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Executive Transition Consultant

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Consultant Details:

Contact: Jonathan Zeichner
Name of Firm: Jonathan Zeichner Consulting, JZ Consulting
Language Spoken: English
Website/LinkedIn URL: https://jonathanzeichnerconsulting.com

Consultant Expertise

Organizational assessments, Board development, Executive coaching, Transition consulting & project management, Communications strategy

Program Areas

Arts and Culture, Community and Economic Development, Education, Health, Human Services, Information and Communications, Philanthropy

Legal Structure of Organization:

Sole Practitioner / Independent Contractor

Year Practice Founded:

33 years as nonprofit CEO/consulting for 10 years

Number of Individuals in Firm:

1

Names and Titles of Individuals in Firm:

Jonathan Zeichner
Owner/CEO

Names and Titles of Individuals in Firm:

Jonathan Zeichner
Owner/CEO

Firm or Consultant Address:

4123 South Budlong Avenue

RFQ Contact Name:

Jonathan Zeichner

RFQ Contact Phone:

13108663227

Geographic area currently served by firm (select all that apply):

Los Angeles, California, USA, Hawaii, USA

How would you describe the range of diversity reflected in your firm’s consultants and leadership (or self, if sole practitioner)?

Sole: Jewish

Please describe your mission, values, and approach:

As a nonprofit founder and CEO with 30+ years of experience leading social benefit organizations, I am passionate about supporting extraordinary, reflective leaders and organizations whose missions support social justice, equity and well-being for all and for the planet. My consulting services are best suited for executives who are committed to honest introspection, constant improvement and intentional evolution. Regarding executive leadership transition, I believe that thoughtful preparation, transparency, and strategic communication can support a graceful transition while minimizing fallout.
  • I believe that authenticity and transparency support productivity and meaningful results
  • I will be curious about what makes you tick and your aspirations, meaning I will ask a lot of questions
  • I will be direct and also kind with my recommendations, and I don’t expect you to take them all
  • I will support your networking efforts to the best of my ability. Though I cannot make any guarantees, if you work with me, you will have access to organizations and individuals in my network that may be able to support your vision and mission
  • I will guide you on a path to what I believe will achieve your desired outcomes, but I will not drag you and I can’t do your work for you
  • I am an informal person and I enjoy integrating humor and warmth into our work, without compromising our standards of professionalism and excellence.

What expertise or perspective do you bring to organizations looking to ground their collaboration practices in values of diversity, equity, and inclusion?

I have led three nonprofits in L.A. and served on several nonprofit boards and advisories. I draw on and integrate that extensive experience into my understanding and methods.

Please describe your ideal engagement. Feel free to include issue area and scope of project:

In supporting leadership transition, I take a holistic approach and work directly with ED’s/CEO’s and board chairs/ committees. Can also work with senior staff on addressing concerns and preparing to onboard a new CEO. Getting ahead of a transition by 12-36 months is ideal. Planning, sequencing, messaging, creating practical guides for the transition. Coaching outgoing CEO on preparing for their next chapter. My own third/most recent transition out of a CEO position was from A Place Called Home in September, 2022. This was an intentional, well planned, graceful and smooth experience, from which much was learned and codified for application in my consulting practice.

How many executive-transition related projects have you or your firm been involved with?

7, including my own 3. I coached and mentored numerous orgs during my 33 years as an exec and been a Durfee Springboard mentor for numerous engagements. My consulting practice formally launched in September, 2022 after I retired from my CEO position at A Place Called Home.

Please describe your fee structure:

$250/hr.

What percentage of your clients are within the nonprofit sector?

90%

Are you open to remote engagements?

Yes

Briefly name and describe 1-3 examples of executive transitions with which you have been involved as a consultant (please prioritize NSI-funded and/or LA-based organizations).

I engineered three of my own CEO transitions. More recently I have provided executive mentoring/structure/communications planning and writing for leadership transitions at Urban Voices Project, Gabriella Charter Schools, and Sages & Seekers. Add any other information you feel would aid in understanding the value you or your consulting firm can bring to an organization preparing for or implementing an executive transition: My three decades of experience as a nonprofit CEO and founder inform my work as a consultant, coach and mentor. I have coached many startups and more than a few organizations and leaders through crises and rough rapids into smoother sailing and healthier cultures, approaches and outcomes for their work. I have also led and coached organizational turnarounds from dysfunctional boards to productive ones and from deficit budgets to positive budgets.

Add any other information you feel would aid in understanding the value you or your consulting firm can bring to an organization preparing for or implementing an executive transition:

While my consulting track record is short because I just started, my track record and experience as a CEO and founder are both long, substantial, and the results tell my story as a nonprofit stakeholder, lifelong learners, leader, and supporter. I have coached many startups and more than a few organizations and leaders through crises and rough rapids into smoother sailing.

Please list up to 5 Consultants from your firm

Jonathan Zeichner
jonathanzeichnerconsulting@gmail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-zeichner-40a31a16/
As a nonprofit founder and CEO, Jonathan Zeichner worked for 33 years to improve the lives of underserved, poverty-impacted, homeless, and mentally ill youth, families and veterans in Los Angeles. He was Executive Director for Imagination Workshop at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute; Jonathan cofounded and helmed Inside Out Community Arts, and he culminated his CEO career at A Place Called Home, a multi-service agency in South Central Los Angeles. Jonathan is a co-recipient of the Coming Up Taller Award from the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities and the NEA; recipient of the Executive Service Corps’ Megan G. Cooper Leadership Award; recipient of the Southern California Center for Nonprofit Management’s Award for Excellence in Leadership and Innovation; and he is a Durfee Fellow. Jonathan has served on nonprofit boards in Los Angeles and on the Big Island of Hawaii where he and his wife currently reside. As an independent consultant and advisor, Jonathan supports nonprofit organizations and their executive leaders in Los Angeles and Hawaii in their growth, evolution and transitions. Jonathan is a senior advisor and coach for BoardBuilders, a board development initiative of Envision Consulting, serving Los Angeles County

Do you always conduct an organizational assessment as a part of your scope of work?

Mostly

How (or do) you involve senior staff and other stakeholders in the process

I believe senior staff should sit on board committees and I often coach leaders/orgs/boards on how to be more inclusive.

Prior to narrowing the pool of candidates for a client, do you make it a practice to share the full list of applicants with the client?

N/A

Do you identify/place interim executives?

No

Do you have a minimum fee?

No

What percentage of your searches are for LA-based organizations?

N/A – I do not do searches, but I can help prep for searches and vet candidates.

What is your track record of placing BIPOC candidates?

N/A

Do you have a guarantee policy or an “off-limits” policy?

N/A

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