To the Meredith Community:

On behalf of the Meredith College Board of Trustees, I am writing to provide an update on the presidential search process, which began following President Maureen A. Hartford’s announcement last Spring that she will retire as president in June 2011, after twelve years of service.

I am pleased to announce that Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, LLC, a leading firm in conducting nationwide executive searches for institutions of higher education, has been selected to assist in the search for Meredith’s next leader.

Storbeck/Pimentel is a minority and female owned executive search firm specializing in providing executive recruitment services to colleges, universities, independent schools and not-for-profit organizations. The firm has conducted successful presidential searches for numerous colleges and universities, including Bryn Mawr, Wellesley, Wake Forest University and UNC Asheville. For more information concerning the firm and its client list, visit storbeckpimentel.com.

Anne Coyle, a vice president and partner who resides in New Haven, Conn., will lead the Storbeck/Pimentel team. Coyle earned her A.B. in Biological Anthropology from Harvard College, and her M.P.A. from Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Her educational experience includes serving as director of admissions at Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, and director of admissions at Yale School of Management. She has extensive executive search experience, having previously served as a consultant for an international search firm, conducting searches for colleges and universities, independent schools, and other nonprofit organizations.

Coyle will be assisted in the process by Shelly Weiss Storbeck, managing partner and co-owner of the firm. Shelly Weiss Storbeck has been named as one of Business Week’s 100 Most Influential Headhunters. She holds an M.A. in English from Bryn Mawr College and a B.A. in English and Religion from Dickinson.

With the search firm now in place, the Presidential Search Committee, under the leadership of Elizabeth T. Beam,’72, immediate past Board Chair, will begin its work this week.

The search committee has been charged with developing a presidential profile to help guide the search process. Faculty, staff, alumnae, students, and community leaders will be encouraged to participate in forums, interviews and surveys designed to gather input on the qualities and credentials to be considered by the search committee in the development of the profile.

Every effort will be made to keep you informed as the search process moves forward. You can expect to receive updates about the process through emails from the search committee chair. A web site dedicated to information about the search process will also be launched in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, should you wish to contact the search committee, you may do so by emailing presidentialsearch@meredith.edu.

On behalf of the Executive Committee, we look forward to working with the Presidential Search Committee, Storbeck/Pimentel and the college community to bring a strong, dynamic and capable individual to lead Meredith for the future.

Sincerely,

Sam Ewell
2010-11 Chair, Meredith College Board of Trustees