The Catawba College Presidential Search Committee has selected a firm that has facilitated more than 1,000 searches in the education and non-profit sectors nationwide to help with its work in selecting the College's 24th President.
Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, LP, with offices in Media, PA, and Whittier, CA, was selected after meeting with the committee on campus last week, according to an announcement by Bob Arnold, Chair of the Presidential Search Committee.
In the process of hiring the search firm, committee members conducted in-person interviews with representatives from four search firms. The four interviewed were chosen out of nine who submitted proposals to assist in the search process.
Dr. Jim Sirianni, Partner, will lead the Storbeck/Pimentel team and coordinate the firm's efforts with Catawba's Presidential Search Committee. Past clients whom they have assisted with placements include Davidson College, Rhodes College, Swarthmore College, and Bucknell University, among many others. Storbeck/Pimentel reports that 85 percent of its presidential placements since 2007 are either still in office or served for five years or more.
Storbeck/Pimentel reports on its website that "the ability of the institution to fulfill its mission hinges on finding exactly the right person for the job – the one with the right mixture of skills and traits, who will balance tradition and innovation, decisive leadership, and collegiality."
The Search Committee began its work after Brien Lewis announced in July that he is stepping down as President at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year. Lewis became President in 2012.
The decision to hire a search firm was made by the committee in August because the College does not have personnel to dedicate time to collect information on potential candidates, Arnold said. The Board of Trustees approved hiring the search firm, with the cost handled by the Board of Trustees, according to Bill Graham, Chairman of the Board of Trustees (ex-officio).
Members of the Presidential Search Committee are: Bob Arnold, Chair and trustee; Mark Alexander, Vice Chair and trustee; Nelson Murphy, Executive Vice President/CFO; Dr. Forrest Anderson, Associate Provost; Dan Bross, trustee; Dr. Randy Crumpler, trustee; Drew Davis, Director of Human Resources and Legal Counsel; Tom Dennard, trustee; Dr. Luke Dollar, Chair of the Department of Environment & Sustainability; Earl Givens Jr., Director of the Library; Dr. Jim Hand, Dean of the School of Health Science and Human Performance; Barry Leonard, trustee emeritus; Barbara Marshall, trustee; Deborah Messinger, trustee; Dr. Connie Rogers-Lowery, Provost; Dick Seiwell, trustee; Dr. Buster Smith, Faculty Senate Chair; Lee Syria, trustee; Dr. Jared Tice, Senior Vice President for the College Experience and Dean of Students; Dr. Maria Vandergriff-Avery, Faculty Senate Vice Chair; and Sally Whitney, trustee.
Additional updates of the Committee's work will be provided as the search process continues.
