The 91³Ô¹ÏÍø has selected Storbeck Search as its partner in the presidential search process.
Storbeck brings extensive expertise and knowledge of the higher education landscape with a particular devotion to select liberal arts institutions like Wooster, having led recent presidential searches at Carleton 91³Ô¹ÏÍø, Colorado 91³Ô¹ÏÍø, Haverford 91³Ô¹ÏÍø, Lafayette 91³Ô¹ÏÍø, Rhodes 91³Ô¹ÏÍø, and Scripps 91³Ô¹ÏÍø.
More than two-thirds of Storbeck’s searches are conducted for returning clients, and 87 percent of their executive-level placements since 2007 are either still in office or served for five years or more.
They are committed to delivering top leadership for their partners through the careful development of excellent and diverse candidate pools. In 2021, 56 percent of the firm’s placements identified as women and 46 percent identified as persons of color.
For inquiries, recommendations, or more please email woosterpresident@storbecksearch.com.
Our Search Firm Leadership Team
Susan VanGilder
In her 25-plus years in executive search, Susan has identified and recruited leaders for a wide variety of institutions in the education and nonprofit sectors, in the US and abroad.
She has conducted searches for presidents, provosts, vice presidents, and administrative and academic deans of colleges and universities, as well as senior leaders of museums, foundations, and other nonprofit organizations.
Susan brings a knowledgeable and well-rounded perspective to the search process, having held several key roles at Storbeck Search since the firm’s founding.
Previously, Susan worked in the education practices of A.T. Kearney and another international executive search firm. Susan is currently based in the Washington, D.C., area but has lived and worked in Hawaii, Germany, and Belgium.
Susan’s prior work experience includes managing the information center at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education
(CASE) and serving as liaison to its board committee on career opportunities for minorities and women. During her tenure at CASE, she coordinated numerous career development conferences for college, university, and independent school advancement officers.
Shelly Weiss Storbeck
Shelly has one of the most widely recognized names in the field of executive recruitment, having recruited senior leaders for America’s most prestigious colleges and universities. She has led Storbeck Search as an independent firm since 2007.
Recently, she has conducted presidential searches for Michigan State University and the University of Pittsburgh, and Carleton, Colorado, Haverford, Skidmore, and Reed colleges. In her career she has conducted more than 500 searches for public and private universities, liberal arts colleges, independent schools, and nonprofit organizations.
Shelly’s prior positions in executive search include: Managing Director of the education practice of A.T. Kearney; and, senior associate and administrative officer of the education practice at Korn/Ferry International.
Shelly writes, speaks, and consults on issues relating to higher education across the United States. She contributed to a series of seminars and ultimately a book about the liberal arts, Remaking 91³Ô¹ÏÍø: Innovation and the Liberal Arts (Johns Hopkins University Press). She has served as chair of the American Council on Education (ACE) Executive Search Roundtable and is a member of the ACE Women’s Network. In 2021 she received the ACE Donna Shavlik Award in recognition of her commitment to advancing women in higher education and ensuring women’s equitable representation across the leadership pipeline.
Prior to entering the search industry, Shelly served as Assistant to the President for Educational Affairs at Haverford 91³Ô¹ÏÍø. In that post, she gained experience in all senior administrative searches and chaired Haverford’s Middle States Accreditation Process. Shelly taught English at the Baldwin School (Bryn Mawr, PA) and English and religion at Phillips Academy (Andover, MA). She is also a former member of the Yale Parents Annual Fund.