Executive transitions are defining moments for nonprofits. For board members serving during a transition, finding the right leader is the most important—and most impactful—decision they will make. The search for the right executive leader is not just about filling a role. It’s about defining the future of an organization.
In the spring of 2024, Caracole, a Cincinnati-based organization that provides housing and supportive services for people living with HIV/AIDS, faced this opportunity and obligation head-on. As a critical resource in the community, Caracole’s leadership plays a vital and highly visible role navigating a complex political and public health landscape.
One day in April, Mark Haggard, Caracole’s Board President, received a phone call from Linda Seiter, the organization’s CEO of 20 years, sharing her plans for retirement. Long accustomed to adapting its services to meet ever-evolving needs, Caracole’s board and staff—under Mark’s leadership as search chair—faced a new challenge: writing Caracole’s next chapter.
The Importance of a Strong Search Chair
At the heart of the transition process is the search chair, who serves as the anchor for the search committee and the primary point of contact for the search firm.
For organizations like Caracole, with mission-oriented, highly connected teams and long-tenured leaders, the stakes are particularly high. The departure of a beloved, successful CEO has the potential to unsettle staff and stakeholders, disrupt operations, and even impact fundraising. The search chair can mitigate these risks by leading the process with transparency and a commitment to bringing stakeholders together to align around a vision for the organization’s future.
A strong search chair brings several key attributes:
- Leadership Skills: They recruit the search committee, ensuring the right voices are represented, and facilitate productive conversations about the organization’s needs and vision.
- Knowledge of the Organization: Familiarity with the nonprofit’s mission, culture, and stakeholders is essential for identifying a leader who aligns with its values.
- Clear Communication: By proactively communicating about the process, internally and externally, the search chair can help increase comfort with the process and prepare an organization to embrace its next leader.
- Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion: With support from the search firm, the chair ensures the search is comprehensive, equitable, and reflects the organization’s commitment to representing and serving its community.
The role of the search chair is strategic and crucial to the success of the process. In guiding the search committee to the recommendation and appointment of an incoming leader, they will shape the culture, vision, and impact of the organization for years to come.
Case Study: Caracole’s Challenges and Solutions
Every executive search process comes with its own set of challenges; Caracole was no exception. Guided by its search chair and supported by Benefactor Group, the organization navigated several key obstacles.
Challenge 1: Identifying the Right Search Committee
Caracole’s work is complex—its programs range from case management, supportive housing and pharmacy services to harm reduction and prevention. Caracole’s CEO needed to possess extensive technical expertise, in addition to nonprofit executive skills: leadership, fundraising, financial management, and board governance. Given this, it was vital to assemble a search committee that reflected the breadth of the organization’s work and could objectively evaluate candidates in a broad range of complex areas.
Solution: With support from Benefactor Group, Mark recruited a search committee with expertise in a range of sectors. In addition to including representatives of the board’s executive committee, the search committee included HR leaders, clinic staff with decades of experience in HIV/AIDS care, long-time donors, and foundation leaders with expertise in health equity.
Challenge 2: Balancing Stakeholder Needs and Expectations
After decades of Linda Seiter’s successful leadership of the organization, Caracole’s stakeholders had high expectations of the next CEO. Many also wished to ensure the search process reflected the unique culture at Caracole.
Solution: Mark said of the announcement, “I knew everyone on staff was shocked. They all knew it would happen sometime, but they were shocked when it ultimately happened. I flew home to meet with them one on one. I let them know that I was going to look out for them.” One-on-one engagement with Caracole’s leadership team helped allay fears and offered reassurance that the search process would honor the culture and mission of Caracole. Moving forward from the announcement, Mark worked closely with Benefactor Group to identify audiences for listening sessions and a community survey. By gathering broad input, the chair and Benefactor Group helped the committee align on a shared set of priorities and a realistic preview of the culture of Caracole.
Challenge 3: Keeping the Community Informed
Caracole values transparency and inclusivity in its communications, internally and externally. If stakeholders—staff, partners, clients, or any of the 30 members of its full board—perceived the search as secretive or inequitable, it could undermine the ability to recruit and retain a strong candidate.
Solution: Proactive, frequent, transparent communication was essential to build support for the search process. After the announcement of Linda’s retirement and the selection of Benefactor Group as the search partner, Benefactor Group provided bi-weekly updates for staff and board, circulated by the search chair and staff leadership. These communications provided a transparent look at the status of the search, outlined opportunities to engage and support, and provided answers to frequently asked questions. As search chair, Haggard included his own updates and maintained an open-door policy. “In my career, I’ve always been big on communication and keeping people informed. If they’re informed, they don’t have time to ruminate and speculate. Throughout the process, I made sure my door was open and everyone had my email. And I ended every communication with an invitation for questions.”
Conclusion
Under the guidance of its search chair and with the expertise of Benefactor Group, Caracole found a leader, Jeniece Jones, with the skills and values necessary for success as the organization’s CEO. Jones brings over two decades of executive leadership experience in social justice organizations, expertise in issues of affordable housing and homelessness prevention, and a commitment to Caracole’s values.
Caracole’s journey to finding its next CEO demonstrates how thoughtful leadership (including a rockstar search chair!), deep knowledge of an organization, a commitment to transparency and inclusivity, and professional support can capture the power of a transition to propel an organization’s mission.
If you are navigating a leadership change, don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected] with your questions. We are always happy to discuss.
