NOLS
National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) is a nonprofit global wilderness school that believes in the transformative power of leadership through wilderness education. At a time of significant change, including a new President, NOLS tapped Campbell & Company to help launch their moment of growth through a critical leadership placement.
What We Heard
NOLS is not your average wilderness school. NOLS is elevating leaders across the globe, from backpacking in the Wind River Range in Wyoming to sea kayaking in Baja, Mexico, by combining experiences in a wilderness setting and having them apply to daily life. The lessons learned are for a lifetime.
These immersive experiences challenge students to step beyond their comfort zone, unlock their full potential, and equip them with the skills, resilience, and confidence to lead in all walks of life. Despite this alternative approach to education, NOLS, like any other school, relies on strong leadership to ensure the organization’s programs are sustainable and effective. That’s why, when NOLS was experiencing increased market competition and the ongoing impact of the global pandemic, the organization entrusted Campbell & Company to recruit a strategic and bold professional who could lead a large global team and help advance the school’s expedition programs as the next President of Expeditions (VPX).
Our Impact
Campbell & Company began the search process with a deep dive into the specific requirements for the role and of NOLS’ unique needs, challenges, and opportunities. Given the organization’s global reach and immersive programs, we sought adaptable, flexible candidates who could understand and communicate NOLS’ distinct position within the nonprofit sector. We discovered it was imperative that the candidates could not only “talk the talk” but could also “walk the walk” even when the “walk” is a two-week long wilderness hike. Along with meeting the position requirements and demonstrating a commitment to education, adventure, and deep respect for the wilderness, they also needed the skills, experience, and desire to navigate the remote terrains and off-the-beaten-path settings where NOLS programs take place.
NOLS hoped to find the right candidate quickly. The challenge for this search was that there were no comparable wilderness schools or national nonprofits like NOLS and the expertise required for this role was unique and one-of-a-kind. With these learnings and parameters in place, our team began its search, leveraging 20+ years of experience in finding exceptional talent and Campbell & Company’s expertise in the higher education, independent schools, and environmental sectors to identify potential candidates and industry trends.
We brought forward a strong pool of candidates and by August, we had successfully placed NOLS’ next VPX.
“With the support of Dan Nevez and Alexandra Catuara, NOLS launched an aggressive search to meet a tight timeline, aiming to fill this role by summer. Dan and Alex’s market research brought us a strong pool of candidates, and Dan’s team guided us through a clear, constructive selection process.”- Sandy Colhoun, President
Results
This successful partnership resulted in NOLS filling a critical leadership position. We’re honored to have supported NOLS on this search and celebrate Rich Majerus’s placement as Vice President of Expeditions, where he will oversee a global team and 13 campus locations.
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