Board Retains Kittleman & Associates to Lead Search for New Leader to Build on Van Kleunen’s Legacy
Washington DC – June 6, 2023 – National Skills Coalition (NSC) founding CEO Andy Van Kleunen announced today that he will be stepping down as CEO in early 2024 upon the successful completion of a national search for his replacement.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as NSC’s founding CEO for the last twenty-three years,” said Van Kleunen. “When we started this movement, the workforce development community had no voice in national policy conversations about economic opportunity and growth. That has changed. For that, I’m particularly thankful to every member of the NSC Board, past and present; to our incredible staff and leadership team; to the philanthropic partners who have believed and invested in our mission; and to every person in our national coalition over the last two decades who has helped to change the conversation about who gets a chance to succeed.”
The Board expressed its gratitude to Van Kleunen for his impact on the lives of working people and small businesses.
“Since day one, Andy has ensured that NSC delivered on its mission, responding to a policymaking environment that has changed dramatically over the last two decades,” said Alice Pritchard, Board Chair. “He has built and maintained a high-impact organization through two recessions, a pandemic, and unprecedented political stratification, demonstrating that bipartisanship and a focus on equity can co-exist.”
“Under his leadership, NSC has brought high-quality, inclusive skills training front and center in national policy conversations about economic opportunity, job quality, racial equity, and economic growth,” said Girard Melancon, Board Chair Elect. “With his leadership team, Andy has built an organization with clear purpose, talented staff, a strong and engaged network, and measurable impact on the lives of working people and small businesses. NSC has never been stronger, and I look forward to working with the next CEO to build on Andy’s legacy.”
The Board has retained Kittleman & Associates, a national search firm that specializes in the recruitment of CEOs in the nonprofit sector, to lead the national search. The search will be led by Michelle Saddler, Managing Director and Principal along with Cory King, President & CEO, in partnership with the NSC Board.
Saddler brings several decades of leadership experience in the nonprofit and public sector, with a focus on public policy. She served as Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) and Chief of Staff to Former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. She currently sits on the Board of the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP).
King focuses on CEO searches across the nonprofit sector, with a particular emphasis on grantmaking foundations, social services, cultural institutions, and conservation organizations. Cory has been in the nonprofit sector since 1998 and brings executive-level experience in higher education, healthcare and social service organizations.
NSC’s Board will work with Kittleman & Associates to lead the national search with a focus on bringing new perspectives and experiences to NSC’s leadership team.
“NSC’s Board selected Kittleman & Associates because their culture, placements, and practices reflect a commitment to DEI that has fostered a long track record of diverse hiring,” said Pritchard. “In the last two years, 40 percent of Kittleman’s CEO placements were people of color and 58 percent were women.”
The formal launch of the search will be announced in the coming weeks.
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National Skills Coalition fights for inclusive, high-quality skills training so that people have access to a better life, and local businesses see sustained growth. We engage in analysis and technical assistance, organizing, advocacy, and communications to improve state and federal skills policies.
Kittleman & Associates is a national executive search firm that specializes in the recruitment of CEOs for tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, public charities and philanthropic organizations. Kittleman recruits leaders for the entire nonprofit sector including foundations, associations, cultural institutions and human service organizations, among many others. Kittleman was founded in Chicago and has offices in Denver, Philadelphia, and Boston.
