Education

Committed to Education Leadership

WittKieffer understands the critical role that institutions across the education landscape play in transforming the world around us — in shaping the minds of tomorrow, catalyzing discovery and innovation, and expanding the limits of knowledge. Our deep commitment to education leadership drives our commitment to our clients.

We are experts in identifying outstanding leadership. For us, a successful search is about much more than filling a role — it’s about bringing transformational leadership to mission-driven institutions. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of excellence in providing a search experience distinct from any other.

Your mission inspires our work.

WittKieffer is the largest executive search firm exclusively dedicated to serving mission-driven institutions that improve the quality of life. Our Education Practice has a singular focus: identifying leadership in education. We serve our client institutions with integrity, professionalism, responsiveness and a commitment to excellence.

We advance leadership diversity.

At WittKieffer, we believe that all organizations, including ours, are strengthened by a diversity of thought, experience and perspective. Our values drive results — in the last three years, more than half of our Education Practice placements have been women and/or people of color.

Our expertise comes from experience.

We conduct more leadership-level searches in education each year than any other firm. Our network, reach and credibility across the education landscape afford our clients superior access to exceptional candidates. With the majority of our consultants having served as education leaders themselves, our knowledge is our greatest strength.

We work better by working together.

Partnership is paramount in every search we do. We thrive on collaboration, tailoring our approach to each client’s needs. We provide thoughtful counsel and decision support throughout the process, and our deep due diligence mitigates risk in decision-making. As your partner in executive search, our success depends on yours.

Success Story

Mark Brimhall-Vargas, CDO at Brandeis University

Brandeis Diversity Efforts in Good Hands with Brimhall-Vargas in CDO Role

Mark Brimhall-Vargas, Ph.D., joined Brandeis University as its first-ever chief diversity officer (CDO) and vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion. His role is to ensure and promote a culture of diversity and inclusion on campus, working directly with students, faculty and staff, and reporting directly to the president. Prior to arriving at Brandeis, he was the chief diversity officer and associate provost (CDO/AP) at Tufts University, where he was responsible for promoting diversity and inclusion across three campuses at Tufts.

Connect with Our Practice Leaders

We partner with leading education institutions every day. Let us know how we can help yours. Practice Leaders Robin Mamlet and Zach Smith, Ph.D. can answer your questions or tell you more.

Contact Our Practice Leaders

We're Passionate about Leadership — and Experts at Finding It

Our international reach, the diversity of institutions we serve and the services we provide ensure we find the right leadership for your institution.

Mid-Level Executive Search

Identifying exceptional leaders for mission-critical roles.

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Interim Leadership

Leaders on-demand for transitions and short-term needs.

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Global Executive Search

Knowledge, networks and impact that span the globe.

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Education Leadership Resources

A Collaborative Approach to Higher Ed Executive Search

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Reputation Management in an Era of Too Much Information

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Shared Governance Works in Executive Hiring, if We Let It

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Balancing Confidentiality with Transparency in a Higher Education Leadership Search