Meet the Lindauer Team

Deb Taft, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Owner, leads Lindauer with over 25 years of executive and senior-level experience across the nonprofit sector, from education to healthcare/academic medicine to the youth service and voluntary sectors. Her considerable expertise includes governance, strategic planning, fundraising, program and staff management, strategic marketing, analytics, and constituent engagement, as well as talent recruitment, retention, and development.

Taft was previously Senior Executive Vice President and Managing Director for Grenzebach Glier and Associates (GG+A), headquartered in Chicago and one of the world’s leading philanthropic consultancies. She led the firm day-to-day and oversaw all domestic and global consulting practices. She was also Interim Chief Financial Officer, Practice Area Leader for Analytics, and drove consultant recruitment, training, and resource utilization efforts.

Taft also served as Chief Development Officer and Interim Chief Strategy Officer for Girl Scouts of the USA, based in New York. As one of the most senior officers in this iconic leadership organization representing girls in 112 US councils and 94 countries, she played a critical role in transforming organizational talent, culture, and social impact. She led the hiring and onboarding of a new national Executive Team and the $1 billion ToGetHerThere campaign, the largest fundraising campaign for girls in the world. She was also Executive Sponsor for the global alumnae initiative to acquire and engage 50 million former Girl Scouts. Her work at Girl Scouts is representative of the lasting impact she has made on numerous leading nonprofits in the education, healthcare, and youth service arenas.

Taft held prior executive and senior development roles at Simmons University, Tufts Medical Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, and Concord Academy. She was one of the founding team members of City Year, which today has youth service teams in more than 31 regions across the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa.

Taft is Board Chair for Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, Chair Elect of The Giving Institute, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation in Washington, DC, having formerly served as its Chair. Taft also serves ex-officio on the Board of Trustees for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), where she chairs its Industry Advisory Council (IAC) representing Educational Partners and leads the Board’s Task Force on Educational Programs.

A recognized speaker, facilitator, and presenter, her honors include being a recipient of the CASE Crystal Apple for excellence in teaching and recognition as a 2021 member of the YW Boston Academy of Women Achievers and a 2019 Leading Woman of Massachusetts by Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts. Taft holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and an MBA from Simmons School of Management.

Megan Abbett brings years of experience in advancement, nonprofit leadership, and executive search across many sectors and multiple professional functions. Respected and trusted across a broad range of regional and national organizations, clients return to and refer her to lead, manage, innovate, and execute searches whether in established, maturing, or emerging contexts.

Just as Megan was adept at matching donors with causes close to their hearts in her nonprofit work, she excels at finding candidates with deep passion for her clients’ missions. Megan began her advancement career with six years at Simmons University in Boston, MA, then known as Simmons College. Her early years leading annual giving allowed her to gain a thorough grounding in development and in the complexities of an urban university with strong undergraduate and graduate programs. From Simmons she moved to her alma mater, Boston College, and later to another part of the nonprofit sector for Facing History and Ourselves, an organization that helps educators and students use history to take action against racism, prejudice, and hate. Her success there led her back to Simmons, where across a seven-year tenure she moved up through management to serve as a senior advancement leader and lead all Communications and Donor Relations. She made the career transition to executive search at Lindauer in 2011.

Just some of Megan’s notable clients at Lindauer include The Aspen Institute, Auburn University, Brown University, Bryn Mawr College, Children’s Hospital Foundation, City of Hope, Columbia University, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dickinson College, Franklin & Marshall College, Grassroot Soccer, Intelligence Squared, Marietta College, Michigan State University, Pratham USA, Room to Read, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the United States Marshals Museum, University of Illinois, University of Kansas Hospital, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, White Plains Hospital, Whitman College, The United States Marshals Museum, and The University of West Virginia. Megan holds a BA in English from Boston College and a Master of Arts in Public Relations and Business Communication from Emerson College.

Cori Anderson is an innovative and creative executive search professional driven by a deep commitment to community engagement and strategic partnerships. With a focus on working with mission-oriented organizations, Cori brings to Lindauer over 14 years of experience in community-building and arts programming within the University of North Carolina system.

Her experience connecting people and fostering understanding through collaborative programming has given her an exceptional ability to recognize and meet the unique needs of a broad range of arts, higher education, advocacy, and healthcare organizations. Cori’s experiences have positioned her to identify top talent, build meaningful connections, and shape organizations to further their missions effectively.

Expertise

Cori’s leadership style is characterized by responsive, reciprocal dialogue; a dedication to mission-oriented work; and the ability to deftly navigate social and organizational dynamics. Driven by a belief in the power of the arts to bring people together, she excels at connecting people and ideas, incorporating multiple perspectives to ensure consensus, and working behind the scenes to guide organizations to talent who will help achieve their goals.

Cori’s expertise spans many dimensions of the nonprofit world, including community engagement and advocacy; higher education; academic medicine; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and arts and culture. Her background includes consulting, community-engaged learning, event programming, grant writing, mentorship, and outreach and marketing.

Experience

Cori’s professional journey has equipped her with a diverse skill set and a deep understanding of the importance of creative thinking, open communication, and cultural responsiveness in client relationships.

Her position as the Associate Director of Cultural Events and Engaged Citizenship at the University of North Carolina, Asheville and her work within the wider Asheville and North Carolina communities involved coordinating faculty and student involvement in arts programming, curricular connections, and community events. Notably, Cori has curated a diverse university performing arts and speaker series, managed sponsorships, facilitated masterclasses, and overseen advertising and promotion across various platforms.

A background in art and photography has deeply influenced Cori’s approach to the recruitment process. Seeing art as a bridge to cultivating authentic relationships, she utilizes a range of creative methods to foster dialogue and understanding. Furthermore, her international work in Central America and involvement in Indigenous programming highlight her expertise in cross-cultural communication and social justice advocacy. Cori’s ability to connect with clients and her unique blend of creative, operational, and interpersonal skills make her an invaluable asset to the talent search process.

Education

Cori Anderson holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art History, Criticism and Conservation from the University of North Carolina, Asheville, and also attended the College of Charleston and Loyola University New Orleans.

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

As Senior Research Consultant, Cenetta draws on her executive search and project management expertise, paired with hands-on nonprofit experience in arts and social justice organizations, to build curated talent universes for Lindauer clients. Combining academic rigor with practical field insights, she creates data-driven strategies and utilizes advanced research tools to champion inclusivity in every engagement, while her commitment to collaboration ensures outstanding results.

Before joining Lindauer, Cenetta served as Senior Research Consultant for Pearl Street. Prior to Pearl Street, she was a Senior Research Associate at Koya Partners, where she supported searches across a range of missions and functions, and worked towards enhanced operational efficiency and authentic constituent engagement.

Prior to her transition into executive search, Cenetta spent ten years in the nonprofit field and excelled in fundraising operations, event planning, grants management, nonprofit compliance, and grassroots advocacy with organizations such as the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Cathedral Arts Project, and the New Georgia Project. These foundational experiences shape her work and deep commitment to the sector.

Cenetta earned a bachelor’s in dance from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a master’s in public administration from Valdosta State University, and a bachelor’s in business administration from Valdosta State University. She also holds certifications in Raiser’s Edge and eTapestry.

As a Senior Consultant at Lindauer, Alexandra Barber brings 10+ years of experience in higher education fundraising, development, and enrollment.

Prior to joining Lindauer, Alex spent three years at UNC Asheville in a variety of roles within University Advancement and the Chancellor’s Office. Most recently as Executive Assistant to the Chancellor and Chief of Staff, Alex worked with the University leadership and the Board of Trustees to carry out major strategic initiatives including a comprehensive fundraising campaign, institutional revitalization plan, and campus master plan. As Assistant Director of Donor Relations, she was charged with thinking creatively to improve stewardship and create long-term, sustainable solutions for Donor Relations. Among the results were the creation of more customized donor experiences, an implementation of the divisions first-ever major donor satisfaction survey, and the creation of a six-month campaign feasibility/readiness study comprised of 20 virtual focus group sessions with 250 donors and community members.

Before her tenure at UNC Asheville, Alex spent five years in Graduate Admissions and Recruitment for the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University, improving the campus visit experience and increasing enrollment across 30+ graduate degree programs through personalized recruitment strategies.

Alex graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from the University of South Florida and has a Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration with a focus in finance and policy from George Washington University.

Taylor Beard brings to Lindauer and its clients several years of philanthropic consulting and project management experience in the non-profit sector.

Prior to joining Lindauer, Taylor was the Assistant Director of Leadership Annual Giving at the University of Chicago Law School where she managed the school’s reunion volunteer committees to foster a culture of engagement and philanthropy and increase annual support from alumni and friends. Taylor also spent several years at Grenzebach Glier and Associates (GG+A), a premier nonprofit philanthropic consulting firm, where she held multiple roles. As Senior Project Manager, Taylor partnered with the firm’s senior leaders to develop and execute client training projects, along with managing the firm’s internal professional development program. She managed upwards of 15 client projects at any given time, ranging in sectors from arts and culture, academic medicine and healthcare, higher education, independent schools, to advocacy.

Throughout her career, Taylor has partnered with a range of clients including American University, Carnegie-Mellon University, Chicago Urban League, Colgate University, Da Vinci Science Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Englewood Health Foundation, Folger Shakespeare Library, Fourth Presbyterian Church, Germantown Friends School, Instituto Technologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Macalester College, Milwaukee Art Museum, Louisiana State University Athletics, National Cathedral School, Oregon Health and Science University Foundation, Pennsylvania State University Athletics, University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Minnesota Foundation, University of New Mexico Foundation, University of the Arctic, Trinity College, and Upper Canada College.

Taylor serves as Co-Chair of the Young Professional Board at Deborah’s Place, a nonprofit that provides housing and supportive services to women experiencing homelessness in Chicago.

Taylor holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The Ohio State University.

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.

Elsa Gomes Bondlow brings to Lindauer and our clients over 20 years of experience, as a connector, relationship builder, social justice activist, and social change strategist. Elsa is a dynamic leader, known for partnering with communities to create positive inclusive transformation.

As a seasoned fundraiser, philanthropist, and donor advisor Elsa thrives by amplifying traditionally underrepresented voices, empowering them to achieve their own aspirations. She is most fulfilled when she is able to lower barriers to access, encourage dreams and increase the pipeline of opportunities for others.

In 2020, Elsa co-founded the trust-based, woman of color-led, Social Equity Access Fund, which focused on providing basic needs while addressing the social determinants of health. This innovative philanthropic project was established to receive and distribute financial support to traditionally underinvested communities, empowering them to overcome barriers to better their own health and wellbeing.

Elsa served most recently as the Vice President of Growth and Partnership Development at Building Impact, a nonprofit transforming corporate volunteering by partnering with other community-based organizations and corporations for codesigned social impact opportunities. She then contributed there as a Strategic Advisor on Partnerships & Equity coordinating working in business development, client engagement, and the DEIB initiatives.

Elsa was the Chief Development Officer at the International Institute of New England, leading the centennial organization’s fundraising efforts on behalf of immigrants and refugees. Before that, she worked as a Major Gift Officer at both the United Way and at Tufts University. Elsa also served as Director of Development at the MA Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition and started her development career at the MA Alliance of Portuguese Speakers, a health and human services organization.

Elsa currently serves as a Board Member and Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Women in Development of Greater Boston. She graduated from the LeadBoston 2021 Cohort at YW Boston, a competitive program that explores the complexity of Boston’s inequities through an inclusive leadership lens. Elsa was recognized as one of Boston’s Most Impactful Black Women of 2020 in the category of Philanthropy and Social Justice, by the prestigious Get Konnected initiative.

Born and raised in Portugal, in a Cape Verdean family, Elsa moved to the US as a student and obtained a Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the Institute for Nonprofit Practice. She holds a BA Degree in Intercultural Studies and Communications from Fresno Pacific University in CA, and a Management Certificate in Health and Human Services from Suffolk University in MA. She is a native Portuguese speaker and speaks fluent Spanish and French.

Alexandra “Alex” Catuara brings a distinctive blend of international giving and a range of nonprofit experience to her executive search work at Lindauer.

As a Senior Consultant, Alex partners with organizations and institutions to think through hiring decisions and draw out the skills and experiences that are essential to the position. This establishes a strong, strategic foundation for implementing search plans that equip her clients and the nonprofit sector at large with outstanding leaders.

As a lifelong learner, Alex most enjoys listening to meaningful career stories and understanding everyone’s distinctive path.

Prior to her work at Lindauer, Alex served as a Senior Consultant with Campbell & Company. Prior to Campbell & Company, she worked in annual giving at Opportunity International, a global nonprofit that creates opportunities for entrepreneurs to build their businesses, for children to go to school, for farmers to feed their communities, and for families to end the cycle of generational poverty.

Alex lives in Chicago. She holds a BA in Spanish and Global Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with a focus in international economic development. She completed her Spanish degree in Barcelona, Spain.

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

Maeve Clifford is a nationally recognized executive search leader. With more than 20 years of blended nonprofit and executive search experience, Maeve is known for uniting rigorous, data-informed practices with a deeply human approach to leadership search and advisory work.

Throughout her career, Maeve has led and advised on executive and C-suite searches, partnering with boards and hiring committees through moments of transition and opportunity. She brings a rare combination of search practitioner, strategist, and advisor—equally comfortable shaping strategy, managing client relationships, and diving into the details of research and assessment. Known for her judgment, steadiness, and curiosity, Maeve approaches each engagement with both rigor and empathy, helping organizations make leadership decisions that last.

As Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Pearl Street, Maeve oversees strategy, marketing, research, and learning & development, aligning the firm’s practices and presence with its values and commitment to excellence in search. 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.

Under Maeve’s leadership, Pearl Street has earned recognition for transparency, inclusion, and measurable results. She has also advanced business intelligence and data analytics initiatives that strengthen client outcomes and accelerat candidate pool development.

Maeve began her career in the nonprofit sector—holding roles at Harvard University, a charter school network, and community-based organizations—where she gained firsthand insight into the leadership qualities that drive mission success. She later played a key role in launching two national executive search firms, where she established and led the research functions, developing the methodologies, tools, and teams that elevated firmwide practices and advanced the discipline of search.

Maeve is active in professional networks that convene leaders across philanthropy, education, and the nonprofit community. A Boston native, she lives with her husband and son outside San Diego. Maeve holds a bachelor’s degree in American History from Wellesley College.

As Senior Project Manager at Lindauer, Jonathan Craven is a critical member of the Business Development Team. Along with producing proposal materials, he works closely with Lindauer’s research, data, and marketing teams to help company leaders coordinate business development activities. Jonathan also helps manage Lindauer’s participation in national and global conferences.

Before joining the Lindauer team, Jonathan worked with many nonprofit organizations in Cleveland, Ohio, and across the country. He was a Grants Accountant Manager for Signature Health, Inc., a federally qualified health center, where he managed a portfolio of over $6 million in contract and grant funds from local, state, and government funders. Jonathan started his career with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, which ranks in the Top 25 Medical Schools nationally. Jonathan oversaw a large portfolio of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, as well as led special program events for national and international audiences.

Jonathan holds his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from John Carroll University.

As Senior Search Administrator and Executive Assistant, Dianne Cullinane acts as the liaison between Lindauer clients, candidates and consultants. She provides high-level strategic coordination and detailed administrative, client service and communications support to facilitate each search, balancing an array of clients and assignments.

Dianne brings over 35 years-experience as an Executive Administrative Assistant, with a decade of those years spent in higher education fundraising. Dianne began her time at Simmons in the President’s Office, working with the Board of Trustees, Corporators and President’s Council. She learned all aspects of fundraising as the Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Advancement at Simmons College while earning her Bachelor’s degree. She also served as Associate Director of Institutional Programs and Special Events in her tenure at Simmons, handling all the strategy, planning and implementation of all institutional events. Known for her high level of organization and relationship-building, she facilitated cross-campus collaboration, helped build external visibility for the university’s brand, and identified opportunities for new events and expanded audience engagement. Before Simmons, Dianne worked at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts supporting the Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations, at Choate Hall & Stewart in the corporate legal arena, and in the Human Resources office of The Ritz-Carlton Boston.

Dianne holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Simmons University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Taking a comprehensive approach tailored to each client’s unique needs, goals, and aspirations, Paula Fazli is nationally recognized for high-touch service that guides organizations through leadership transitions and positions them for sustainable success.

Paula’s nuanced understanding of organizational dynamics is grounded in her cross-disciplinary search expertise, which includes human resources, finance, academic affairs, student affairs, public safety, enrollment management, research administration, institutional planning, and equity and belonging. Throughout her respected career in executive search, Paula has partnered with public and private research universities, private liberal arts colleges, arts and culture organizations, and nonprofits to navigate periods of change and bring in leaders who shape generations of nonprofit professionals.

Expertise

Known for her strategic insight and deep understanding of organizational dynamics, Paula identifies not only the most qualified candidates but also those whose values, aspirations, and leadership styles align with her clients’ visions. Her expertise lies in her ability to see the potential for unexpected alignments between candidates and organizations.

Curiosity and a commitment to lifelong learning have kept Paula at the forefront of industry trends. To serve as a trusted advisor during times of transition, Paula continuously expands her knowledge base and adapts her methodologies to meet evolving client needs.

In her 30 years in executive search, Paula has worked with a wide range of clients, such as: Harvard University, Columbia University, Stanford University, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, UCLA, Florida State University, MIT, Berklee College of Music, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, Beloit College, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, the New School, Moore College of Art & Design, MassArt, Massachusetts Historical Society, and the POD Network, among many others.

Experience

Prior to joining Lindauer, Paula co-founded Sage Search Partners in 1999, where she co-led the firm for over 25 years. Under her guidance, Sage Search conducted searches for leading colleges, education-related nonprofits, and renowned music and art conservatories. Her tenure at Sage Search was marked by her unwavering commitment to client satisfaction and her skill at addressing questions of search strategy, candidate assessment, and inclusive search practices.

Paula also served as Vice President at Auerbach Associates, where she was responsible for spearheading executive search initiatives within the higher education and nonprofit sectors, and as Assistant to the High School Superintendent and the Founding Director of the National Academy Foundation Programs in the Boston Public Schools.

Education

Paula holds a BA from Harvard University and an M.Ed. in Teaching and Curriculum from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

With over 25 years of experience in senior leadership roles, Diane has served as a strategist, executive director, operations expert, fundraiser, crisis manager, and trusted advisor and relationship builder across a broad range of institutions in the non-profit and related sectors. Within these positions, Diane has been directly involved with recruitment activities across countless roles including college and university faculty/deans/provosts/presidents, development professionals, and operations staff/ directors/executive directors, as well as board recruitment and governance.

Diane’s success as a fundraiser has been most notable with leading national foundations. She has developed strong, meaningful relationships with program officers and as a result has worked with teams to develop winning multi-million-dollar proposals and programs. In 2015, Diane led an effort at Community Catalyst—a national health care advocacy organization— to secure the largest single philanthropic gift in the organization’s history: $14.8 million dollars from The Atlantic Philanthropies to develop the Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation. The award was one of the final legacy grants given by the foundation before it completed all grantmaking in 2016.

Trained as a social psychologist and mediator, Diane has had experience leading and partnering with a range of social change actors including advocates, organizers, policymakers, academics, business executives, and cultural leaders. Along with 10 years at Community Catalyst, Diane also has worked at The University of Vermont, Goddard College, Simmons University, Boston Children’s Hospital, and The Health Initiative. Her volunteer and board roles are wide-reaching and most recently include the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, LPAC (Lesbian Political Action Committee, where she served as board chair), and the Equality Fund at The Boston Foundation, among others.

Diane holds a bachelor’s degree from Adelphi University, and a master’s and a doctoral degree from The University of Vermont; she has a certificate in mediation from the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, among other highly regarded institutes. She is a passionate art collector and has dabbled in improv, which serves as a constant reminder that keen listening, risk-taking, and co-creating lead to the most surprising and fulfilling results. She is based in New York.

As Senior Search Administrator, Marianne Figueiredo acts as the liaison between Lindauer clients, candidates, and consultants. She provides high-level strategic coordination and detailed administrative, client service, and communications support to facilitate each search, balancing an array of clients, and assignments. A solution-oriented professional, Marianne expertly meets deadlines and exceeds expectations without compromising quality.

Marianne brings over 20 years of experience in administration and Higher Education. Prior to joining Lindauer, Marianne served as Executive Assistant to the President at Simmons University. With her warm demeanor and exceptional professionalism, she acted as the primary representative of the president’s office; managing all daily operations for the Office of the President including communications with various constituents, staff, and students, complex calendar coordination, budget management, and event management. Marianne began her career as an Assistant for the Director of Administration at the Rowland Institute at Harvard University, where she was responsible for all of the day-to-day operations for the office of the Director of Administration.

Marianne studied Early Childhood Education and minored in music and psychology at Salem State College.

Alexus Forte is a Consultant who brings a unique range of experience to Lindauer. Alexus’s professional experience is centered around customer service and business consulting. Her background in these fields is essential to the search process, using her networking and communications skills to develop rapport with candidates and clients.

Along with being a business owner and strategist, Alexus has worked in many client-facing roles throughout her career. As a Realtor in New York, Alexus built an extensive portfolio in an extremely competitive market. Her success in real estate is attributed to her creative outreach approach and networking abilities. Alexus has also been a flight attendant since 2016. In the travel industry, she has expanded her knowledge of customer service and hospitality, flying both domestically and internationally.

Alexus is a graduate of Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with a degree in business and humanities.

Juan García partners with Lindauer to support advancement leadership searches, providing strategic counsel and cultural assessment in the recruitment of senior advancement executives. He is also the founder of Audax Strategic Intelligence, an advisory firm that helps universities, foundations, and academic medical centers accelerate fundraising growth through the development and implementation of integrated strategies, analytics, and operational improvements.

With more than three decades of leadership experience across higher education and global consulting firms, Juan has led advancement strategy, campaign planning, and operational transformation initiatives at institutions including The University of Texas at Austin, Wake Forest University, and Arizona State University Foundation. He played a key leadership role in UT Austin’s $6 billion What Starts Here campaign and has advised institutional leaders on campaign readiness, organizational design, and analytics-driven performance management.

Juan is recognized for translating institutional priorities into scalable operating models that integrate analytics, technology, and talent to accelerate fundraising outcomes. His work spans campaign strategy, prospect development, advancement operations, and technology modernization, with a consistent focus on driving measurable impact and building high-performing teams.

Prior to his work in advancement, Juan spent 11 years as a management consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Arthur Andersen, and BearingPoint. His consulting experience focused on strategy formulation, merger integration, revenue growth, and operational improvement, including international assignments in South America and the Middle East.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin.

Bob Giannino has had a transformative impact at the highest levels of nonprofit leadership by identifying opportunities for impact, making bold plans, and bringing people together to find common cause for the common good. A touchstone of Bob’s leadership is his conviction that the success of an organization lies in its people—a credo he has embodied and realized by building strong, inclusive teams and nurturing ecosystems where both individuals and institutions can thrive.

At Lindauer, Bob leverages his extensive executive experience to help organizations identify, cultivate, and retain exceptional talent. His thoughtful approach ensures that leaders are positioned to drive sustainable change and long-term impact.

Expertise

With more than two decades of experience across diverse sectors, Bob brings a strategic approach to talent development, honed through years in top executive roles and rooted in the understanding that people are the key to organizational success. At Lindauer, Bob draws on his deep knowledge of how strong talent acquisition, culture-building, and mentorship fuel institutional growth. His expertise includes building diverse and inclusive teams, aligning talent strategies with organizational missions, and scaling organizational impact through strategic growth.

For Bob, executive search is akin to completing a complex puzzle, where the right candidate represents a crucial piece that helps bring the full picture into focus. Bob thrives on the challenge of understanding the unique needs and dynamics of each organization, then strategically matching them with candidates who can seamlessly integrate and make a lasting impact. His ability to focus on both the immediate requirements of a role as well as the critical factors for long-term organizational success sets him apart in the search process.

Experience

Before joining Lindauer, Bob served as President & CEO of United Way of Massachusetts Bay, one of Greater Boston’s leading civic institutions, where his strategic leadership helped create greater opportunity, access, and equity across 140 communities in Eastern Massachusetts.

Prior to United Way, Bob served as the CEO of uAspire, the nation’s leading nonprofit focused on helping young people and families navigate an affordable path to a postsecondary degree. Over 15 years, Bob oversaw the transformation of uAspire from a small, local organization serving 1,000 young people in Boston into a national, award-winning enterprise reaching more than 25 states and 300,000 students each year. In addition to its direct service programming, uAspire’s policy and systems change efforts will lead to dramatically improved financial access to a college degree and economic opportunity for millions of young people.

From 2015-2020, Bob served as a member of the Management Faculty at the Institute for Nonprofit Practice, a national leader in equipping the nation’s social impact leaders to boldly advance their organizations and missions, creating a more equitable future for all.

Throughout his career, Bob has been recognized by numerous local and national organizations for his contributions to and leadership within the nonprofit sector. In 2022, Bob was named an LGBTQ Trailblazer by the Boston Business Journal for his longstanding commitments to Greater Boston’s LGBTQIA community and, in 2024, he was honored by Get Konnected! as a DEI Champion and Ally. In addition, Bob was awarded the prestigious Barr Fellowship for his “outstanding contribution to the Boston community and potential to drive positive change for years to come.”

In 2025, Bob became Chair of the Board of Directors of Idealist.org.

Education

Bob holds an AB in Government from Harvard University and an Executive Education Certificate in Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management from Harvard Business School.

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

Caitlin brings high levels of creativity and empathy—honed over decades of experience as a professional actor and writer—to provide search and research services that are both efficient and thoughtful.

As a Search Consultant with Pearl Street, Caitlin conducts prospect identification and builds diverse candidate pools for a range of development searches on behalf of Pearl Street clients and is known for building longstanding relationships with rising talent. Now as a Search Consultant 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, Caitlin held administrative roles for recruiting and consulting firms and was a development assistant at Harvard Business School. Caitlin also founded and successfully leads a consulting practice that includes fractional Chief of Staff services where she provides support through a coaching lens.

She has been an actor for 15+ years, building a prolific career in theatre and indie film communities in New York City and Boston. She graduated from Wellesley College with a double major in Cinema and Media Studies and Spanish and holds an M.F.A. in Film Studies from Boston University. Caitlin studied acting with The Barrow Group in New York City and has written and directed her own work in theatre and film.

As Senior Search Administrator, Jessica Griffith acts as the liaison between Lindauer clients, candidates and consultants. She provides high-level strategic coordination and detailed administrative, client service and communications support to facilitate each search, balancing an array of clients and assignments. Having an affinity for quality and attention to detail, Jessica ensures that everyone is where they need to be, when they need to be there.

Jessica brings over a decade of experience in human resources and small business management for both grassroots nonprofits and her own massage therapy practice; she knows what drives success, integrity, and quality. She brings direct recruiting expertise from her most recent role as a Recruitment Specialist for Centerboard, Inc., where she conducted searches for mid- and senior-level management positions, screened and scheduled candidates through the recruitment cycle, handled the reference process, and contributed to effective onboarding of new employees. Utilizing her considerable skills in communication and customer service, Jessica ensures a smooth executive search process from beginning to end and is approachable, tech savvy, and driven by results. She understands every search is unique and contributes to the success of each one by listening carefully to, and building and strengthening relationships between, key stakeholders.

Jessica holds a B.A. in Art from the University of Massachusetts in Boston.

An engaging and strategic professional, Lauren Haines serves in a dual role at Lindauer, working with our current clients and candidates as a search consultant as well as with the firm’s senior leadership to engage with prospective clients. She brings over 10 years of nonprofit experience across every part of the nonprofit sector, whether academic medicine and healthcare, higher education and K–12, arts and culture, or advocacy and mission-based organizations.

Lauren joined Lindauer after several years at Grenzebach Glier and Associates (GG+A), one of the world’s premier nonprofit philanthropic consultancies. As a member of the firm’s senior leadership team, she worked closely with consultants to understand client needs, aggregate and coalesce information and data, and prepare complex reports and recommendations for management, leaders, and Boards. She partnered on teams for a wide range of clients including the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Art Institute of Chicago, Fuller Theological Seminary, J. Paul Getty Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American University, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Antarctic Science Foundation, Barack Obama Foundation, Charlotte Country Day School, Friends’ Central School, Lyric Opera of Chicago, National Audubon Society, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Rodale Institute, and USC Keck School of Medicine.

In her role as Assistant Vice President and Director of Business Development at GG+A, Lauren led the firm’s proposal team and partnered with consultants to build and expand connections with clients and prospective clients. Prior to leading business development, Lauren served as Chief of Staff for the President of GG+A.

Preceding her tenure at GG+A, Lauren served as the Development Manager for Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival where she managed the annual fund, donor stewardship, and special events. Early in her career, Lauren also developed funding proposals for community partnerships and corporate, foundation, and government sponsorships for Florida State University’s Opening Nights and the National Repertory Orchestra.

An active musician, Lauren has sung with the Chicago Chamber Choir, held the position of Choir Director at Grace Lutheran Church in Tallahassee, and served as the Children’s Choir Director at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Chicago. She is currently on the Board of the Ashtabula Arts Center in Ohio.

Lauren holds a Master of Arts degree in arts administration from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Music degree in music education from Mercyhurst University.

Raegan Harvey brings Lindauer more than 10 years of experience in nonprofit organizations. Her leadership and organizational experience in higher education, athletics, and healthcare includes prospect research, donor relations, alumni engagement, fundraising, strategic planning, and internal and external relations.

Prior to joining Lindauer, Raegan was Associate Director of Athletics, Internal Operations and Chief of Staff for Washington State University Athletics in Pullman, Washington. Reporting to the Director of Athletics, she was a member of the WSU Athletics executive leadership team. In her role, she provided guidance and support to the Director, Deputy Directors of Athletics, and leadership team in areas regarding human resources, financial strategy, capital projects, and department master planning for 17 varsity sports and over 250 coaches and staff.

Throughout her time at Washington State, Raegan held numerous roles within Athletics and the Carson College of Business. She was the Assistant Director of Athletics and Director of Internal Operations for the Cougar Athletic Fund (CAF) with oversight of CAF fiscal management, stewardship programming, the endowed scholarship program, gift processing, and assisted major gift fundraising efforts including events and communications. Raegan was Vice-Chair of the WSU Athletics Strategic Planning Committee and a member of WSU’s System Strategic Planners Council. She was also a member of WSU Athletics Emerging Leaders Group, National Association of Athletics Development Directors (NAADD), Women Leaders in College Sports, and Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

Raegan started her career at WSU with the Carson College of Business, acting in many capacities with their development team. While with Carson, she was a member of the fundraising team who assisted with and supported the fundraising efforts of the completion of the university’s $1 billion campaign. Prior to WSU, she was a prospect research and donor database specialist at Cone Health Office of Fund Development (Greensboro, NC) and a development research analyst at the University of Georgia Office of Development (Athens, GA).

Raegan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Georgia and a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Georgia.

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.

Valued and respected for the expert guidance she offers organizations before, during, and after leadership transitions, Maureen Huminik is a leading figure in nonprofit executive search. Her tailored, flexible solutions have been instrumental in shaping Lindauer’s approach to placing top-tier, mission-driven talent in a variety of roles across a wide range of sectors.

As strategic and forward-looking as she is nimble and responsive, Maureen partners with her clients to get to the heart of an organization’s needs. In the process, she often reveals critical insights that might otherwise remain hidden.

Expertise

Maureen’s expertise lies in her ability to build lasting relationships. This ensures clients are supported and understood throughout the recruitment process. Her nuanced and comprehensive approach to recruiting helps foster strong partnerships with her clients, and her innovative strategies help clients stretch their thinking and explore the kind of beyond-the-box candidates who drive organizations forward.

Maureen is particularly experienced with founder transitions, guiding organizations like Ronald McDonald House Charities, Double H Ranch, and the Scleroderma Foundation forward in these pivotal moments of evolution. With a deep understanding of the unique challenges of executive transitions, she helps organizations plan strategically for the future and navigate leadership changes of all kinds.

Maureen has placed executive leaders and other key positions for organizations such as Camp Sunshine, Catholic Charities of Boston and Chicago, City of Hope, Moffitt Cancer Center, Pace School, Scripps Health, Stanford University, and the University of Virginia.

Experience

Before joining Lindauer in 2005, Maureen’s career was shaped by roles in prominent Boston healthcare and social service organizations, including Newton-Wellesley Hospital, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Her background in marketing, research, and administration has equipped her with a broad skill set, enabling her to assist a diverse range of institutions effectively.

Since joining Lindauer, Maureen has become a leader in the field and a trusted advisor for CEOs and other top executives. The breadth of her work and the depth of her experience make her an essential member of any search team.

Education

Maureen holds a BS from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Jill Lasman has been a key force in setting the Lindauer standard for executive search. A well-known and respected national search executive, Jill has placed senior leaders and their teams in many major education, healthcare and science, arts and culture, advocacy, and mission-driven institutions since joining the firm in 1998.

In 2019, Jill became a partial owner of Lindauer, along with CEO Deb Taft and Senior Advisor and Founding Managing Director Libby Roberts. That same year, Jill opened Lindauer’s West Coast office, and is based in both Los Angeles and Boston throughout the year.

In the area of advancement, Jill has conducted successful chief development officer searches for such esteemed clients as Princeton University, University of Texas at Austin, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Illinois Institute of Technology, Agnes Scott College, Baylor College of Medicine and Weill Cornell Medicine, to highlight just a few.

Jill has also been instrumental in placing multiple high-level candidates in prestigious Ivy League and elite colleges such as Cornell University, Yale University, Harvard University, Tufts University, Emory University, Boston College and American University, among many others. At North Dakota State University, she placed the President/CEO of the NDSU Development Foundation, and also filled the high-profile position of Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations and Chief Executive Officer of the Penn State Alumni Association.

In addition, Jill has proven her ability to find the most qualified individuals for such diverse organizations as American Friends of Bar Ilan University, where she placed the Chief Executive Officer and at Boston College, where she brought the Vice President for Development search to a successful conclusion. Offering expertise in all sectors, she led a team effort for multiple recruits at Natural Resources Defense Council, placed the Vice President for Development at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute, and led successful search partnerships with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.

A skilled interviewer, Jill also specializes in building teams. She spearheaded the recruiting efforts at Carnegie Mellon University, filling 30 positions over the course of three years. She also served as team leader and primary recruiter for 29 of the 44 searches Lindauer completed for the University of Rochester, including the positions of Senior Associate Vice President of Advancement, Associate Vice President of Advancement, and Associate Vice President of Capital and Special Projects. At Emory University, Jill has led searches for senior management at two of its schools along with two university-wide Associate Vice President for Development positions. She has also enjoyed strong partnerships on team builds with George Washington University and Rhode Island School of Design.

Bringing national experience, Jill has also been directly involved with recruitment efforts on the West Coast at the City of Hope, American Jewish University, and the Los Angeles Opera.

Prior to joining Lindauer, Jill worked for both nonprofit and for-profit organizations in the areas of recruitment, training, and database administration. She is a cum laude graduate of UCLA.

Christine Lockmon brings more than 30 years of experience in fundraising research, prospect development, relationship management, data strategy, and information management. Throughout her career, she has honed her ability to transform complex information into actionable intelligence, helping leaders and fundraisers better understand people, institutions, relationships, and opportunities.

At Lindauer, Christine works at the intersection of research, data strategy, and emerging technologies. She develops a unique, deeply researched candidate pool for each client while continually working to strengthen Lindauer’s broader research infrastructure.

The backbone of this infrastructure is Lindauer’s proprietary database of candidates. By starting with this database and layering in advanced research tools and techniques, Christine is able to surface candidates with the skills, experience, and potential to make the greatest impact for Lindauer clients.

Prior to joining Lindauer, Christine’s career spanned higher education, healthcare, national nonprofit organizations, philanthropic technology, and consulting. Christine has held leadership and strategy roles with the University of Illinois Foundation, William & Mary, Best Friends Animal Society, Make-A-Wish America, Kintera P!N — Prospect Information Network — Blackbaud, and Sun Health Foundation.

Across those organizations, she worked with university and organizational leadership, campaign teams, and hundreds of fundraisers to develop her broad practical fluency in major gifts, planned giving, annual giving, grateful patient fundraising, donor relations, stewardship, campaign operations, analytics, reporting, data management, prospect identification, portfolio strategy, and development operations.

Christine’s consulting and technology experience with P!N, Kintera, and Blackbaud gave her a particularly wide view of the philanthropic sector. She advised diverse education, healthcare, arts, environmental, faith-based, and national nonprofit clients on wealth screening, prospect identification, relationship management, reporting, data use, and fundraising systems.

That cross-sector exposure continues to shape her work today, giving her the language, context, and pattern recognition to read between the lines of a résumé, organizational chart, campaign history, or candidate profile.

Christine has a Certificate in Executive Research from the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants. This designation recognizes professionals who exemplify excellence, integrity, and strategic insight in executive research.

Zena Lum, Director of Development, Major Gifts at the Harvard Kennedy School, is the Senior Advisor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Lindauer. Prior to her role at HKS, Zena served as a senior search consultant at Lindauer for more than nine years. As senior advisor for DEI, Zena ensures that Lindauer sustains, enhances, and continues to activate its leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion across nonprofit leadership and advancement. Building on Lindauer’s longstanding position as the nation’s No. 1 firm for advancement search, the company is committed to leveraging its growth to influence hiring, retention, and professional advancement of BIPOC individuals across broader segments of administrative and leadership roles.

A sought-after panelist and facilitator for her intersectional experience in the field, Zena has presented for African American Development Officers Network (AADO), AFP Massachusetts, CASE Multicultural Advancement Professionals, Grant Professionals Association – New England Chapter, Women in Development (WID), Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy (WŌC), and YW Boston. She co-chaired the inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for WID Greater Boston, serves as an Advisory Committee member for WŌC, and is a LeadBoston Alumni Ambassador. She is an engaged member of her community, volunteering with ARCK, Artisan’s Asylum, and United South End Settlements. Zena also serves as the consulting Executive Director for the Boston Latin Academy Association, the fundraising arm for Boston Latin Academy, a BPS exam school.

With more than 25 years dedicated to mission-driven organizations, Zena has directly raised tens of millions of dollars for leading organizations in Boston, such as WGBH, Jumpstart for Young Children, and New England Aquarium. Prior to joining Lindauer, Zena served as the Director of Institutional Advancement for Boston Public Schools. As a recruiter, Zena has placed development leaders across the country and across the sector who have collectively raised hundreds of millions more to advance education, the arts, healthcare, and social and environmental justice. While mission is her North Star, successful navigation is predicated on her strengths in building genuine relationships and the ability to see connections and commonalities that lead to high-impact matchmaking in fundraising, recruiting, and talent management.

Zena has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Georgetown University.

Andrew Machado brings to Lindauer over 10 years of frontline fundraising and philanthropic consulting experience.

Andrew joined Lindauer after several years at the University of Chicago Law School where he managed a donor portfolio primarily in the New York region, raising more than $3.4 million Prior to his work at the University of Chicago, Andrew spent several years at Grenzebach Glier and Associates (GG+A) in a consulting role where he provided fundraising counsel to more than 60 leading national and international institutions of higher education, academic medicine, visual and performing arts, and independent schools. His clients included American University, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, Barack Obama Foundation, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Cornell University, Duke University Health System, Kings College London, Pennsylvania State University, Philadelphia Museum of Art, University of Queensland, Smithsonian Institution, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Yale University. Prior to GG+A, Andrew worked in alumni relations at Northeastern Illinois University.

Andrew has served on the Associate Board for AIDS Foundation Chicago and volunteered as a class agent at the University of California, Berkeley.

Andrew studied sociology, education, and Portuguese at the University of California, Berkeley, and received his master’s degree in higher education and student affairs from The Ohio State University.

Josh Maker brings to Lindauer and its clients significant global philanthropic consulting and project management experience in the nonprofit sector.

Prior to joining Lindauer, Josh played a key role in advancing alumni and donor engagement at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He partnered with institutional leaders and volunteer committees to design and deliver flagship reunion programs that strengthened the School’s philanthropic pipeline and deepened alumni commitment.

Josh also spent several years at Grenzebach Glier and Associates (GG+A) where he served in multiple roles. As the Executive Director of Consulting Resources, Josh was a member of the firm’s senior leadership council and led a team in Chicago of 10 professionals in delivering client reports, presentations, and trainings. As the Chief of Staff to the President, he worked in close partnership with GG+A’s President and senior leadership to deliver on the firm’s strategic initiatives, as well as supporting the President in all of her client engagements. In the role of Senior Project Manager at GG+A, Josh managed upwards of 20 client projects at a time, ranging in sectors from arts and culture, academic medicine and healthcare, higher education, independent schools, to voluntary sectors.

Josh has partnered with a number of clients including; Art Institute of Chicago, Brooklyn Law School, Carnegie Mellon University, Cancer Research UK, Charlotte Country Day School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Drexel University, Esade Business School (Barcelona), Fuller Theological Seminary, Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Philadelphia Museum of Art, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Sidwell Friends School, Tate, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, University of Queensland, and the University of Toronto.

Josh holds a Master of Arts in Cultural and Creative Industries from King’s College London, and Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Kent State University.

Ali McLane has been a fundraising operations consultant for over 20 years, specializing in prospect screening development, analysis and implementation. As one of the original owners of Prospect Information Networks,’ P!N, the screening product that ultimately became ResearchPoint, Ali developed the first comprehensive vetting and implementation program for screening results, working with over 500 clients. Prospect Information Network was ultimately acquired by Blackbaud in 2008. In her research and analytics consultant role at Lindauer, Ali plays a leadership data architect role for the firm, driving our client-facing research capabilities, developing best practices for candidate pool development, and adjusting those practices as industry and technology evolve.

In 2008, Ali began her career as an operations consultant, working for Dini Partners, then Bentz, Whaley, Flessner, as Senior Consultant. Chairing the Fundraising Operations certification program at Rice University Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership, has allowed Ali to continue her love of teaching, which started as a public speaking instructor and Speech & Debate Coach at Texas Tech University. At Rice CPNL, Ali’s focus is Prospect Research, Donor Relations classes, and mentoring the students working toward the certification.

Ali is a co-founder, past president, and board member of the Southwest Chapter of the Association of Professional Researchers (APRA). She is past president of APRA of Greater Houston and is a charter member of the Association of Advancement Services Professionals (AASP), serving on their prospect development best practices committee. Ali is a volunteer with APRA International, serving on the 2010 Nominating committee, the 2011 APRA International Conference Curriculum Planning Committee, and the 2013 on-line education committee. She is a frequent conference presenter, including APRA, AFP, CASE, AHP, and specialized fundraising organizations. Ali also serves on The Emerald Circle Executive Committee 2019 – 2021 for the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto as Vice President.

Ali holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Communications Studies from Texas Tech University. She is an active member of the Texas Tech University College of Media and Communication Advisory Board.

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.

As a Senior Consultant at Lindauer, Marlene Mlawski works with organizations to achieve strategic goals by acquiring unique talent. She specializes in identifying executive leadership capacity and change agents for successful transitions. Committed to value, clarity, and diversity, Marlene’s deep dive approach ensures inclusive and effective sourcing per clients’ prerequisites and timelines.

Having begun her career in the financial sector, Marlene transitioned to freelance with Korn Ferry and built a successful consulting practice in partnering with human/social service, IDD, disease research & advocacy, environmental, education, primary healthcare, and Jewish communal organizations as well as with food banks, camps, and foundations. Today, she continues to provide optimal retained search services in vetting C, V, and D-level executives for complex mission-driven startups to large-scale, grantmaking, and chapter organizations with intricate programming. With extensive experience in mapping out organizational requirements, she is a creative guide and a strong client advocate. Marlene develops outreach strategies to connect with the best performers in the field, regionally, nationally, and globally.

A graduate of Brandeis University, Marlene is an avid international traveler who grew up in Europe. In tribute to multi-layered expression, she can talk about search in English, French, German, Hebrew, and Yiddish.

R Perry Monastero, Ed.D. is the Principal of the nonprofit advisory firm RPM Consulting Group and an affiliate Senior Advisor with Lindauer. A respected executive and consultant in the nonprofit arena, Perry’s considerable expertise includes strategic planning and marketplace analysis, research and evaluation, branding, advancement and philanthropic services, and higher education enrollment management.

Perry and his RPM team assist nonprofit leaders of rapidly growing organizations to simultaneously scale their infrastructure while identifying and securing new revenue streams to boost sustainability. He brings over two decades of leadership experience with an emphasis on education, health care, philanthropy, and LGBTQ organizations. He has assisted with co-designing and/or implementing the search process for the College Football Hall of Fame, The Reflect Organization, Independence Business Alliance, and The Trevor Project.

A partial list of clients and past employers includes the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University’s McDonough School for Business New Strategies Program, Pratham USA, The Trevor Project, Compass Working Capital, Montana Legal Services Association, Saint Leo University, BCW (formerly Burson-Marsteller), The Philadelphia Foundation, Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, two political campaigns as a fundraising director, and the House of (Manolo) Blahnik.

 A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with an Ed.D. in Management of Higher Education, Perry’s research focused on how entrepreneurial social justice movements and their associated public and private entities successfully entered competitive marketplaces to support innovation and change. Originally from Norristown, Pennsylvania, Perry lives with his partner in Boston and Philadelphia. Both are loving godparents, and Perry is a nerdy, retired traveling soccer midfielder who might arguably cook the absolute best Spanish paella.

Chandra Montgomery brings nearly 25 years of nonprofit sector experience to Lindauer and our clients. Her background spans higher education, academic medicine, youth services, public media, and museums. Over the past two-plus decades, Chandra has honed skills and expertise in advancement services, fundraising strategy, foundation relations, DEIB principles, and human resources.

Prior to joining the firm, Chandra oversaw grateful patient discovery, pipeline development, data management, and gift services for Health Sciences and the Keck School of Medicine during her tenure at the University of Southern California. She also launched and co-chaired the University Advancement DEI Council. Prior to USC, Chandra led prospect development teams at National Public Radio and Virginia Commonwealth University. In the course of her career, she has identified over $1 trillion in giving capacity and has supported nine- and 10-figure comprehensive campaigns, including USC’s historic $7 billion campaign.

Since 2008, she has been an active member of Apra where she has held numerous volunteer leadership roles. Chandra has also led training for Apra University and delivered keynote sessions for state and regional chapters across the country. Since 2014, she has chaired the Advocacy and Membership committees and is a founding member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She has also served on the Conference Planning Committee and was a member of the organization’s inaugural Body of Knowledge committee for Relationship Management. Prior to her committee service, she was a member of the Apra-Virginia board of directors.

Chandra is also a member of the African American Development Officer’s Network (AADO), Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy (WOC), Association for Advancement Services Professionals (AASP), among others. In 2019, she was selected for CASE’s Minority Advancement Institute where she is also a member and conference presenter/faculty. Equally passionate about her personal philanthropy, she is a 2020 Philanthropy Together Launchpad participant and giving circle founder.

A passionate HBCU alum, Chandra earned her bachelor’s in English from Hampton University where she has served as a volunteer alumni leader. She also holds a master’s degree and graduate certificate in Human Resources Law & Compliance from the USC Gould School of Law. Chandra has also completed additional graduate coursework at the College of William and Mary and holds multiple DEI certifications.

An innovative and deeply committed thought partner for organizations across a range of sectors, Faith Montgomery equips nonprofit leaders to realize their visions in the world. She synthesizes the many variables of an executive search into a shared reality with her clients, providing vital support and guidance that helps them prepare for new leadership eras. Faith has served clients in education, healthcare, the arts, social justice, and policy with her strategic expertise in how to leverage evolving workplace dynamics and engage teams to unlock their full potential.

Expertise

As a trusted advisor to leaders and boards, Faith is known for prioritizing clarity, communication, and mutual understanding in all of her client engagements. She believes in getting to the root of organizational dynamics and contexts as a critical first step on the path to achieving her clients’ long-term goals.

Faith brings a collaborative approach to recruitment, creating an environment conducive to open dialogue and respect. With a focus on active listening, she asks the right questions to surface pain points and craft effective strategies that enable organizations to navigate challenges and ensure smooth leadership transitions.

Highly skilled in activating commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Faith advises organizations on reducing bias in hiring, building diverse pools of candidates, and mitigating the structural challenges facing leaders of color.

As an executive leader and consultant with Lindauer, Faith has recruited for leadership and executive positions across higher education, healthcare, think tanks, arts and culture, independent schools, and more.

Experience

Before joining Lindauer, Faith was Vice President of Operations at Columbus Advisors Group, LLC, where she developed organizational infrastructure and protocol, and Vice President of Development at Easter Seals Massachusetts, where she led major gifts, corporate and foundation relations, annual fund, and special events, raising millions annually to support people with disabilities.

Faith is Co-Chair of the American Council on Education’s Executive Search Roundtable and serves on the national Board of the African American Development Officer’s Network. She is also a member of Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy (WOC) and The Giving Institute. She formerly served on the Boston Chapter Board of Jack and Jill.

A sought-after public speaker, C-suite advisor, and executive-level thought partner, Faith works with integrity, clarity, and a nuanced understanding of leadership dynamics to drive positive outcomes for both organizations and candidates alike.

Education

Faith holds a BA in Communications/Business from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an MA in Interpersonal Communications from Purdue University.

Dan Nevez has more than 30 years of professional experience in higher education, arts and cultural institutions, and retained executive search. As a search consultant, he has successfully placed more than 200 senior executives at regional and national nonprofits and associations. The depth of Dan’s experience partnering with CEOs and boards, along with his extensive, diverse networks, enables him to help his clients find exceptional candidates that fit their unique needs.

Prior to joining Lindauer, Dan served as an executive search leader with Campbell & Company, where he was instrumental in earning the firm recognition as one of the nation’s Top 10 search firms for women of color by Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy (WOC)® and as one of the country’s best executive search firms by Forbes Magazine.

Before he discovered his passion for search, Dan was a museum curator and socio-economic historian at an internationally recognized research center and museum at the University of Chicago.

Dan received his master’s degree and completed his doctoral studies at the University of Chicago. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma, graduating with honors and elected Phi Beta Kappa. He is an active participant and frequent speaker on racial diversity and equity, philanthropy, performance metrics, and executive leadership at numerous national associations, including the Network of Nonprofit Search Consultants, where he has served as an Executive Committee Member, Effective Practices Committee Co-Chair, and Membership Committee Co-Chair.

Dan currently lives on the West Coast with his partner and husband of 25 years, Gene Kang, an Emmy award-winning regional/international television news journalist.

Devin O’Leary is the primary architect of a robust infrastructure supporting Lindauer searches. Leading all administrative, IT/IS, and operational functions, Devin ensures that Lindauer team members have the latest strategies, cutting-edge technology, and necessary resources to partner effectively with clients, candidates, and colleagues.

Devin started his career at the California Appellate Project, a legal, nonprofit organization in San Francisco. A continuing interest in working in the nonprofit arena, coupled with a move from the Bay Area to Boston with his family, led him to Lindauer in 2012.

Since then, Devin has held progressively senior roles with a substantial impact on the growth and evolution of the firm. In recent years, he has overseen the development and integration of systems, processes, and approaches that are the engine for Lindauer’s national and now global reach, the expert engagement with clients and candidates, and the effective performance of a fully remote team.

As Devin’s impact on Lindauer has deepened, so has his scope of responsibility. O’Leary now oversees significant aspects of Lindauer’s financial and fiscal operations, management reporting, and search operations, including management of the firm’s administrative search structure. He also has executive oversight of Lindauer’s expert marketing, business development, research, and client services functions.

Devin graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from Saint Mary’s College of California.

Rebecca Parkes is a Senior Advisor at Lindauer with more than 20 years of experience leading nonprofit, higher education, and healthcare organizations through periods of growth and change. She has held senior executive roles across the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe, building the development and operating infrastructure that allowed each institution to scale.

Her expertise spans core areas: organizational leadership and governance, revenue and campaign strategy, team building and senior staff development, and change management through periods of institutional transition. She has partnered directly with boards and CEOs on governance and strategic planning, restructured development and operations teams, built major gift programs from the ground up, and led capital and comprehensive campaigns.

Most recently, Rebecca served as Regional President, North for the United Services Organization, leading operations and fundraising across 22 states. She led through a major organizational and structural transition, consolidating standalone 501(c)(3) chapter charters into a single, unified region, work that required full executive authority, board member management, and staff retention through the change.

As Chief Operating Officer and Chief Advancement Officer at T1D Exchange, Rebecca had dual operational and revenue authority, overseeing organizational operations while building and leading the advancement function. At Cancer Research UK, she served as Director of Philanthropy and Campaign, directing major gift and campaign strategy for one of the largest cancer research charities in the world. At NYU Langone Medical Center, she served as Director of Development, building major gift pipelines and managing senior fundraising staff within a complex academic medical institution.

Rebecca began her consulting career as Vice President at Grenzebach Glier and Associates, where she worked alongside Lindauer CEO Deb Taft and advised university, healthcare, and nonprofit clients across the United States, United Kingdom, and continental Europe on revenue strategy, organizational structure, and campaign governance. Her consulting work has spanned organizational assessment, board governance, executive leadership coaching, and the operational restructuring required to position institutions for sustained growth.

Rebecca continues her consulting work as Principal of RP Advisory, where she works with small to mid-size nonprofit organizations on growth strategy, organizational positioning, and senior leadership capacity, working with and at times stepping directly into executive or advancement roles on a transitional basis to help an organization bridge a gap or build toward what comes next.

As Senior Advisor at Lindauer, Rebecca partners with boards and executives across the nonprofit, higher education, and healthcare sectors to navigate growth, transition, and leadership change.

Brandalyn Patton serves as Senior Search Administrator, acting as the liaison between Lindauer clients, candidates and consultants. She provides high-level strategic coordination and detailed administrative, client service and communications support to facilitate each search, balancing an array of clients and assignments. This role provides an exciting opportunity for Brandalyn to combine her background in fundraising and workforce development.

Brandalyn began her career in development as a consulting projects manager for Dini Partners, a Houston-based fundraising consulting firm, working exclusively with nonprofit organizations. She has worked for many years in administrative, development, and research positions supporting major gift officers and teams at Rice University, the Bipartisan Policy Center, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and The University of Texas at Austin. In these roles, she assisted in coordinating prospect research, prospect management, database management, and donor stewardship.

She has also served on the staffs of Workforce Investment Boards in Houston, TX, and San Diego, CA, working closely with educational, nonprofit, and government organizations to develop a strong regional workforce.

Brandalyn holds a Bachelor’s in social work from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Public Affairs degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs.

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.

Senior Consultant Khushboo Rami-Patel brings to Lindauer and our clients over 10 years of experience. Her expertise as an advancement professional, including in research, donor cultivation, stewardship, strategic planning, events, and client relations, positions her to support critical search and talent needs among the firm’s broad range of clients. As a Senior Consultant at Lindauer, Khushboo relies on her development experience to guide her in fulfilling client needs and is driven by an ambition to match organizational mission with individual talent. Khushboo’s clients have spanned all parts of the non-for-profit sector including higher education, healthcare, arts and culture, and mission-based organizations.

Khushboo began her career at the Center for American Progress (CAP), a public policy, research, and advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. Her early years were spent training and managing volunteers, staffing political events, and producing and managing a notable conference and fundraiser set her up for the transition into development and advancement. From CAP, Khushboo moved to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in Chicago to implement an inaugural cultivation and stewardship strategy for current and prospective major donors and managed relationships with executives at many of the city’s most prominent corporations. Her success in fast-paced environments led her to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago where she managed a portfolio of annual and project-based donors and implemented individualized multi-year strategic fundraising plans for the Board of Trustees and other dedicated patrons of the museum, raising record breaking funds for general operating support and museum exhibitions and education programs. Khushboo made the career transition to executive search at Lindauer in 2019.

Khushboo holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies from the University of Michigan.

Libby Roberts has earned the trust and admiration of executives across sectors and industries for her bold leadership, incisive judgment, and refreshing candor. A paragon of relationship-building, Libby forges strong client partnerships by deriving clear, actionable insights from open and honest dialogue. Libby’s expert guidance, rooted in a deep understanding of nonprofits, makes her an essential partner for organizations navigating the complexities of succession planning and executive recruitment.

Expertise

Libby’s proven recruiting and talent management strategies are designed to achieve the unique goals of her clients. She excels at guiding boards and leaders through the many stages of a search, collaborating with stakeholders while surfacing the core goals, priorities, and aspirations that unite an organization. For Libby, the end goal isn’t simply placing top talent in leadership roles but preparing organizations and teams to maximize the new leader’s potential long after the search has concluded.

Libby’s client list and broader community involvement reflect her extraordinary global network as well as her commitment to service. Her work has ranged across arts and culture, healthcare, higher education, and advocacy, as well as faith-based hospitals, universities, and other organizations.

Experience

With years of experience in the leadership roles for which she now recruits, Libby brings with her a deep and nuanced understanding of how organizations can engage their communities, develop teams, and recruit talented individuals who will succeed and drive missions forward.

Prior to joining Lindauer, Libby held leadership roles at many influential institutions, including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Dartmouth, and Harvard Law School.

Her experience in annual giving, major gifts, and fundraising campaigns allowed Libby to form a holistic picture of the interconnected components of modern advancement programs. Meanwhile, her time spent managing teams and engaging boards honed her ability to navigate complex organizational structures effectively.

Through her extensive volunteer work, Libby gives back to her community and contributes to the development of the field of philanthropy. She has served on many boards, including the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Boston Trinity Episcopal Church, the Nelson Rockefeller Center, and The Boston House. She brings a wealth of global experience through her travel, international education, and work with Habitat for Humanity. She maintains her connection with her alma mater, Dartmouth, where she has been deeply involved since matriculation.

Libby’s passion for effecting change, her wealth of experience, and her commitment to forging successful client partnerships make her a valued leader and an essential resource for any search, leadership, or talent management project.

Education

Libby holds a BA from Dartmouth College with a Religion major.

Terri Rutter brings a wide array of nonprofit, advancement, and communications and marketing expertise to Lindauer, excelling in placing top leaders and executing team builds in multiple sectors.

Having served in various senior advancement and management roles, Terri is well-versed in the responsibilities of leadership. One of the firm’s most senior consultants, she is experienced in recruiting CEOs and Executive Directors, SVPs and VPs, National Directors, and high-level frontline fundraising, operations, and marketing and communications professionals for a broad range of world-class educational and medical institutions and national nonprofits. Past and current clients include AI2 (the Allen Institute for AI), JDRF, Boston Children’s Hospital, City of Hope, Massachusetts General Hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Geisel School of Medicine,  Moffitt Cancer Center, Fenway Health, George Washington University, George Washington University Medical and Health Sciences, Lehigh Valley Health Network, North Carolina State University, The Kaiser Family Foundation, The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, The Craig Newmark School of Journalism at CUNY, The Moth, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), The John F. Kennedy Library, Solar One, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Climate Central, Chautauqua Institution, Conservation Law Foundation, Institute for Advanced Study, King School, Phillips Academy, Colby College, Lyric Opera of the Chicago, Rhode Island School of Design, and The Washington State University Foundation.

Early career positions at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health honed Terri’s experience working effectively with leading researchers, physicians, and academic medical administrators. She built and led creative integrated advancement communications and donor relations teams within major academic medical centers including Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and NYU Langone Medical Center. Each of these roles included developing and managing complex charity brands and models. Terri has also served as Editor of the Harvard Medical Alumni Magazine; Senior Editor at The Dana Foundation in Washington, DC; and Managing Editor at the consumer website Scientific Learning in Oakland, CA.

As a consultant, Terri has directed multi-faceted, integrated marketing, communications, donor cultivation, and stewardship strategies for various Institutes and units at MIT, Alzheimer’s Association, UMass Medical School Department of Psychiatry, Children’s Hospital Boston, Tufts Medical Center, Montefiore Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, and the Betsy Lehman Center. She has a broad freelance writing portfolio for numerous publications, including Associated Press, Boston Herald, New Physician Magazine, and the British Medical Journal, as well as for digital channels.

Terri holds a BA from The Ohio State University and a master’s degree from Northeastern University.

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.

A respected professional services leader and a sought-after advisor to organizations across the nonprofit sector, Jackie Sullivan draws on an extensive toolkit of problem-solving strategies to consistently deliver innovative solutions and actionable recommendations for her clients. With a focus on tactical implementation, big-picture thinking, and high-touch relationships with stakeholders, she has earned the trust of numerous organizations engaged in life-changing work around the world.

Known for approaching challenges with tenacity and determination, Jackie brings a wealth of experience in independent school, higher education, and global and social nonprofit leadership and consulting that positions her as the ideal partner for recruiting top-tier talent.

Expertise

Jackie’s core strengths lie in her profound understanding of organizations and their operational intricacies, coupled with her ability to assess and fulfill the unique needs of development offices within these institutions. Her deep well of knowledge regarding the inner workings of institutions allows her to navigate their complexities with precision and insight, while her breadth of experience gives her an industry-level perspective.

Jackie has partnered with the full range of independent schools, including boarding and day schools, faith-based schools, single-gender schools, and specialty programs, as well as an array of higher education, global, and social nonprofits.

Experience

Jackie’s experience as a seasoned development officer within independent schools and higher education, as well as her extensive experience as a strategic consultant partnering with these institutions, uniquely positions her as a top expert and advisor for leaders in education.

Before joining Lindauer, Jackie honed her expertise in navigating the complexities of a range of educational and nonprofit environments working both in-house in development offices at institutions like Syracuse University, the Pingry School, and Delbarton School as well as externally as a principal consultant at Graham-Pelton, a global leader in nonprofit consulting.

Her commitment to the field includes serving on the Board of Directors for The Giving Institute and, previously, on the board of the Morris Education Foundation.

Education

Jackie holds a BA in Math and Psychology from Syracuse University.

Alex Teller brings more than a decade of experience in the arts and culture sector to his role as Lindauer’s Director of Marketing. Most recently, Alex served as Director of Communications for the Newberry Library in Chicago, where he ran strategic, integrated marketing and public relations campaigns from concept to execution. Managing an in-house creative team and partnering with colleagues across the library, Alex grew the Newberry’s audiences while repositioning the historic institution (135 years old and counting) as a dynamic cultural destination.

Alex draws on his experience in both communications and nonprofit management to support Lindauer’s search consultants and help clients market their opportunities to the right candidates, at the right time.

He has a BA in English from DePaul University and an MA in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Carol Tosh is a seasoned research and data professional who takes a holistic, people-centered approach to executive search. With over 10 years of experience in education and health and human services, she brings a deep understanding of the leadership needs for a wide range of organizations.

Carol’s passion for relational-driven research has been an integral part of her success. She sees herself as a detective, synthesizing unique combinations of search criteria—skills, backgrounds, and qualities—to uncover exceptional and diverse groups of candidates that meet each client’s goals. With a lifelong commitment to learning and growth, Carol applies a fresh perspective to every search, immersing herself in the details of each new project and equipping herself with an impressive breadth of industry-specific knowledge.

Expertise

Carol’s expertise lies at the intersection of data analysis and human-centric methodologies. Her approach to research is both meticulous and conceptual, allowing her to balance highly specific requirements for candidates with the need to align with the larger mission and goals of an organization. Her collaborative and integrated approach plays a critical role in Lindauer’s ability to present the best possible range of candidates to our clients.

Experience

Before joining Lindauer, Carol worked as a Speech Language Pathologist with Houston ISD, where she managed a team of 26 SLP professionals, serving thousands of students across nearly 300 campuses.

Transitioning into the realm of research and data management, Carol has leveraged her ability to solve problems for and across communities with diverse sets of needs and backgrounds to bring an innovative and cooperative approach to the Lindauer research process. Her combination of adaptability and organizational competence drawn from her career in public education administration and service has allowed Carol to excel at bridging the gap between data analysis and human experience.

Education

Carol holds an MA in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Houston.

Bringing over a decade of experience crafting compelling, research-backed content for a range of higher education, arts and culture, and government institutions, Joe Whitson mobilizes the mission, experience, and deep knowledge of Lindauer consultants and their clients, extending their extensive industry and leadership expertise to the candidates and audiences that need it.

As a content strategist, Joe keeps his thumb on the pulse of Lindauer’s various practice areas, drawing on interviews, focus groups, and original and external research to produce resources and thought leadership that ensure Lindauer is not just staying abreast of the constantly evolving industries and organizations we serve, but actively moving them forward.

Expertise

Joe’s expertise lies in his ability to translate complex, industry-specific information into accessible and actionable digital and written content for a range of audiences. He excels at seeing the connections between Lindauer expertise and emerging industry trends, producing timely insights that serve our clients and their communities.

At Lindauer, Joe specializes in marketing higher education, arts and culture, and alumni and constituent engagement searches, but maintains a strong portfolio of searches across all practice areas.

Experience

Joe joined Lindauer from Harvard University, where he held a research fellowship with the Mahindra Humanities Center as an inaugural member of the Center’s environmental humanities initiative and where he maintains a research affiliation. He previously managed the Digital Humanities initiative at the Kaplan Institute at Northwestern University, directing a research and writing workshop and strategizing on ways to use digital platforms to make humanities research accessible and applicable to the public.

As an instructor and lecturer at the University of Minnesota and Northwestern, Joe’s experience designing classes and teaching in fields like writing, cultural studies, history, and environmental policy has made him a skilled facilitator, mediator, and convener for the collective sharing of knowledge and expertise.

With a strong background in parks and museums, Joe’s knowledge mobilization and strategic communication skills were additionally honed working for or consulting with a range of local, state, national, and tribal institutions including the National Park Service, the Minnesota Historical Society, and Red Lake Nation.

Education

Joe holds a PhD in American Studies and a BA in Global Development Studies and History from the University of Minnesota.