The Registry: Transforming Higher Education with Deeply Experienced Interim HR Leaders
December 10, 2024 – The need for HR transformations, a new report finds, is driving a dramatic rise in the number of interim CHROs being asked to provide strategic leadership in times of change. In just the first half of 2024, demand for interim CHROs matched the entire year of 2023, according to Heidrick & Struggles’ latest Fortune 1000 CHRO Trends data. The report was for all industries, and higher education is seeing the same trend. Universities increasingly have recognized the strategic importance of HR in addressing immediate and long-term challenges such as labor disputes, faculty/staff engagement, and institutional restructuring.
Interim CHROs bring specialized expertise to tackle these complex issues while institutions seek permanent leaders. The organizational upheavals of the pandemic era highlighted gaps in organizational culture, equity, efficiency and effectiveness of business processes. Many interim CHROs were brought in to stabilize workplace dynamics and elevate the functioning and impact of HR policies and processes.
Rosa Morris, global market lead, education at ZRG confirms: “At The Registry, we continue to see high demand for experienced CHROs who can serve as strategic partners to presidents and chancellors before passing the baton to a permanent leader.”
Amy Lauren Miller, president and COO of The Registry emphasized: “External interim HR leadership can be critical for institutions facing transitions, crises, or growth challenges. Our interim leaders not only manage daily HR operations but also help to design HR strategies with the institution’s long-term goals to improve overall organizational performance.”
Supporting Campus Communities
The Registry, a Peabody, MA-based interim executive solution, recently helped find interim HR leaders for a handful of leading schools including Rice University and the University of California. In September, The Registry recruited Cynthia Pepper as a member of The Registry and then placed her at Rice University as the interim associate vice president, human resources and CHRO. She has deep experience in change management and HR program development, working both in-house and as a consultant. “With her skills and expertise, Cynthia is the perfect candidate for this position, and we look forward to hearing about her many accomplishments,” The Registry said.
“My current role is a temporary assignment as interim CHRO, with my primary responsibilities focused on how I can help the HR team provide the best possible support for the campus community,” Ms. Pepper said. “I have spent my time engaging leaders across campus to understand their perspectives and challenges and bring those back to the HR team so we can address their needs.”
The Registry also recently assisted Rice with the placement of Beth Beam to the position of interim people and culture consultant. “Ms. Beam will be vital in advancing the university’s efforts to enhance employee engagement, diversity, and inclusion and we are confident that she will excel,” The Registry said.
With extensive experience in human resources and organizational development, Ms. Beam is a strategic and transformational leader. She formerly served as assistant vice chancellor and CHRO at University of Washington Bothell. Ms. Beam is the founder of Lillian-Lucas, where she provides leadership coaching and consultation to corporate, non-profit, and public sector organizations to accelerate leadership capabilities and employee engagement.
A New Trend in American Higher Ed
Additionally, Patricia L. Hardaway was placed at the University of California, Office of the President as interim chief human resources officer. “Patricia’s wealth of knowledge and experience in both academic and large institutions is a valuable asset to our organization,” said Thera Kalmijn, executive director, University of California, Office of the President, operations.
With 25 years of experience at well-respected research universities and liberal arts colleges, Ms. Hardaway has a deep understanding of higher education. She served as president and provost of Wilberforce University and has held leadership roles at University Of Pittsburgh, Rutgers University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Chatham College.
Since 1992, The Registry recorded more than 1,200 placements at over 500 institutions of all types. “The Registry has placed more senior interim leaders on campuses across the nation than any other organization during the past three decades,” said Larry Hartmann, CEO of ZRG, the firm that acquired The Registry in 2023. “The firm initiated and accelerated a new trend in American higher education: the utilization of outside interim presidents.”
As a membership-based organization, The Registry preempts the need for expensive, time-consuming and potentially disruptive open-market interim searches. It is now considered the gold standard for interim placement across the higher education space.
Some of The Registry’s recent placements also include Jacqueline Stepherson as interim VP of HR at University of Louisville; Marshall Parks as interim AVP for HR at New Mexico State University; Mark Liebling as interim AVP for HR (people & culture) at Ball State University; and Karna Kurtz as interim chief HR Officer at St. Charles Community College.
A Recent Discussion
Larry Lewellen is a senior consultant for The Registry, serving interim leadership engagements in higher education. His interests are in the development and execution of human resources strategies tied to business objectives, culture and leadership development; and optimization of the human resources structure, function, talent and connections for higher education. Mr. Lewellen is currently a senior consultant and member of The Registry, and human resources consulting practice leader for the firm.
Related: A Look at the Trends Impacting Executive Search Today
Mr. Lewellen’s recent assignments as a Registry interim chief HR officer include Connecticut College, St Petersburg College, Brandeis University, and University of Maine. Some of his key accomplishments include reorganizing systems/structure/staffing of HR, elevating the status and services of the office, integrating across the institution, and recruiting talented CHRO members to The Registry.
Mr. Lewellen recently sat down with Hunt Scanlon Media to discuss the importance of external interim CHROs for leading universities.
Larry, what specific qualities and experiences do you believe are most critical for a successful CHRO in a university setting?
We require that CHRO members have at least five years as the lead HR executive in higher education or similar environments. The most successful members have a broad range of exposure and experience in order to bring a wealth of ideas and solutions. Being conversant with current and emerging best practices for HR and how those may align with different institutional archetypes (public, private, research, teaching, community college, stand-alone, system, etc.) is critical.
What about CHROs on an interim basis, what are the key differences?
For an interim assignment, CHROs assess the critical issues, important cultural factors, points of influence and constituency concerns/aspirations on a fast track. These executives must quickly gain trust of the HR staff and establish collaborative relationships with other departments as well as act as servant leaders (focus on serving others, mentoring and building capacity of others). They must bring productive ideas to the table for service improvements and strategies and promote the good ideas of others. In addition, they are often having to establish a plan for delivering on the institutional priorities, leading the plan and inspiring others to contribute in visible roles (building capacity for continuity).
Can you describe your approach to sourcing candidates?
Our primary pipeline is through the strength and depth of our brand across higher education—inspiring leaders to nominate potential members and inspiring CHROs to join our legacy. We also are visible at conferences, distribute marketing materials and are very active in social media. Once we have a nomination or a potential member interest, we conduct an organized in-depth engagement and vetting process to assess leadership fit, experience and capabilities, and alignment with the Registry’s model of service.
How do you assess a candidate’s alignment with the unique culture and values of a university on a quick timeline?
Our members have decades of experience and can generally assess the culture and DNA of an institution and lead accordingly, as a servant leader. We also arrange interviews or discussions among member candidates and institutions so that the institution can assess the fit and alignment. We will certainly advise, but feel it is extremely important for the institution to be the decision-maker regarding alignment and capabilities.
“Our members have decades of experience and can generally assess the culture and DNA of an institution and lead accordingly, as a servant leader.”
What challenges do you typically encounter when placing CHROs for higher education institutions, and how do you overcome them?
We don’t really encounter challenges with the placement process, as we work with the institution in advance to determine their priorities and the outcomes desired. We then share that key information with available Registry CHRO members, and interested members step forward to be considered. There is almost always a good mutual fit among the institution and one or more of our members, providing a strong mutual foundation for success. The only real challenge is maintaining sufficient CHRO membership to serve all the institutions who approach us. We rarely fail to find a solution, but the demand continues to increase. We are actively recruiting CHRO members for this very reason—please contact us or refer a potential member to us at any time. We’ll gladly explain our structure, processes and timelines to anyone interested.
Can you provide examples of successful placements you’ve made in similar roles, and what factors contributed to their success?
We have had hundreds of successful interim CHRO placements with an extremely high rate of deep appreciation—more than satisfaction—for our service. Our members are significantly experienced and trained to deliver the Registry brand of leadership. The best way to see examples is on our website, and on LinkedIn, where we constantly announce assignments and provide testimonials from institutional leaders and from our members.
Related: A Look at Executive Search in 2025
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
