WittKieffer Elects New Chair
October 15, 2026 – Oak Brook, IL-based WittKieffer has elected Angelique David as chair of its board of directors, succeeding L. Thomas Richards, who completed a distinguished tenure as board chair and concluded more than a decade of service on the firm’s board. “We are honored to have Angelique David serve as board chair for WittKieffer,” said Andrew P. Chastain, WittKieffer president and CEO. “As an independent board member, she has demonstrated passion for our mission, offered strategic insights, and challenged us to evolve and consider new ways of serving clients. She will play a pivotal role in stewarding our future.”
Ms. David comes to the position after serving as an independent member of WittKieffer’s board since 2022 and brings deep expertise in leadership, talent strategy, finance, governance, and organizational transformation. As board chair, she will help guide the firm’s strategic direction and continued commitment to serving clients across healthcare, higher education, life sciences, and the not-for-profit sector.
“Serving on WittKieffer’s board has been both professionally rewarding and personally meaningful,” said. Ms. David. “I care deeply about the sectors the firm supports and the ways it strengthens the quality of life for individuals, organizations, and communities. What sets WittKieffer apart are its people, its depth of expertise, and its reputation as a true leader in executive search, advisory services, and interim leadership. It embraces change and I look forward to helping guide its continued evolution.”
As board chair, Ms. David will work closely with the board and firm leadership to support WittKieffer’s continued growth, strengthen its market leadership, and advance its mission of identifying and developing impactful leaders.
Ms. David currently serves as executive managing director, chief operating officer, and general counsel for Ziegler, a Chicago-based private investment bank. For Ziegler, she oversees all of the day-to-day functions of the business, which include: legal, compliance, IT, human resources, marketing, accounting, research, and office services. In this role, Ms. David is responsible for all human capital, ethics, compliance, cybersecurity programs, diversity and inclusion, legal and regulatory affairs as well as all corporate governance and brand identity activities. She also serves as a director on Ziegler’s board of directors, a member of its executive committee, and chair of its operating committee and diversity, equity, and inclusion committee.
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Earlier in her career, Ms. David practiced law at Locke Lord Bissell and Liddell, LLP, specializing in investment management and banking, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and general corporate law. She is a recognized leader in the securities industry and legal community.
New Board Member
In addition, WittKieffer also announced that senior partner Amy Crutchfield was selected to serve on the board of directors, while senior partners Rachel Polhemus and Tom Quinn have completed influential tenures as board members. Ms. Crutchfield serves on WittKieffer’s firm-wide quality committee. To date, she has participated in hundreds of successful search assignments for presidents, provosts, deans, and leaders in other administrative units such as advancement, enrollment management, finance, and student affairs. Ms. Crutchfield supports engagements for national research universities, comprehensive universities, and liberal arts colleges.
Scaling Growth Through Transformative Talent
High-growth environments can compress time, magnify decisions, and expose leadership gaps in an instant. As companies move through periods of rapid expansion, the ability to build and evolve the right leadership team becomes increasingly critical to sustaining momentum and creating long-term value. Across private equity, venture capital, and technology-driven businesses, organizations are rethinking how they assess executive talent, strengthen leadership benches, and prepare teams for the demands of the next stage of growth. From founder-led recruiting and executive assessment to AI-enabled talent intelligence, cybersecurity leadership, and organizational design, the focus is shifting toward more deliberate, data-informed decisions about the people ultimately responsible for scaling the enterprise.
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WittKieffer 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.
As president and CEO of WittKieffer, Mr. Chastain is responsible for charting the firm’s strategic trajectory while ensuring excellence and exceptional service for the firm’s clients. He brings over 20 years of leadership experience to the firm and continues to play a key role in select, high-profile search assignments. His search assignments include identifying C-suite and executive leaders in healthcare, including children’s hospitals, integrated health systems, academic medical centers, research institutes, consulting firms, and other health related industries. Mr. Chastain has also conducted searches on behalf of colleges, universities, community associations, and cultural institutions.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
