Executive Careers

New CEOs:

ABFE closes president search

The Association of Black Foundation Executives selected Susan Taylor Batten as its new president, ending a nationwide executive search. Batten will officially lead the group Jan. 5. Gregory L. King will continue to serve as interim executive director in the meantime, a position he has held since February.

Batten joins the 38-year-old professional society from the Annie E. Casey Foundation where she is a senior associate responsible for equity, diversity and strengthening the organization’s focus on addressing racial disparities in grantmaking. Batten was previously vice president at the Center for Assessment and Policy Development, where she led projects for national foundations in leadership development.

Her government work includes overseeing national evaluations of federal child nutrition programs and increasing access to food programs for the homeless population for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service. She joined the USDA from the District of Columbia government.

Resolve taps Earthworks CEO

Stephen D’Esposito took the top spot Oct. 1 at RESOLVE, a group that promotes collaboration in public discussions, and immediately began working toward the launch of his new group’s Earth Solutions Center, which will address challenges in natural resource management and public health. D’Esposito comes to RESOLVE after more than a decade as CEO of EARTHWORKS, an environmental and community-based nonprofit inWashington, D.C., dedicated to reducing the impact of mineral development.

D’Esposito’s experience also includes positions with Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace International, where he was head of the executive committee stationed in Amsterdam. At RESOLVE, he succeeds Gail Bingham, who plans to continue to serve as president emeritus and as a mediator and senior advisor to the group and to government stakeholders. “Steve’s career has evolved from a primary focus on advocacy to playing a unique role as a convener and consensus builder,” said Hank Habicht, managing partner at SAIL Ventures and RESOLVE Board Chair.

Explore Company aided RESOLVE in the executive search resulting in D’Esposito’s hire. EARTHWORKS is conducting an executive search. Payal Sampat, the international campaign director, and Kimberlee Dinn, its operations director will manage the association in the interim.

Women’s governmental nonprofit selects Beatty as new president

Mary Brooks Beatty has been chosen to succeed retiring Susan Crosby as president of Women In Government, a national nonprofit representing women state legislators and offering them leadership opportunities, networking and educational resources. Beatty began her new role Nov. 17.

She has nonprofit leadership experience with government affairs. Her prior positions include director of state government affairs at Panhandle Eastern Corp. (now Duke Energy) and she served as executive director of the National Environmental Policy Institute, also in Washington, D.C., for three years. She worked previously as a research analyst in the Oklahoma State Legislature. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Searches under way:

Freedom Writers Foundation
Long Beach, CA
Search under way for Executive Director of this organization that seeks decrease high school dropout rates through creating opportunities for student to reach their full academic potential and aspire to higher education. Seek individual to manage day-to-day operations; implement short- long-term strategic plans; facilitate communication and build good working relationships with the board; interface with major donors and foundations; develop, implement, and manage core programs; hire, develop supervise staff, contractors, and volunteers; maintain official records; develop board and donors relations; increase funding opportunities through campaigns, grant writing, fundraising appeals, special events and fee-for service operations; and manage finances, including annual budgeting reporting and analysis. Need passion for education; significant political and nonprofit management experience; extensive fundraising experience; entrepreneurial mindset open to creativity and new ideas; ability to translate vision into action, to organize, prioritize, and delegate program fundraising functions and to communicate effectively with a wide range constituents; skill-set to manage a growing organization; demonstrated leadership skills; and excellent oral and written communication skills. Search by Molly Brennan at Koya Consulting. E-mail: executivesearch@koyaconsulting.com Internet: www.freedomwritersfoundation.org

Organization of American Historians
Bloomington, IN
Search under way for Executive Director for a five-year renewable term. Provide leadership for the day-to-day operations of the OAH executive office, supervises the staff, and oversee the budget, projects, and activities of the OAH, including the annual meeting. Need a record of active scholarly pursuits; commitment to mobilize and communicate with historians of widely different interests and to represent their concerns in national, regional, and local settings; a sensitivity to the interests of the organization's diverse constituencies; a vision of how the organization's Web presence and digital opportunities can be enhanced; experience with development and marketing strategies; and a sound understanding of non-profit organization finances. Applicants should send letters of application and curriculum vitae by December 31, 2008 to Pete Daniel, co-chair, OAH Executive Director Search, at dirsearch@oah.org and have three letters of recommendation sent to the same address. The search will remain open until an appointment is made, but review of files will commence on November 15, 2008.

The Treatment and Learning Centers
Rockville, MD
Search under way for Executive Director. Seek individual to complete a strategic plan; implement the strategic plan in partnership with staff and board; develop a plan to address space needs; create a new resource development plan, including beginning the early-stage planning for a capital campaign; develop resources to enhance the organization’s ability to retain and compete for top notch talent; make policy recommendations to the board to expand the mission and goals; and provide leadership to the organization; manage its day-to-day affairs. Need a Master’s degree in health care or developmental disabilities; 10 years of senior management experience, including direct experience managing in a nonprofit, multi-service setting; experience in organizations serving people with development disabilities, learning disabilities or other special needs populations; experience in budgeting and financial management at a scale similar or larger than TLC; experience in resource development, including government grants and contracts, major gifts, individual and corporate donations, planned giving, capital campaigns, and private foundation grants; the ability to build and maintain excellent board and external stakeholder relationships as well as to maintain and develop high-performing teams; excellent leadership skills; and excellent oral and written communication skills. Cover letter, resume and salary requirements to search firm. Search by TransitionGuides, 1751 Elton Road, Suite 204, Silver Spring, MD 20903 Telephone: 301-439- 6635 Fax: 301-439-6638 E-mail: TLC@transitionguides.com

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