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

Congratulations to our recent placements - September & October

10/24/2019 | 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. Matthew Dewey Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Texas Tech University Raymond Rogers Director, Career Services, Texas State University Maureen White Director of Athletics, Connecticut College Anthony Garrison-Engbrecht Chief of Staff, University… Continue reading >

Apply for a scholarship to attend WLI 2019

10/1/2019 | Ellen Heffernan

Spelman Johnson is delighted to be offering five scholarships to cover registration fees for the 2019 Women’s Leadership Institute, to be held in Amelia Island, Florida from December 9-12, 2019. Scholarships are open to all those that wish to apply, however, there will be a preference given to women professionals from Community Colleges, Tribal Colleges… Continue reading >

If you don’t like something, change it.

9/30/2019
Lisa MacDonald — Director of Equity Compliance, MassBay Community College

At the start of the 2017-2018 academic year, I was beginning my sixth year at an institution where I had been working in the division of student affairs. Whether it was residence life & housing, student conduct, or orientation, Student Affairs was what I knew. I had roots that ran deep, dating back to a… Continue reading >