WittKieffer Continues to Expand Education Practice
December 17, 2019 – Executive search firm WittKieffer has expanded with the addition of former Stony Brook University vice president Greg Duyck as a principal in its education practice. He brings great depth of expertise to his role, drawing upon two decades of experience in fundraising and executive search in higher education.
“We are very excited to bring Greg’s energy and success in executive recruitment to WittKieffer,” said Zachary Smith, managing partner of WittKieffer’s education practice. “His administrative experience with colleges and universities as well as a broad mix of other organizations gives him unique insight into today’s executive talent challenges. He will serve the evolving needs of our clients well and be an integral part of our expanding consulting team.”
Based in North Carolina, Mr. Duyck will serve WittKieffer client institutions looking to identify solutions for their ongoing leadership challenges. “His creative and entrepreneurial approach to advising leading colleges and universities will support their ability to grow their executive teams to meet strategic business and talent management goals,” WittKieffer said.
Mr. Duyck’s direct higher education experience includes serving as a senior associate vice president at Stony Brook University, where he oversaw a team of more than 30 people, led development efforts for 11 schools and accounted for more than $70 million in fundraising. Prior to that, he served as vice president for development at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, where he helped achieve the institution’s $600 million fundraising goal as part of UNC’s $2.4 billion “Carolina First” campaign. Prior to his 10-year tenure at UNC, he held leadership positions at Oregon Health and Sciences University and the Rhode Island Foundation. Mr. Duyck has also spent time with Aspen Leadership Group, where he conducted searches for philanthropy executives at organizations in higher education and healthcare. He was instrumental in creating a strong business development pipeline and developing strong relationships with clients across industries.
WittKieffer, based in Oak Brook, IL, assists hospitals, health systems, academic medical centers, medical schools and physician groups; biotech, pharmaceutical, diagnostics and medical device companies; colleges and universities and not-for-profit community service and cultural organizations with senior administrative recruiting assignments. With more than 100 search professionals nationwide, its consultants recruit CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CNOs, physician executives and other leaders.
Witt/ Kieffer Named to Hunt Scanlon Top 50 Roster
Witt/ Kieffer was recognized as one of the leading academic search specialists on Hunt Scanlon Media’s “Top 50 Non-Profit/Higher Education Search Firms” list. It is the first-ever roundup of leading recruiters across both sectors. Check out these top 50 trailblazers.
| Top 50 |
WittKieffer’s education recruitment team identifies higher education and college preparatory school leaders who understand complex issues facing both public and private institutions: resource constraints, shifting national policy and increased scrutiny by boards, faculty, students and families. The education roles it recruits include presidents, provosts, deans, and officers for business and finance, advancement and development, student affairs, enrollment, IT and more.
Growing Higher Education Practice
Mr. Duyck’s addition to WittKieffer’s consulting team demonstrates the firm’s continued commitment to building a deep roster of strategic experts within higher education. In October, the firm added former athletic director Jeff Compher as a principal in its education practice, where he heads recruitment for directors of athletics, coaches and other college sports leaders. Mr. Compher has unique insight into college athletics and the types of individuals who thrive in leadership roles. He brings to the position over 25 years of experience at leading colleges and universities, having served director of athletics for East Carolina University, Northern Illinois University, and Western Carolina University
“Jeff is a highly respected figure in college sports,” said Mr. Smith. “He has always emphasized building a student-athlete experience that complements an institution’s educational mission, a perspective that will be invaluable to WittKieffer clients looking for progressive athletic leadership. We are thrilled he’s joining our firm and look forward to working with him to cultivate exceptional candidates for our clients.”
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
