' . ' Skip to content
Lindauer
  • Searches
    • Open Searches
    • Recent Searches and Placements
  • Our Services
    • Executive Search
      • Search Principles
      • Search Process
    • CEO Search
    • By Sector
      • Advocacy + Public Policy
      • Arts + Culture
      • Community Impact
      • Conservation + Environment
      • Faith-Based
      • Healthcare + Academic Medicine
      • Higher Education
      • K-12 Education
      • Science + Research
      • Youth Development
    • By Function
      • Executive Leadership
      • Alumni + Constituent Engagement
      • Analytics, Data Science + Advancement Services
      • Diversity, Equity + Inclusion
      • Finance + Operations
      • Fundraising + Advancement
      • Human Resources
      • Marketing + Communications
  • For Candidates
    • Open Searches
    • Resources
  • About
    • Our History
    • Our Team
    • Our Principles
    • Privacy Policy
  • Insights
  • Contact
Contact
Previous Next

Vice Chancellor, Advancement

Home » Searches » Open Searches
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School

Vice Chancellor, Advancement

University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School

Onsite Worcester, Massachusetts
Apply Now Leadership Profile

The University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (UMass Chan) is one of the nation’s premier public academic medical centers and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ only public medical school. Recognized for excellence in education, research, clinical innovation, and public service, UMass Chan has built a national reputation for advancing scientific discovery while improving the health of communities across Massachusetts and beyond.

UMass Chan enters this search during a period of extraordinary momentum. Under the leadership of newly appointed Chancellor Dr. David D. McManus, the institution is building upon decades of transformative growth while positioning itself for an ambitious future. With approximately $350 million in annual research expenditures, more than $1.7 billion in NIH funding over the past decade, groundbreaking discoveries in gene therapy and digital medicine, and an expanding philanthropic landscape, UMass Chan is uniquely positioned to accelerate its mission through strategic advancement leadership.

The Opportunity

The Vice Chancellor for Advancement joins UMass Chan at a defining moment in the institution’s evolution.

Reporting directly to the Chancellor and serving on the Executive Management Council, this leader will shape and execute a bold vision for philanthropy that advances UMass Chan’s mission while building an advancement enterprise capable of supporting the institution’s long-term ambitions. Leading a talented team, the Vice Chancellor will oversee every aspect of advancement, including comprehensive fundraising, alumni engagement, donor relations, campaign strategy, corporate and foundation partnerships, advancement operations, and stewardship.

Beyond leading fundraising efforts, this role offers the opportunity to build organizational capacity, cultivate a culture where philanthropy is embraced as a strategic driver of institutional priorities, and expand UMass Chan’s philanthropic reach nationally and internationally.

For an entrepreneurial advancement leader who thrives on building high-performing organizations, opening new philanthropic pathways, and helping exceptional institutions realize their full potential, UMass Chan offers an extraordinary platform for lasting impact.

The salary range for this role is $350,000 to $400,000.

University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School

The Lindauer Team Leading This Search

Contact Us Directly

Adele Mezher

Adele Mezher

Senior Vice President and Managing Director
Emily Horsford

Emily Horsford

Senior Associate
Esmina Perdiew

Esmina Perdiew

Search Consultant
Jiberly Sandoval

Jiberly Sandoval

Research Consultant

    Apply Now

    To apply for this position, complete this form and upload your resume. Your information will be kept confidential.








    Still Looking?

    Sign up to learn about future opportunities.

        Make a nomination



        By admin|2026-09-23T21:28:19-04:00July 31, 2026|Comments Off on Vice Chancellor, Advancement

        Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

        FacebookXBlueskyRedditLinkedInWhatsAppTelegramTumblrXingEmailCopy Link

        About the Author: admin

        Lindauer: Bringing the Future into Focus
        • Searches
        • Our Services
        • For Candidates
        • About
        • Insights
        Contact
        ©1997–2026 Lois L. Lindauer Searches, LLC | Site Map
        Page load link

        Lindauer was thrilled to welcome Adele Mezher and the rest of the Pearl Street team to the Lindauer family in 2025.

        Adele brings to her clients and candidates over three decades of experience in the executive search industry and a track record of successfully completing hundreds of searches across industries, sectors, missions, and functions. She manages a full portfolio of executive search and talent strategy engagements and has introduced new, market‑responsive service offerings and partnership models that keep clients closely supported through search, transition, and culture change. Her clients span global university systems and independent schools to academic medical centers, research institutions, foundations and grantmaking organizations, federated organizations, and nonprofits at pivotal inflection points.

        As Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Pearl Street, Adele leads Pearl Street’s search enterprise, scaling a boutique platform to deliver outsized performance. Now as Senior Vice President and Managing Director with Lindauer, she ensures clients benefit from the combined research capabilities, talent networks, and executive search services that Lindauer and Pearl Street bring to the nonprofit sector.

        The first half of Adele’s career was spent implementing strategies for media relations, new market entry, and practice expansion as head of Marketing for multiple Top 10 for-profit search firms and an international search and M&A advisory firm. She also carried a portfolio of CEO and VP-level searches for Fortune 500 and venture/private-equity backed technology and manufacturing clients. Responding to her own mission drive, she found herself transitioning to the nonprofit sector, where she has spent the last 15-plus years building an expertise in CEO and advancement and development searches.

        Adele’s hallmark is a hands-on model. She personally recruits on her client engagements so that she can directly take their opportunity to market and guide conversations with candidates who value her career counsel. A student of human behavior, she directs the search process with highly developed instincts, emotional intelligence, and expert pacing. Her sincere interest in people means that she engages with openness and a natural warmth that builds confidence among hiring teams and talent alike.

        Her interest in advancing mission driven work was borne of her own family’s search for a better life. As a child, they fled civil war in the Middle East to settle north of Boston, in a vibrant community known for its culturally diverse population as well as its poverty rate and the barriers to success that creates. Those life experiences created within her a drive to advocate for access to opportunity. Of the 100 searches that she completed in the last five years, more than 40% of her placements represented leaders who were underrecognized in their prior roles.

        In addition to advancing access through her daily work, she finds significant opportunity in her volunteer roles as an academic mentor with SquashBusters Lawrence and advisory board member to Aaron’s Presents. The proud daughter of schoolteachers, Adele is an Instructor for Boston University’s Certificate in Fundraising Program. Occasionally you’ll see her pinch-hitting as a substitute teacher at her high school alma mater, the Greater Lawrence Technical School, where the teenagers give her the education. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, BoardSource, SHRM, and Women in Development-Boston, and both a member and mentor of Women of Color in Fundraising & Philanthropy.

        A lifelong learner, Adele is often refreshing her language skills or taking a course to satisfy her interests in human resources, sociology, and psychology. During off hours, she can be found literally running after her four-time marathoner husband and picking up shiny trinkets that her beloved rescue cats Vincent and Mia have pushed off tabletops.

        Lindauer was thrilled to welcome Emily Horsford and the rest of the Pearl Street team to the Lindauer family in 2025.

        With a 20-year career spanning executive search and philanthropy, Emily is deeply attuned to the needs of mission-driven leaders, and she brings an ability to guide clients and candidates with insight, empathy, and care.

        As Senior Associate with Pearl Street, Emily is an invaluable asset in supporting the firm’s commitment to connecting people with their purpose. Now as a Senior Associate for Lindauer, she ensures clients benefit from the combined research capabilities, talent networks, and executive search services that Lindauer and Pearl Street bring to the nonprofit sector.

        Prior to joining Lindauer and Pearl Street, Emily served as an Executive Recruiter with Isaacson, Miller’s Advancement practice, where she led search and research strategies and identified top talent for an array of mission-driven organizations, including leading colleges and universities, academic medical centers, research institutes, and an array of nonprofits.

        Before transitioning into executive search, Emily built a decade-long career in development, beginning in donor stewardship and annual giving before advancing to major and principal gifts for several prominent Boston-area institutions. She has played a key role in securing transformational funding and engaging influential volunteer leaders in support of mission-driven initiatives.

        Leveraging her expertise in relationship management and a passion for advancing holistic health, Emily also founded and led a workplace wellness consultancy, where she partnered with corporate clients to create supportive and transformative employee programs.

        Emily holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Union College and is a certified Kripalu Yoga Instructor. She is a native of Western Massachusetts and currently resides in the Boston area with her family.

        Lindauer was thrilled to welcome Esmina Perdiew and the rest of the Pearl Street team to the Lindauer family in 2025.

        Esmina brings unparalleled project management and relationship-building skills to every client engagement. As a Search Consultant with Pearl Street, she executes tailored recruiting outreach to quickly attract talent for clients across nonprofit sectors, with a focus on higher education. Now as a Search Consultant with Lindauer, she helps ensure clients benefit from the combined research capabilities, talent networks, and executive search services that Lindauer and Pearl Street bring to the nonprofit sector.

        Given her entrepreneurial nature, Esmina has been instrumental in the successful launch of several boutique firms during more than 25 years in the executive search industry. Her accomplishments include building and leading a team of account managers and researchers serving corporate clients in the consumer products, chemical, energy, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and professional services industries; and creating and deploying high-volume hiring initiatives for Fortune 500 clients.

        She received her bachelor’s in English from Loyola University. Originally from Montenegro, Esmina is fluent in Serbo-Croatian and lives with her family in a Chicago suburb.

        Lindauer was thrilled to welcome Jiberly Sandoval and the rest of the Pearl Street team to the Lindauer family in 2025.

        Jiberly is an experienced researcher with a passion for working on bold, unique projects that improve lives and help communities thrive. As a Research Consultant with Pearl Street, Jiberly conducts strategic research, provides market intelligence and analysis, and identifies prospects for Pearl Street searches. Now as a Research Consultant for Lindauer, she helps ensures clients benefit from the combined research capabilities, talent networks, and executive search services that Lindauer and Pearl Street bring to the nonprofit sector.

        Prior to joining Lindauer and Pearl Street, Jiberly was a Research Associate with The Bowdoin Group, an executive search firm focused on the digital healthcare, fintech, and technology markets. In her role on the research team, she supported both executive searches and recruitment process outsourcing for client companies.

        A rising star at Dickinson College, she earned her BA in Educational Studies and was appointed a Presidential Fellow. She spent three years as Dickinson’s Library Services Supervisor where she meticulously processed, classified, and organized library collections, and a term as Houses & Apartment Manager, upholding the mission of Residence Life & Housing in building a strong sense of community and belonging.

        Jiberly was appointed the Inaugural President of the Lawrence Alumni Committee and serves as a member of the Board of Directors for SquashBusters Lawrence, a sports-based youth development program with operations in Boston, Lawrence, and Providence. She also took responsibility as a Writing Leader with Andover Bread Loaf, a nonprofit promoting literacy and educational revitalization through the lens of social justice in the most under-resourced communities and school systems around the world. Writing Leaders are powerful educators and community activists, inspiring others to love writing and to use it as a form of self-expression and community transformation.

        Lindauer was thrilled to welcome Shari Berenson and the rest of the Pearl Street team to the Lindauer family in 2025.

        Shari is a highly accomplished search professional with experience in search operations and executive support. Skilled at project management, fostering long-standing relationships, and ensuring operational excellence, she brings broad exposure to healthcare, higher education and a diverse range of for-profit industries as well as deep expertise in executive search to her work.

        At Pearl Street, she oversees the continuum of search operations and attentively cared for clients and candidates along the way. Now as a Senior Search Administrator at Lindauer, Shari ensures clients benefit from the combined research capabilities, talent networks, and executive search services that Lindauer and Pearl Street bring to the nonprofit sector.

        Prior to Lindauer and Pearl Street, Shari served as Director of Sales & Business Operations at Kirby Bates Associates, a leader in healthcare staffing, where she directed administrative activities for the executive search business inclusive of business development, contract development, and search operations. Recognized as a critical asset to the organization, her leadership extended to overseeing aspects of recruitment, training, and the supervision of the search operations team, while working closely with senior leadership to support strategic initiatives.

        Over the course of her career, Shari has held operational and administrative positions with several leading executive search firms, as well as executive assistant roles in healthcare, technology, and higher education. In this work, she managed high-level administrative functions, demanding schedules, and executive communications.

        A commitment to building authentic relationships and fully supporting colleagues, clients, and candidates are the driving forces that have remained consistent throughout Shari’s career. This dedication to people is not only the cornerstone of her success but also the reason she loves her work so deeply. Helping others succeed brings her fulfillment and inspiration. Whether guiding senior leaders through complex searches or mentoring a team, Shari thrives on creating genuine bonds and making a positive impact.

        Featured Insights

        Go to Top