Our Recent Executive Placements
Our Executive Search and Transitions team is hard at work finding organizations the candidates that are right for them. Here are some of our recent placements.

Community Access to the Arts (CATA)
Community Access to the Arts (CATA) is proud to announce the appointment of Kelly Galvin as a Program Director. Kelly Galvin joins current CATA staff members Jeff Gagnon and Kara Smith, who have been promoted to the Program Director position, to create a new three-person arts leadership team at the nonprofit, reporting to the organization’s Executive Director, Margaret Keller. Read the announcement.

Greater Hartford Arts Council
The Greater Hartford Arts Council announced that the Board of Directors has named Rev. Dr. Shelley D. Best the next CEO of the 50-year-old organization effective April 18, 2022. Dr. Best brings with her more than 20 years of experience as a non-profit leader in the Greater Hartford community. Read the announcement.

Hitchcock Center for the Environment
Hitchcock Center for the Environment’s new executive director, William “Billy” Spitzer, who begins his tenure later in July 2021, brings experience in science education, climate communication, and network building from his work for more than 20 years at the New England Aquarium.
“I really appreciated TSNE’s deliberate approach to the search process. The position profile was very thoughtful, and gave me a really good sense of the challenges and opportunities facing the organization and helped me to evaluate the fit of the position in relation to my skills and interests. Throughout the search, I valued TSNE’s open communication about the process, including giving plenty of advance notice re scheduling interviews and setting clear expectations for each step along the way. Finally, it was great to have TSNE’s help during my first several weeks in setting mutual expectations with the staff and board, and in serving as a sounding board.” — Spitzer

Massachusetts 4-H Foundation
The Massachusetts 4-H Foundation appointed Carrie Myers to serve as its Executive Director, effective January 3, 2022. Myers brings over 20 years of experience in fundraising and delivering programs to youth development organizations. Most recently, she served as Director of Advancement for the North Carolina Outward Bound School where she led and consolidated the development, communications, sales, and marketing teams. Read the press release.

Right Question Institute
The Right Question Institute announced the selection of Betsy Smith as their inaugural executive director in May 2021. She brings more than 30 years of experience as a nonprofit leader and educator and has taken over executive leadership from Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana, RQI’s co-founders and long-time co-directors. The Right Question Institute is a nonprofit educational organization offering a simple, powerful strategy that builds people’s skills to ask better questions, participate in decisions that affect them, advocate for themselves, and partner with service-providers. Read more.

Early Educator Investment Collaborative
The Early Educator Investment Collaborative is thrilled to announce Dr. Ola J. Friday as the inaugural Director, beginning April 5, 2021. Dr. Friday will lead The Collaborative’s efforts to help early educators achieve their full potential as professionals and to ensure that all children are prepared for success in school and life. Dr. Friday joins The Collaborative’s work to eliminate the opportunity gap among children and ensure that every child makes lasting gains in cognitive, social, and emotional development through their early care and education experience.

Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights
The Board and Staff Leadership Team of Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights are delighted to announce that Kelli Wescott McCannell will be their first Executive Director in November 2021. Transitioning from their Founder to their first Executive Director will propel GRR! to a new level of effectiveness on the national level. Read her biography.

Rhode Island Land Trust Council
The Board of Directors of the Rhode Island Land Trust Council recently announced the appointment of Kate Sayles as executive director, beginning July 6, 2021. “I am delighted to continue my work with the Rhode Island Land Trust Council in this new capacity and I look forward to a long and fruitful relationship,” Sayles said. Read the press release.

Family Nurturing Center
The board of Family Nurturing Center, based in Dorchester, MA, are thrilled to introduce Emma Tobin as the new executive director. Read more.

Thistle Communities
Thistle is proud to announce the hiring of Paul D’Angelo as its new CEO. For over 12 years, Mr. D’Angelo has demonstrated his passion for affordable housing and community development and has a strong belief that a community can actively engage public, private, non-profit partners to develop and support affordable mixed-income communities. He feels strongly that all communities should offer a variety of housing types, both home ownership and rental, from manufactured homes to single family, at a variety of price points to match the variety of incomes and wages produced in the region. Read the press release.
Neurofibromatosis Northeast
Sharon Klein has joined Neurofibromatosis Northeast as their Executive Director. With more than 15 years of non-profit fundraising experience, she brings a focus and passion on finding cures for rare diseases. Read more.
Population Health Improvement Partners
Population Health Improvement Partners, a prominent nonprofit working to measurably improve health across North Carolina and nationwide, announced today after an extensive national search process led by the TSNE Executive Search and Transition Team, that Trissa Torres, MD, MSPH, FACPM, has been selected to serve as Executive Director. Read the release.
South Park Inn
The South Park Inn Board of Directors announced the appointment of Jane Banks as Executive Director in on September 6, 2019. South Park Inn assists individuals and families in the Hartford, Connecticut region who are experiencing homelessness to improve their life situations by providing temporary and long-term housing and support services. Ms. Banks comes to South Park Inn from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development where she was the Assistant Undersecretary for Housing Stabilization. As the Assistant Undersecretary she was responsible for the state’s response to homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing.
“TSNE provided South Park Inn with great support at a time of leadership transition,” says Board Chair Dave Cass. “They not only connected us with an outstanding Interim Executive Director, but provided skilled and thoughtful consulting support in evaluating our operations and environment, exploring our options, and ultimately leading a careful and deliberate search process that developed a very strong pool of applicants, resulting in the hiring of a new Executive Director in whose leadership we are highly confident.”
Urban League of Greater Hartford
Urban League of Greater Hartford named David J. Hopkin, President and Chief Executive Officer, effective January 15, 2019. The Urban League of Greater Hartford is an affiliate of the National Urban League, founded in 1964, it provides services to more than 3,000 area residents on an annual basis. Read more.
Earlier Placements
- 4H Education Center at Auerfarm
- Academy of the Pacific Rim
- Access Strategies
- Adolescent Consultation Services
- Alternatives for Community and Environment
- American Family Therapy Academy
- American Institute for Architects (Connecticut Chapter)
- Asian American Hotel Owners Association
- AVODA
- Berkshire Natural Resources Council
- Boston Workers Alliance
- Cambridge Center for Adult Education
- Cambridge Insight Meditation Center
- Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut
- Children’s Friend
- Children’s Museum in Easton
- Coastal Humane Society
- Community Builders
- Connecticut Council for Philanthropy
- Connecticut Pre-Engineering Program
- Country Dance and Song Society
- Creative Arts Workshop
- Creative Work Systems
- CT News Project
- CWEALF
- Domestic Violence Crisis Center
- Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation
- Fenway Community Development Corporation
- Franklin Park Coalition
- Generations Incorporated
- Harriet Beecher Stowe Center
- HartBeat Ensemble
- Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity
- Hill View Montessori Charter Public School
- Hyde Square Task Force
- Interval House
- Landmark Trust USA
- LearningWorks
- Maine Initiatives
- MARC, Inc. of Manchester
- Mass Mentoring Partnership
- Massachusetts Nonprofit Network
- Massachusetts Psychological Association
- MassEquality
- Mental Health Association of Greater Lowell
- National Conference for Community and Justice
- National Tour Association
- New Economy Coalition
- New England Air Museum
- New Neighborhoods Inc.
- Northeast Public Power Association
- Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management
- Northern Berkshire Community Coalition
- Operation Fuel
- Philadelphia Charters for Excellence
- Project Hope
- Riverfront Recapture
- Schools for Children
- Service Women’s Action Network
- SPACE Gallery
- South Africa Partners
- The Children’s Center
- The Leever Foundation
- The Theater Offensive
- Vietnamese American Initiative for Development
- Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development
- Women’s League Child Development Center
- YWCA Hartford Region