A MISSION DRIVEN ENVIRONMENT
American Councils for International Education was looking for an executive with the expertise to help the innovative educational nonprofit develop new business and marketing strategies that stayed true to its mission.  Steve Nolan was looking for a way to put his for-profit experience to work in a mission-driven environment.

Campbell & Company’s Talent Management Practice brought the two together through a search process that aimed not only to find the candidate with the right qualifications for the Vice President, Strategic Marketing position, but to find an individual who fit the culture at American Councils and cared about its mission.

“When Lynda McKay (Former Director of Campbell & Company’s Talent Management Practice) met with our senior management team, she immediately demonstrated her ability to listen and learn what we were looking for and the traits of who would best fit into the culture of our organization,” says Vice President, Human Resources Kitt Poole.  “We have worked with search firms in the past who wanted to pigeonhole us into their process, and that just doesn’t work for us.  Campbell & Company demonstrated that they were willing to meet our needs.”

Throughout the search process, Campbell & Company worked with American Councils and the pool of qualified candidates to find the best “fit” for all involved.  Nolan’s previous entrepreneurial marketing experience and his clear desire to use his talents in a nonprofit setting made him an ideal candidate, McKay says.  And while Nolan says that moving into a nonprofit environment has been a big change for him, he says the search process helped make the transition a smooth one.

“From the very beginning of the search, I knew what to expect and when to expect it,” he says.  “I appreciated the candid, two-way communication throughout the process and never felt left in the dark.”

The transition has been smooth from the organization’s perspective as well, Poole says.  “Steve has made an immediate impact.  His enthusiasm is marvelous, and he is extremely productive.  He is a quick study and fits in well with our culture.”

Understanding and promoting the work of American Councils is an important part of Nolan’s position, and he says he’s pleased to have found an organization whose work he admires.  “Working on behalf of this meaningful mission, surrounded by extremely intelligent co-workers, makes it very easy to come to work in the morning,” he says.  “I couldn’t be happier.”

American Councils for International Education improves education at home and abroad through the support of international research, the design of innovative programs, and the exchange of students, scholars and professionals around the world.