Professional Documents
Culture Documents
searching for leaders with new and enhanced skill sets who also possess outstanding academic
credentials. The key element is for the institution to clearly determine the type of leader
desired.
Coleman Lew has developed special expertise in this area. From the beginning, the core
competency of Coleman Lew has been proactively identifying, recruiting, and evaluating
superior leaders regardless of the type of organization for which they serve/work. We have
built a practice within our firm that includes searches in public and private education (both
secondary and higher education), non-profit organizations, and government entities (where we
work closely with elected or appointed boards and/or committees). We also bring to our clients
broad and varied experience from conducting searches for executive leaders in the corporate
community. Consequently, we are experienced and skilled at successfully assisting all of our
clients in recruiting the type of leaders they desire.
Over the past five years, Coleman Lew has completed the Superintendent searches listed below
(alphabetical order). One of these districts serves more than 20,000 students, although the
process and experience with each is applicable, regardless of the number of students served.
Fairfield County School District, Winnsboro, SC
School district (9 schools, approximately 2900 students, approximately 300
employees) located in a historic county within the Piedmont region of South Carolina.
After significant Superintendent turnover (approximately six Superintendents in four
years), we were retained by the School Board to assist in recruiting a Superintendent
with a long-term commitment to repositioning the district. Dr. J. R. Green started his
tenure in August, 2012.
Below is a small sample listing of other relevant and recent searches, which Coleman Lew has
conducted or is currently conducting. Relevance for purposes of this list is generally defined as
a CEO-level position working directly for a Board (elected or appointed) and/or a position at a
large, complex, governmental entity. The list is in alphabetical order.
East Point Academy, Cayce, SC, Head of School (Public Charter School)
South Carolina public Chinese immersion charter school. Retained to replace founding
principal and director.
Lander University, Greenwood, SC, President; V.P Enrollment & Access Management
Public liberal arts oriented university of approximately 3,000 students. University was
recruiting a President to replace a long tenured president who was retiring. The new President
subsequently retained us to find a VP for Enrollment who serves as a member of the Cabinet.
MeckEd, President
Formed through the merger of four Mecklenburg County education organizations as an
independent, non-partisan proponent of excellent public education, the Board retained us to
recruit the next President of the organization.
Voyager Academy, Durham, NC, Executive Director (Head of Schools) (Public Charter School)
Public K-12 charter school (approximately 1,500 students) with a focus on project-based
learning. The Board was replacing the founding Head of School who was retiring.
2. Principal Employees
Coleman Lew + Associates, Inc.
326 W. 10th Street
Charlotte, NC 28202
704-377-0362
The three main shareholders, and the management team/principal employees of Coleman Lew
are:
Charles Lew, Managing Director: chlew@colemanlew.com
Kenneth D. Carrick, Jr., President: kencarrick@colemanlew.com
Shana Plott, Managing Director: splott@colemanlew.com
Besides the three employees listed above, CLA employs two additional search consultants, four
candidate development consultants, two administrative and financial professionals, and has a
team of five outside executive advisors. For information on the members of the CLA search team
for the Director search, please reference #3 below. . Information on all other Coleman Lew
professionals can be found on our website at www.colemanlew.com.
3. Search Team for the Hamilton County Director of Schools Search.
Our firm believes that a collaborative team approach is the most effective means to provide
exceptional service to our clients. For each search, we assign a team whose aggregate talents
will add the most value to the client. For this particular search, our team will consist of Ken
Carrick and Janet (Janny) DeLoache. I will lead the search, interview the candidates, and be
the primary point of contact. Janny will work as a partner, primarily focused on candidate
development but with additional responsibilities regarding client interaction. As your search
team, Janny and/or I also participate in each and every phase of the search process.
As head of the Coleman Lew Education practice, I have over 30 years of experience as an
executive search consultant. Janet (Janny) Rawls DeLoache has an undergraduate degree and
MEd from Converse College. She has previously worked at two academic institutions,
Converse College and Georgia Institute of Technology
Our philosophy of using a collaborative team approach ensures our clients that the service
they receive is not entirely dependent upon one person. While Janny and I will be the lead
consultants with primary responsibility and accountability for advising the Board and for the
success of the search, other valuable resources within our firm will be at the Hamilton County
Board of Educations disposal. In addition to the knowledge and experience of the members
of the search team, every member of the Coleman Lew staff has knowledge of all the searches
we are conducting, and as a result, may contribute ideas to the search team. Further, our
administrative staff is a valuable resource in coordinating some of the logistics related to
interviews.
Kenneth D. Carrick, Jr.
704-927-5302 (direct line)
kencarrick@colemanlew.com
Ken serves as President of Coleman Lew + Associates and has managed over 200
search engagements throughout his 30 years as a search consultant. He has
developed a significant number of clients in the areas of education, government, nonprofit, retail, and manufacturing. Ken graduated summa cum laude with a BA degree
in Accounting and Business Administration from Catawba College and a MBA from
Wake Forest University. Ken began his career as an accountant with Duke Energy and
later worked for a national insurance company before joining Coleman Lew +
Associates in 1986.
Ken has been an active volunteer in service groups and youth sports associations in
the Charlotte community and currently serves on the Greenwood Genetic Center
Foundation Board (formerly the SC Birth Defects Foundation), and just finished his
second term as a member of the Americas Council Board of the Association of
Executive Search Consultants (AESC). He is a past member of the Board of Directors
of the Greater Carolinas Chapter of the American Red Cross and Covenant Day School.
He and his wife have three children, two of whom are currently attending college (UNC
- Chapel Hill and Washington and Lee University). His third child is a rising junior in
high school and Special Olympian.
Janny Rawls DeLoache
704-377-7828 (direct line)
jdeloache@colemanlew.com
Since 1999, Janny has provided research, sourcing, and candidate development on
numerous search engagements, with a particular focus in the areas of education, nonprofit, and governmental entities as well as sales and marketing. She also is active in
client relations, consultations, and assisting clients with neutral site interviews. Janny
attended Converse College, where she earned a BFA degree with honors and a MEd
degree. Early in her career she served as an Admissions Counselor and as Assistant
Dean of Students at Converse, and later as Assistant to the Vice President of Student
Affairs at Georgia Institute of Technology. She also worked in account services as Vice
President for Marketing Outreach, Inc. in Atlanta, and as Southeast Regional Manager
for New York based, US Concepts, Inc. Both firms specialized in the execution of
marketing campaigns, sales/retail promotions, and special events for Fortune 500
firms.
Janny is a member of the Mint Museum Auxiliary, the Junior League, as well as an
Encore Life Member at the Childrens Theater of Charlotte. She is a recipient of the
Converse 100 Award and she has served on the Converse Alumnae Board and more
recently the Wofford Colleges Parent Advisory Council. Janny and her husband Bill, a
Wofford alumnus, have two college graduates, a son (Wofford 12) and daughter
(Georgetown 14).
4. School District References
Deborah Knight, Board Chair, Lexington County School District One
Lexington, SC
803-351-3959
lexdeb73@gmail.com
Jim Vining, Board Chair, Rock Hill School District Three
Rock Hill, SC
803-984-5066
jvining@rhmail.org
Beth Reid, Board Chair, Fairfield County School District
Winnsboro, SC
803-718-1800
erreid23@gmail.com
5. Services Used to Identify Qualified Candidates
6. Our Unique Expertise
Our answers to these two RFP questions are related so we will answer them both in the following
section.
From the services we provide, to the way we service our clients, and including the way we price
our services, CLA takes an overall approach that is generally substantially different than that
used by a majority of firms that specialize in public school superintendent searches. In general,
and very briefly:
We are relationship vs. transaction oriented therefore we have a strong advisory and
leadership evaluation component to our services including an in-person interview with
any candidate we recommend.
We employ professionals whose primary occupation is search consulting therefore our
core competency is providing executive search expertise.
We do not rely on boilerplate tools and resources for determining candidates for a
search; we conduct original research and do not rely on just database searches and
public advertisements.
We recognize the uniqueness of each client and each search and therefore personalize
our approach to our clients need(s).
We are an AESC firm and adhere to their Practice Guidelines and Code of Ethics as noted
below; therefore we do not recruit from our clients, nor do we continually recruit the
executives we place.
Please contact any of the three references listed above to verify the value we can add to the
search process by utilizing our methodology as compared to the methodology often used by firms
specializing in superintendent searches.
More complete information about our services and expertise is included below.
Our Philosophy and Client Partnership
For every client, we seek to develop and maintain a value-added, mutually beneficial partnership.
Our overall approach to partnering with clients to market an opportunity can be briefly
summarized as follows:
We work for you. We get to know you, your organization, and your leadership needs.
Knowing our client to the fullest extent possible is a critical step and may be the most
important part of the search process. Every search is unique and every client is
unique. We want to thoroughly understand the clients need and the institutions
culture. It is important to note that because of this philosophy, we do not, in any way,
represent candidates or assist them in finding a position. We partner with you, our
client, and work exclusively on your behalf to help you recruit the best possible
leader to meet your need.
We proactively source for candidates that meet your criteria. After meeting with
appropriate stakeholders, we submit for approval a brief position description to be
used in our solicitation of candidates. The key element is for us to clearly understand
the type of leader desired and have these desires reflected in the written document.
Once the position description is approved, we begin our sourcing. Although we have
an extensive database of potential candidates and referral sources, we conduct
original research to identify and recruit the best possible candidates for each clients
unique situation. This original research and sourcing can be broken down into two
types of activity: passive/reactive and proactive. Our work plan approach utilizes
both types.
Passive/reactive sourcing may include posting the position description on the
organizations website, the CLA website, and at other specifically selected, targeted
national websites. We will manage all advertising and/or postings, either online
(preferred) or in print. It has been our practice to obtain client approval before
posting the position at any specific location. In our experience, the yield from this
activity is directly related to the number of individuals who happen to read the
material and respond. A reasonable estimate is that no more than 10%-25% of
qualified candidates are identified in this manner.
Proactive sourcing refers to proactively identifying, contacting (by phone and email),
and sending the position description to individuals who either have the desired
leadership qualities and experience, or can refer us to candidates who do. We then
attempt to entice these individuals to be interested in the position and/or to refer us
to people they think are qualified. While it is somewhat difficult to predetermine
sourcing targets prior to gathering information about the clients desires, once we
focus in on organizations that are primary sourcing targets, we then identify and
contact qualified individuals at these institutions. It has been our experience that
75%-90% of our candidates come from this proactive sourcing.
As we conduct this original research, we draw on a number of factors including, but
not limited to: a time tested and proven search methodology; various contacts and
relationships that have been cultivated, nurtured, and maintained; technology; and
the collective experience of the team working on the assignment. Our experience
clearly indicates that the most effective method for educating potential candidates
about the attractiveness of an opportunity is to engage them in dialogue. Each
conversation is both a selling and an evaluation opportunity. In the majority of
our search assignments, the recruited candidates were individuals who were not
actively seeking to change positions.
We act as your advisor and partner as you move through the interview and selection
process. We stay in close contact with you and the candidates. We facilitate feedback
and help you move through this stage as thoroughly, efficiently, and effectively as
possible. We check references and assist you with offer negotiations. The process,
and our involvement, is about helping you attract the leader you desire.
We seek to perform all of these activities with the utmost integrity, confidentiality,
professionalism, and adherence to industry ethical standards. We adhere to the
AESC Code of Ethics as listed below:
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In addition, CLA is not a specialist executive search firm; we are generalists in terms of the total
scope of our practice. Therefore, have no known significant off-limits issues with any of our other
clients. Further, we have no parallel processing issues (recruiting the same candidate for the
same position at multiple organizations) and no conflict of interest issues often encountered by
specialized firms. Our off-limits period is two years following the end of the last search we
conduct for the organization. However, the candidate who is placed is generally off-limits forever
as long as she/he continues employment with the same organization. In addition, we purposely
limit the number of clients we serve within a specific sector/industry
Meet with the School Board, key stakeholders, constituents, and/or other designated
individuals to determine the specifications for the position. We take the time necessary
to understand all the factors influencing the responsibilities of the position and the type
of candidate desired. This site visit for information gathering purposes is customized to
meet client needs once we have spoken to the BOE.
Submit for approval a brief position description to be used in our initial solicitation of
candidates.
September December:
Conduct original research to select targeted institutions and sources in order to identify
and recruit potential candidates. We personally contact these leaders to solicit their
interest or their referrals.
Evaluate all legitimate prospects by telephone interview screening and conduct face-toface interviews with promising candidates.
Conduct personal interviews with, and objectively evaluate, internal candidates (if any).
Present to the BOE a packet on each recommended candidate, including the candidates
resume and cover letter, CLA confidential summary profiles, professional evaluation
(verbal), personality profile using the Golden Personality Type Profiler (if desired), and all
other information submitted by the candidate. All written information is shared through
a secure online portal, the Coleman Lew SmartVault, for ease of access and
confidentiality.
December - February
Conduct reference checking on all finalist candidates. If requested, conduct further indepth background checks, to include financial, litigation, police, sexual predator index,
and driving records.
Advise the Board as needed; assist in negotiation of the offer to the selected candidate.
Advise you with ideas for a transition plan for the new Director of Schools.
March April
We will also maintain contact with the new leader to gain insight into their transition and
assimilation into the Hamilton County Schools (once they have assumed the position).
In summary, our goal on every search is to efficiently and effectively recruit the best
candidate(s) for our clients unique situation(s). As stated above, the timeline outlined in
the RFP is very realistic. The CLA search team will give their best efforts to provide the BOE
a group of exceptional candidates within a reasonable time frame. However, since we
conduct original research to recruit the most qualified candidates that meet your criteria,
and not just the best available candidates, it does take time to identify these individuals
and cultivate their interest. In addition, the BOE must consider that it will take time to
work through the logistics of a site visit and an interview process involving multiple people,
multiple candidates, offer negotiation, and notice period after a resignation. Much of this
activity is not controlled by us, but depends upon the availability and responsiveness of
school/BOE personnel and candidates. Therefore we cannot guarantee exact dates but as
stated earlier, the overall timeline is very reasonable and should be met. One item worth
noting: while search firms can control, to a large degree, how quickly they have candidates
for the client to consider, often those firms quoting the shortest length of time result to
passive sourcing techniques, or an over-reliance on known available candidates versus
candidates sourced through proactive means. We strongly urge our clients not to sacrifice
quality for speed. That said, it is in both our, and our clients, best interest for all of us to
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compensation. For this search, we will offer a fixed fee arrangement, which generally
approximates 30% of a reasonable estimate of the first years total cash compensation. These
fees are subject to a minimum fee of $50,000. Based on the Directors compensation information
available to us at this time, we propose conducting this search for a fixed fee of $60,000.
Our billing schedule for a fixed fee is four equal payments: 1/4 of the fee due at the start of
search (prior to the site visit), with subsequent installments due 30 and 60 days after the search
begins (once the position description is approved), and the balance due upon the candidates
acceptance of an offer).
Guarantee
If the placed candidate should resign or be terminated for cause within one year of the date
of hire, we will replace the candidate without charging a professional fee. Out of pocket
expenses will be billed as per a normal search. There are two exceptions to this guarantee:
1) the use of illegal or unethical business practices on the part of Hamilton County Board of
Education, making it impossible for the individual to stay; and 2) a material change in the
individuals job responsibilities that is unrelated to his/her performance.
Ancillary Hires
Ancillary hires result from situations where candidates recruited during this search process
are subsequently hired by the Hamilton County Board of Education into other positions,
within a one-year period from the date of hire of the Director of the Hamilton County Schools.
Our fee for each ancillary hire will be 25% of the annualized base salary plus bonuses
(expected, guaranteed, and/or signing). For ancillary hires, the fee will be billed in full at the
time the hire is completed.
Expenses
Expenses for a search fall into two categories:
1) Expenses incurred and controlled by Coleman Lew such as travel to meet with the
client, travel to interview candidates, and telephone/postage/copying expenses, etc. In lieu of
billing charges for telephone, postage, copying, etc., we bill a one-time administrative fee of
$490. In addition, the vast majority of our face-to-face candidate interviews are conduct via
Skype resulting in no travel expense to our client. On each search, we make every prudent
attempt to minimize out-of-pocket expenses without compromising the quality service that we
are known for providing. We estimate this category of expenses for this search would probably
be less than $3,000.
2) Expenses controlled entirely by the client such as advertising/posting and expenses
for client/candidate interviews. (These expenses are normal expenses for a search and will
occur regardless of any Coleman Lew activities.) Although we do not control these expenditures,
as a convenience to our client, we will make all logistical arrangements for these types of
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expenses. We will also assume payment for all expenses, which we will consolidate into itemized
invoices. Consequently, the BOE will pay one vendor (CLA) for expenses and we will facilitate
candidate reimbursement. If the Hamilton County Board of Education prefers to manage the
client-controlled expenses, CLA will not need to provide this service.
10. Additional Information
Value-Added Advantages that Differentiate Coleman Lew
Coleman Lew offers a number of value-added advantages, in addition to those listed above, to
the search process for the Hamilton County Director of Schools position. Among them are:
Although we have a broad national practice, we are regionally located and one of the oldest
executive search firms in the Carolinas. We are experienced in recruiting leaders to live and
serve in communities throughout the Southeast. More specifically, we have relevant
experience recruiting leaders to work in the education, non-profit, and government sectors.
This knowledge and familiarity with the region, and the sector(s), enables us to better
understand the needs of the Hamilton County BOE and allows us to provide a high level of
accessibility and attention.
We conduct assignments in teams so the scope of work is not dependent on one person.
We have broad and varied experiences that enable us to bring a big picture strategic view to
a search of this importance.
We have few, if any, off-limits restrictions or ethical conflicts that would constrain us on this
search.
Have you or any of your principals been in litigation or arbitration involving executive
search services for any public, private or charter K-12 schools during the prior five
years? NO If so, provide the name of the school district and briefly detail the dispute.
NA
2.
Have you ever had a contract terminated for convenience or default in the prior five
years? NO If yes, provide details, including the name of the other party. NA
3.
Is your firm, owners and/or principals, partner or manager involved in or is your firm
aware of any pending litigation regarding professional misconduct, bad faith,
discrimination, or sexual harassment? NO If yes, provide details. NA
4.
Is your firm, owners and/or principals or partners involved in or aware of any pending
disciplinary action and/or investigation conducted by any local, state or federal agency?
NO If yes, provide details. NA
Dr. Welch, I trust we have adequately addressed the questions from the RFP. If you need any
additional information, please do not hesitate to ask. On behalf of the entire Coleman Lew team,
we are highly interested in partnering with the Hamilton County Schools for this critical search
and hope to have the opportunity to discuss it in more detail via a meeting with the Board. Thank
you again for your consideration.
Regards,
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Addendum
Below is a more extensive list of education and public sector searches successfully conducted by
Coleman Lew + Associates. Some of these searches may have previously been referenced in our
responses.
Sample of Education Searches Conducted (without regard to time period)
Public Sector Institutions denoted by BOLD
Brookfield Academy, Brookfield, WI
Head of School
Head of School
President
Head of School
President
Vice President Business Operations
Vice President Institutional Advancement
Provost
Head of School
Superintendent
Executive Director
Commissioner
President
Head of School
Commissioner
Commissioner
Head of School
President
President
Managing Director
President
Vice President of University Advancement
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Sample of Public Sector and Non-Profit Searches Conducted (without regard to time period)
Public Sector Organizations denoted by BOLD
Allendale County Hospital, Fairfax, SC
City Manager
Executive Director
Gaston County, NC
Executive Director
MeckEd, Charlotte, NC
President
Director of Communications
Director of Retirement Services
South Carolina Chamber of Commerce
Executive Director
President