leadership search for higher education

Spelman Johnson is a premier executive search firm exclusively committed to serving higher education.

Spelman Johnson is a premier executive search firm exclusively committed to serving higher education.

Recruiting talented leaders on behalf of the institutions we serve, our success is strengthened by our deep and diverse relationships and our investment in the development and engagement of a leadership pipeline. Since 1991, we’ve helped hundreds of higher education institutions identify outstanding professionals, pairing exceptional leaders with positions across all facets of the academy. Spelman Johnson is nationally recognized for our thought leadership on issues of equity and diversity and for our commitment to inclusion in higher education.

during our twenty-eight year history, Spelman Johnson has cultivated and supported a diverse, national network of professionals of color within higher education.

The relationships we establish in the course of our work

with multi-cultural professional groups and associations are part of an overall corporate commitment to the advancement of underrepresented professionals within higher education. Our placements show our strong commitment to the advancement of underrepresented persons within the field of higher education.

54%

of our searches have been completed with the hire of a woman

26%

of our positions hired have been persons of color

62%

of the women we have placed throughout our history remain in their positions or have been promoted to higher positions within the client institution

68%

of the persons of color remain in their positions or have been promoted within the client institution

News and Resources

Women of Color in Career Services: Research Findings and Recommendations for Practitioners

2/7/2019 | Larry Jackson, Assistant Director for Student Career Advising, Career Advancement, Northwestern University
&
Espie Santiago, Director of Employer Relationships, CollegeNET

Women of color (WOC) represent the fastest growing segment of the U.S. workforce (Catalyst, 2018). Additional research from Catalyst (2018) and recent articles from USA Today (2017) and Forbes (2015) discuss the employment landscape and challenges for WOC. Yet, little research has addressed the professional aspirations and challenges of WOC in higher education, let alone… Continue reading >

Congratulations to our recent placements - January

2/1/2019 | Ellen Heffernan

We are delighted to share with you the names of talented candidates who have recently advanced into key leadership positions with our partner institutions. Cindy Bruns Director of Counseling Services, Central Washington University William White Director of Security Training - Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Harmony Cross… Continue reading >

Welcome, Michel Frendian and Laura Puckett-Boler to Spelman Johnson

1/24/2019 | Ellen Heffernan

Spelman Johnson is pleased to announce that two new search associates, Michel Frendian and Laura Puckett-Boler, will soon join our growing team! With decades of experience as higher education executive administrators, Michel and Laura have a deep understanding of how to partner with institutions through the process of hiring their next leaders. Laura and Michel… Continue reading >