Winner Partners Selected by the Greater Topeka Partnership to Lead CEO Search
April 21, 2025 – The Greater Topeka Partnership (GTP) has selected Winner Partners to lead in its search for a new CEO. The CEO search will be guided by a search committee led by JuliAnn Mazachek, president of Washburn University and a longtime champion of regional economic development.
Dr. Mazachek will work closely with Winner Partners to evaluate internal and external candidates and identify the best leader to continue building the Topeka community. “We are fortunate to have exceptional internal talent and will be attracting some of the best in the industry through this national search,” Dr. Mazachek said. “The community can be confident that the candidate ultimately selected will be the one best positioned to sustain and elevate the transformational progress our region has achieved.”
While the search is underway, Stephanie Moran, senior vice president of innovation and entrepreneurship at the Greater Topeka Partnership, will serve as interim CEO in an administrative capacity. Ms. Moran brings a wealth of executive experience to the role, including her time as president and general manager of Nutri-Shield Preservative and 18 years of leadership with Payless ShoeSource.
“We are deeply grateful for Stephanie’s willingness to step into this interim role,” said Dr. Mazachek. “Her steady leadership will ensure day-to-day operations continue seamlessly as we conduct this important search.”
The search is now active and expected to conclude with an announcement of the new CEO in July 2025.
The Greater Topeka Partnership serves as an umbrella agency including nine distinct efforts that support the enhancement of economic development and quality of life in Topeka & Shawnee County. In addition to the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Topeka, Inc., GO Topeka and Visit Topeka, the entities involved are 712 Innovations, Entrepreneurial and Minority Business Development (a GO Topeka program), Heartland Visioning, Forge and Momentum 2022, the community’s holistic economic development-focused strategic plan.
Experienced Recruiters
Former DHR International recruiters Tina Winner and Steven Oberhoffer launched in 2018 Winner Partners in St. Petersburg, FL. Ms. Winner has experience in the fields of human resources, information technology, finance, accounting, engineering, operations, sales and marketing, and supply chain. Her practice includes executing searches for clients in the areas of industrial manufacturing, heavy equipment manufacturers (construction/mining), oil & gas/energy, financial/professional services, private equity, consumer packaged goods, life sciences/medical devices, distribution, automotive, aerospace, construction, education, non-profit and retail.
Related: The Evolution of Executive Recruiting in the Age of AI
Most recently, Ms. Winner served as executive vice president for Jobplex Inc., a DHR Global company, based in Pittsburgh, PA. Before that, she was with Boyden World Corp., where she co-led the creation of Boyden Interim Management, a temporary manager/executive-level contract labor practice. Concurrently, Ms. Winner built a nationwide database of over 2,000 senior leaders in various competencies and developed numerous best-in-class resource tools for Boyden North America. Previously, she served as a project manager for investment advisory firm Legend Financial Advisors.
With 18 years of recruiting experience, Mr. Oberhoffer has built a reputation for having a strong commitment to every search assignment and client relationship. He said he firmly believes in being honest and upfront with both clients and candidates in order to place the right person with the right opportunity. His functional experience includes: sales and marketing, strategy, operations, R&D, human resources, engineering and logistics and supply chain. Mr. Oberhoffer’s consumer goods experience ranges from well-known multinational fortune 500 companies, private equity backed turnarounds too small to medium sized private and family owned operations. Although his focus is consumer goods, specifically food and beverage, he has also completed assignments in renewable energy, architecture engineering and construction, manufacturing, private equity and real estate across many functions and roles.
Mr. Oberhoffer previously served as partner for Jobplex. Prior to that, he was a vice president with Miller Resource Group, a boutique search firm. Earlier in his career he gained search experience with RSMR Inc., Cook Associates and Worldwide Express.
Related: How Search Firms Are Positioning for a 2025 Rebound
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
