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Executive Transition Consultant

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Consultant Details:

Contact: Jonathan Zeichner
Name of Firm: Jonathan Zeichner
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

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 others 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 transition, I believe that thoughtful preparation, transparency, and 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, I love introducing people for mutual benefit. 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 transitioned out of all three. I have served on 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:

I take a holistic approach and work directly with CEO’s and board chairs/search committees. Can also work with senior staff on addressing concerns and preparing to onboard the 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 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?

5, including my own 3. While I have coached and mentored numerous orgs during my 33 years in nonprofit, and been a Durfee Springboard mentor for several 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?

100%

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 have engineered three of my own transitions. I provided executive mentoring during a transition at Urban Voices Project, starting with the outgoing ED and switching to the incoming interim executives preparing for a new ED. I an currently providing light coaching, communications support, and senior staff support for a charter school CEO who will be transitioning out in spring of 2023.

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 As a nonprofit founder and CEO, Jonathan worked for 33 years to improve the lives of underserved, homeless, and mentally ill youth, families and veterans in Los Angeles. He retired in September 2022 after 13 years at A Place Called Home, and before that co-founded and helmed the nationally acclaimed Inside Out Community Arts, recipient of the National Coming Up Taller Award from the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and the NEA; and prior to that was Director of the Imagination Workshop at UCLA’s Neuropsychiatric Institute. Zeichner is a recipient of the Executive Service Corps Megan G. Cooper Leadership Award; and is a Durfee Fellow. He has served on nonprofit boards and has been a speaker and instructor in diverse educational, psychiatric, social service and nonprofit settings. In 2009 he received the Southern California Center for Nonprofit Management’s Award for Excellence in Leadership and Innovation. He has written, directed and acted for film, television and theater. As a consultant, he supports nonprofit executive leaders in their work and transitions. jonathanzeichnerconsulting@gmail.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-zeichner-40a31a16/

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

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

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?

Do you identify/place interim executives?

Do you have a minimum fee?

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

What is your track record of placing BIPOC candidates?

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

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