplomatic nature; ability to develop productive relationships with members and leadership, vendors, partner organizations, and others who contribute to the effective and efficient functioning of the Society.
Those applying for this role should have demonstrated skills in planning, organizing, integrating information, problem-solving, making decisions, and attaining results. It is also important to have experience developing effective service-level agreements with vendors and contractors that provide a variety of services in aged-building property for a variety of services including cleaning, rentals and programming, security, and general contractors. Proven ability to design, build, and resource a team; coach, develop, and guide team members; conduct talent assessments; manage conflict; and resolve problems to ensure optimal outcomes for objectives and priorities is also a plus.
Founded in 1876 by philosopher and educator Dr. Felix Adler, the New York Society for Ethical Culture is a non-theistic, humanist community dedicated to ethical relationships, social justice, and democracy. The organization has hosted dialogues, events, and lectures on issues of war, social policy, and human rights featuring speakers like Al Gore, Paul Krugman, Cornell West, Naomi Klein, Toni Morrison, and many others throughout its history.
Non-Profit Specialists
Development Guild DDI, which has offices in New York and Boston, was founded in 1978. The firm helps clients align leadership around a strategic vision with its planning, executive search and fundraising services. The firm works with non-profits nationwide, partnering with leaders in academic medicine, higher education, arts and culture, human services and others.
Development Guild’s clients, which number more than 500, have included: Boston Children’s Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Holocaust Memorial Museum, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Nature Conservancy, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, College of the Holy Cross, Partners in Health, University of Rhode Island Foundation, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the American Cancer Society.
President William Weber, who co-founded the firm with Suzanne Weber in 1978, has focused his career on the convergence of strategic planning, philanthropy and leadership development, as well as the transformational impact it can have on an institution. His many clients have included: Boston University, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Johns Hopkins Medicine, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Mount Sinai Health System, National Coast Guard Museum Association, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Year Up.
Ms. Marshall has worked with a wide range of clients, including Boston Children’s Hospital Trust, Cape Cod Healthcare Foundation, Emily Dickinson Museum, The Fenn School, French Cultural Center, The Home for Little Wanderers, Kents Hill School, The League School, Mount Sinai Health System, Olin College of Engineering, St. John’s Prep, St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation, University of Rhode Island Foundation, and Woodwell Climate Research Center. Ms. Marshall rejoined Development Guild DDI in 2011 after serving for seven years as the director of philanthropy at Faulkner Hospital. Her career has also included positions at the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, Dana Hall School in Wellesley, MA, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C.
Related: Development Guild DDI Seeks Executive Director for Fuller Craft Museum
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor; Lily Fauver, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media