Chatham University Announces President Search Firm and Committee

November 2, 2022

Dear Students, Staff and Faculty,  

With the departure of President Finegold at the end of this academic year, the Chatham University Board of Trustees recently appointed the search committee and selected the search firm that will be responsible for leading the search for Chatham’s 20th President.  

It is our privilege to serve as the co-chairs of the Search Committee, which is comprised of 15 members representing various constituencies of our broader Chatham University community including members of the Board of Trustees, faculty, students, staff, and a representative of the Alumni Association. You can view the full Search Committee by visiting the new President Search section of the Chatham website.   

Supporting the Committee will be the search firm, Academic Search, which has been selected to lead Chatham’s process. With 45 years in the executive placement business for colleges and universities, Academic Search has completed more than 2,000 searches and shares Chatham’s commitment to DEI, and more specifically, will make the necessary efforts to provide a diverse slate of potential candidates for the search committee’s consideration.   

As the search process prepares to kickoff this month, there will be several opportunities for the Chatham community to provide thoughts on the priorities and qualities needed in our next President.  These include:  

• An online survey to capture thoughts and comments about the search, candidate priorities and more

• Virtual and in-person listening sessions to hear direct input from various constituencies

• The webpages and email updates on the status of the search, including feedback sessions, timeline, and process, and ultimately, candidate selection 

More details on the survey and listening sessions planned for later this month will be sent in the next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts, comments or questions regarding this search, we invite you to reach out to us at ChathamSearch@gmail.com. 

On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees and the Search Committee, we look forward to engaging with and hearing from you on the qualities and characteristics needed in Chatham’s next President. 

Sincerely, 

Joanne Laipson, ’82, Trustee & Search Committee Co-Chair 

Brooks Broadhurst, Trustee & Search Committee Co-Chair