Since former President and CEO Abby McNulty left in July, Park City Education Foundation has been led by interim CEO Joelle Kanshepolsky of Pathway Associates.
Kanshepolsky is already familiar with the Park City community, having served as the Interim CEO at the Park City Community Foundation for a year.
Pathway Associates is a consulting firm that serves the not for profit and government sectors and part of their work is running executive searches.
The job posting went up in September and Kanshepolsky says it was taken down after 3.5 weeks during which time 155 applications came in.
“That's a big number,” Kanshepolsky said. “We always say about 20 to 30%, give or take, are kind of qualified and meeting the needs that we've outlined in the position profile. So that we're moving forward in the process, which is super exciting.”
She says Pathways is looking to the foundation’s board, staff and appointed search committee to decide what skills are needed and wanted in a new CEO.
“Staff and board identified a very long list of things that they want in the future CEO, and Abby was an incredible and beloved leader,” she said. “So, you know, it’s often hard for people to sort of picture something different. But I would say wanting someone who is comfortable being a connector, building relationships, doing fundraising. Someone who has experience in the not-for-profit sector, someone who has a passion and love of public education, you know, very important to kind of live and breathe the mission of the ed foundation.”
She expects Pathway will forward between six and 12 candidate names to the search committee to interview.
“And then the final round of finalists - that could be one, it could be four and anything in between - will go in front of the board and staff and get the opportunity to meet them and for them to meet the finalists,” she said. “So, really running a process where you have lots of voices engaged.”
She is optimistic that the final round of interviews will take place by early December and hopes that the new CEO can start in January.
