Search firm chosen to find Genshaft’s replacement

Greenwood/Asher & Associates, Inc. is the firm that was chosen by the Board of Trustees to search for the next USF System President to replace Judy Genshaft. ORACLE PHOTO/CHAVELI GUZMAN

In the months leading up to System President Judy Genshaft’s departure from USF after nearly two decades, there is much to do for the committee responsible for finding her successor.

Greenwood/Asher & Associates, Inc. was the firm chosen by the members of the search committee to find USF’s next system president.

Les Muma, chair of the search committee, said in a conference call Friday that four search firms were presented and he was able to narrow that down to three rather quickly.

Muma said he and fellow search committee member Rhea Law interviewed each of the three search firm finalists “in depth” for about an hour and a half. He said he and Law both independently chose Greenwood/Asher & Associates, Inc. as the standout search firm from the interviews, before passing their suggestion on to Board of Trustees (BOT) Chair Brian Lamb and BOT Member John Ramil, who also agreed the firm was the appropriate choice.

According to Muma, Greenwood/Asher & Associates, Inc. has recently found presidents for schools such as the University of Florida and Ohio State, among others.

Muma said he and Law were looking for nine specific characteristics in a search firm to find the next system president. These included the willingness to go beyond the search process and help train Genshaft’s successor once they officially step into their role, as well as having a “large and dedicated team” that would be lead by the owner of the firm.

An official contract between the university and Greenwood/Asher & Associates, Inc. is not yet in place, but is in the works, following a unanimous vote by the BOT to confirm the search firm.

Lamb said what can be expected next in the search for the seventh USF system president is developing a profile of what the search committee and BOT are looking for in a candidate.

“(Developing the profile) will be a very important process in which we will engage key stakeholders, both externally and internally, to make sure that we listen to the market, to individuals who can help us make the right selection and is consistent with our process around transparency and accountability,” Lamb said.