Education

Independent School Executive Search

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Independent schools operate with less public intervention. Many receive no public funding and do not have a board of governors or trustees. Those with leadership boards controlling their operations must find leaders themselves rather than elect them through public processes. These and other unique challenges that independent schools face require a tailored approach. 

At Diversified Search Group, we bring expertise and customization to your executive search and leadership consulting processes. Our Education Practice comprises firms like Diversified Search, Koya Partners, and Storbeck Search, which are devoted to mission-driven and educational institutions. We recognize that each independent school is unique, and our managing directors have strong partnerships with these institutions. 

We will provide the necessary connections to find the right leader that drives your organization forward. 

Expert Guidance for Independent School Executives

Working with Diversified Search to fill your executive positions means personalized service and a diverse candidate slate of the best individuals for the post. Our team draws on experience from working in education positions and conducting over 150 searches each year for leaders in the educational sector. Our independent school executive search firm is also a proud supporter of the National Association of Independent Schools, a nonprofit organization committed to the future of education and community empowerment. 

Our primary independent school firms include Diversified Search, Storbeck Search, and Koya Partners. Storbeck Search, our educational search firm, was founded and is currently led by Shelly Weiss Storbeck. She has conducted over 500 executive searches in education and writes, speaks, and consults on education issues across the United States. 

We also bring in experts from other brands like BioQuest and Alta Associates to contribute advanced knowledge to medical, life sciences, and cybersecurity searches. We locate qualified and inspiring leaders to serve in many independent school positions, including:

• Head of school
• Division head
• Principal
• Director of diversity
• Director of equity and community engagement
• Assistant head of school
• Director of curriculum
• Chief financial officer
• Director of admissions
• Director of public relations

Private School Executive Search

Private schools are a particular type of independent school in which leaders and funding come from private sources. The leaders on the school board or board of trustees might come from a nonprofit, a church, or a for-profit corporation. Private schools that we serve in this sector include:

• Independent Catholic holy order schools
• Catholic diocesan school
• Non-Catholic religious school
• All-boys or all-girls schools
• Learning difference schools
• International schools
• Boarding schools

Since private schools range in focus from religious instruction to specialized programs for children with learning differences, the qualities you look for in a leader might change drastically. At Diversified Search, we assign a managing director to lead each search, giving you personalized attention to find the best individual for the position you intend to fill. We spend time learning about your organization and its goals before contacting individuals we think might fit your educational atmosphere well. 

Charter School Executive Search

As publicly funded institutions with private leadership, charter schools face unique challenges and opportunities. Unlike public schools, these institutions often leave more room for creativity in the curriculum. Given their public funding, they also must abide by a charter that lays out their mission, academic goals, fiscal guidelines, and other accountability requirements. 

Leaders in such schools must have the expertise to balance charter requirements with creative growth opportunities. Additionally, they must take special heed to issues like enrollment, especially in regions where the number of students who apply exceeds the number the school can educate. 

We can help you find a charter school leader with the expertise to balance charter requirements while creating a creative and innovative space for learning. We provide a bespoke executive search experience, shaping our process to suit your organization. Our deliberately different approach involves building inclusive candidate slates with individuals from various historically underrepresented groups, including women and people of color. 

Why Choose Us for Executive Search Services

For over 40 years, we have worked to redefine success in executive search and find qualified individuals to fill leadership positions across many industries. We focus on identifying transformative leaders who can shape your institution’s future, its students, and the community. Independent educational institutions that work with us for executive search experience many benefits, including:

• Personalized attention from an executive search firm for independent schools that is small enough to care about your organization and mission but large enough to have an extensive contact network.
• Award-winning service from a firm recognized by Forbes for the past five years as one of America’s top 10 executive search firms.
• We provide your desired level of confidentiality during our process and always work with integrity, turning down other inquiries if they might interfere with a current one.

Browse Executive Positions

We keep an online record of all nonconfidential executive searches in the educational sector. This record helps our potential clients learn about our current partnerships. It also allows those seeking executive positions to find jobs that suit their experience and perspectives. Learn more about our active searches for independent school positions.