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

Transitioning to a Life after Sports

6/13/2019
Dr. Julian Capel — Student and Community Outreach Director - University of South Carolina

I played basketball growing up. Nothing else. After attending the University of North Carolina at Asheville for my freshman year, I then transferred to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). My college experience was a combination of wonderful and awful. Off the court, college was great—parties, classes, and just hanging out. I definitely enjoyed the attention from… Continue reading >

Congratulations to our recent placements! - May 2019

6/10/2019 | 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. Karleen Howard Director of Financial Aid, McDaniel College Travis Carter Director of Admission, Randolph College Jim Irwin Vice President of Business & Finance, Washington & Jefferson College Rachel Beech Associate… Continue reading >

2019 Summer Reading List

5/29/2019 | Ellen Heffernan

With the long days of summer ahead, it is time to consider grabbing a favorite cool beverage and a good book to nurture body and soul. In the spirit of the season, we thought we would share a few publications that have proved to be especially insightful. Perhaps you will want to tuck a volume… Continue reading >