DHR International to seek potential candidates for downtown museum:
The Everson Museum of Art will launch a search for a new Director on February 1, 2008. Sandra Trop, who has led the institution since 1994, will continue to serve as Director until her successor is hired. A new Director is anticipated to be in place by June 1.
“This will be a national search,” said Jack Rudnick, Everson Museum of Art Board President. “We’re committed to identifying and recruiting the very best person for the job. The Everson Museum is a tremendous community resource and a unique institution. The new Director will have a solid foundation to build on and we expect a high level of interest in this opportunity among professionals in the museum field.”
The Board has retained the Chicago-based firm DHR International to perform the search. DHR International is the country’s fifth-largest search firm with 40 offices in North America in addition to a strong international presence.
“We were impressed by the fact that DHR International has a dedicated nonprofit practice that has placed chief executives at many of the country’s leading nonprofit institutions,” Rudnick said. “The Firm has an excellent reputation and we’re confident they will be diligent and effective in representing the Museum to prospective candidates.”
Richard Capozza, Vice President of the Everson’s Board of Trustees and a Partner at Hiscock & Barclay, will chair the Search Committee.
“This will be a deliberate and thoughtful process,” Capozza said. “Search Committee members will work closely with the DHR team throughout the search. ”
“We have a lot of work to do before we start talking to candidates,” Capozza added. “Part of our preparation will be engaging not just Trustees and staff but also members of the community in determining the leadership qualities that will enable the new Director to build on the work Sandra and the Board have done. As part of that process, DHR will meet with external stakeholders and constituents of the Museum to ensure the Search Committee has a comprehensive understanding of community needs and expectations.”
Jack Rudnick, who succeeds Arthur Grant as President of the Everson’s Board of Trustees, is Vice President and General Counsel of Welch Allyn, the Skaneateles-based manufacturer of medical devices. He has served on the Board of the Everson Museum since 2003 and chaired the Search Committee until his election as President in December of 2007.
“I’m honored and delighted to serve as President of the Board at this important juncture in the Museum’s history,” Rudnick said. “The Board has set ambitious goals for the Everson and is committed to providing the leadership and support necessary to achieve them.”
Capozza outlined the search process: “The Board of Trustees will meet at the end of January with the team from DHR. The Consultants leading the search, Nick Van Hevelingen and Joe Hale, will also take that opportunity to speak with external constituents of the Museum. Those meetings will enable us to create a position specification that accurately describes the leadership characteristics we’re seeking in candidates. We anticipate weekly updates on the progress of their work and look forward to beginning candidate interviews in the early spring.”
According to Sarah Massett, Public Relations Director of the Everson, the homepage on the Museum’s website (www.everson.org) hosts a link to a page that provides regular updates on the progress of the search.
“The Museum is an important community resource,” she said. “We want those interested in
the progress of the search to have easy access to status reports.”
The page also includes contact information for the DHR Consultants, Massett said. “Nick and Joe welcome input from anyone who wishes to share their thoughts on the institution and its leadership needs.”
Nick Van Hevelingen, lead Consultant on the search, is Executive Vice President of DHR International and works from the Firm’s North American Headquarters in Chicago. Before entering the field of executive search in 1993, he spent eleven years in senior positions in arts administration and higher education. He served as a member of two Peer Review Panels of the National Endowment for the Arts and on the National Council on the Arts Policy Committee. He has performed searches for chief and senior executives in the visual and performing arts, higher education, social services and philanthropic sectors. Additionally, he provides succession management and board development counsel to nonprofit organizations.
Joe Hale, Managing Director of DHR International’s Indianapolis Office and Consultant in the Nonprofit Practice, also had a career in arts administration before joining Cinergy Corp. (now, Duke Energy), in 1995.
There, he served as Chief Communications Officer and President of the Cinergy Foundation. In the past twelve years, Joe raised more than $100 million for nonprofit organizations including the National Underground Freedom Center, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Zoo, Taft Museum, Holocaust and Humanity Education Center and Hanover College. He chaired the Board of the Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center and is currently a member of the National Board of the March of Dimes. He recently concluded the search for President of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.
