Need: Guidance in seeking a new Executive Director
Service: Executive Search
Sponsored by the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown, Beatitude House is a nondenominational agency providing women and children a variety of housing, educational and career preparation programs. When its long-time Executive Director announced her retirement, Smith Beers Yunker was recommended to the Board to assist in searching for a new leader.
From the beginning, Search Committee Chair Joe Fleming, found the firm’s approach refreshing: “Often, when you deal with consultants, all you see are dollar signs. But with Jim Yunker, he started out telling us about his background and his dedication to nonprofits. And from that moment, you could see how his whole approach revolved around how to do things most efficiently and most cost-effectively. Add that to his professionalism, his background, his expertise, his work ethic and his understanding of our agency and what we needed in an executive director … all of that confirmed that SBY was the right choice for us.”
Search Committee member David Kostolansky was pleased with the transparency and predictability of the process. As David explains, “The whole process was laid out for us ahead of time. We discussed what was going to happen, and that was confirmed in writing. So, we felt we knew what to expect, and quite frankly, from there, I really felt that the whole process went perfectly.”
For Board President Barbara Fisher, the firm’s knowledge and expertise was a great comfort. “The team at Smith Beers Yunker is very thoroughly professional,” explained Barbara.
“They know exactly what they need to do and how they need to do it, and that was very reassuring. They held our hands through the whole process and assured us it would all work out – and it did. The experience really exceeded my expectations, and we are just so thrilled with the results.
“He worked very well with us. The committee was very comfortable and at ease with Jim, which made them eager to cooperate with anything he needed. He was excellent at making sure the communication was meaningful and constructive. He had the right ideas, and all the suggestions he gave us were excellent. The results were really just beyond what we could have asked for.”
“I wouldn’t hesitate at all to recommend SBY to others. As a consultant, I think Jim is excellent. He has all the right qualities. He moves quickly, he was responsive to our needs, he was reassuring. He made us all feel very comfortable and confident in the process.”