Lindauer, a North American leader in retained executive search for nonprofits, is pleased to announce that Vice Presidents Maureen Huminik and Faith Montgomery have become equity partners in the company. Huminik and Montgomery join CEO Deb Taft, Senior Executive Vice President Jill Lasman, and Executive Vice President Elizabeth “Libby” Roberts as equity-holding members on the firm’s senior management team and, along with Senior Vice President Devin O’Leary, serve as Managing Directors of Lindauer.
“As respected experts in nonprofit leadership and executive talent, Maureen and Faith bring a breadth of knowledge, experience, and passion to Lindauer’s mission of connecting the world’s leading nonprofit organizations with transformational leaders,” said Lindauer CEO Deb Taft. “They both worked closely with Jill Lasman and company founder Lois L. Lindauer to shape the firm’s search approach in its first two decades. How fortunate we are that they will help lead Lindauer forward as we continue to expand markets and support our client partners in their enormously consequential cause-related work.”
Founded in 1997 as Lois L Lindauer Searches LLC, the company underwent a successful transition in ownership and leadership between 2016 and 2018. Taft, a well-known leader in the nonprofit arena, was appointed COO in 2016 and CEO in 2017 and subsequently led the company through a sale transaction in 2018. In November of 2018, management team members Taft, Lasman, and Roberts stepped up as equity investors to lead the successor company, incorporated in Massachusetts with the support of respected private equity firm Gemini Investors.
The company rebranded as Lindauer in 2019, broadening its service lines and expanding its national and global market reach. The company today has grown beyond its historic core in fundraising search, for which it still holds the top market share in the United States, to a broad range of C-Suite roles. The firm serves retained executive search and talent clients on five continents and in 2023 was recognized at #16 of 150 companies on the Forbes list of Best Executive Recruiting Firms, based on an annual Forbes-Statista survey of industry peers.
Huminik co-leads Lindauer’s Healthcare and Academic Medicine Practice and its Advocacy, Policy and Social Enterprise Practice. Building on a deep professional network and in-depth understanding of nonprofits in all stages of growth, she is known for identifying leaders suited to organizations’ evolving ambitions, challenges, and opportunities.
Her signature healthcare clients include City of Hope, Cleveland Clinic, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic, Moffitt Cancer Center, and University of Tennessee Health Science Center, while her work in higher education spans Arizona State University, Binghamton University, DePauw University, New York University, and University of Massachusetts. Especially well-versed in charitable and national chapter organizations, Huminik has also worked with organizations and missions as diverse as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Catholic Charities, JDRF, YMCA, and YWCA. Prior to joining Lindauer in 2005, Huminik held successively senior positions in Boston healthcare and social service organizations, including Newton-Wellesley Hospital, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Huminik serves on the Board of the Massachusetts chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
“Having worked with founder Lois Lindauer for more than a decade to shape our reputation as a trusted search partner, I’m energized to lead forward in the company’s next era,” said Huminik. “Bringing our expertise to longtime clients is always an honor, as is helping new clients understand what’s possible with talent that matches their aspirations.”
Montgomery brings an extensive background in leadership-level fundraising and marketing as well as in building and managing teams. She co-leads the firm’s Higher Education and K-12 Practice Areas and leads executive searches and talent management for client partners across a broad spectrum of education, healthcare, arts, social justice, and policy arenas.
In high demand for her strategic expertise and knowledge of inclusive hiring, Montgomery has successfully engaged executive-level searches for such unique organizations as the Executive Leadership Council, Cooperative Economic Empowerment Movement, Measures for Justice, and Eastern Bank Foundation, as well as health leaders Boston Children’s Hospital, Duke Health, MD Anderson, and Fenway Health. Her signature education clients include Howard University, Xavier, Rice University, University of Southern California, Princeton University, Stanford University, University of Minnesota, University of Washington, and numerous units across the University of Texas, as well as many K-12 partners such as The Lovett School Durham Academy, Harvard Westlake, Polytechnic School, Phillips Andover, Sidwell Friends, and St. Paul’s School.
Prior to joining Lindauer in 2014, Montgomery held senior leadership positions across the nonprofit sector. She currently serves on the national Board of the African American Development Officer’s Network, the Boston Chapter Board of Jack and Jill, and is a member of Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy (WOC) and The Giving Institute.
“As a national and now global leader in executive search—and in inclusive hiring—for the nonprofit arena, Lindauer carries a critical responsibility to the entire sector,” noted Montgomery. “Diversity in leadership means greater depth and breadth of experience and perspective, and as a Black woman in this space, I know we are called to set standards that others will follow.”