Presidential Search Updates

A Message from the Co-Chairs of the Presidential Search Committee

The letter below, from co-chairs Wendy Webb Williams 86F and Jose Fuentes 05F, announces the formation of Hampshire’s Presidential Search Committee. It outlines the committee’s membership, plans to engage a search firm, and a commitment to community involvement throughout the process.

 

Dear Hampshire Community,

Over the past few weeks, a group of trustees worked to establish the Presidential Search Committee, composed of six trustees, plus the elected staff, student, and faculty trustee members. The committee will be co-chaired by me and Wendy Webb Williams. Additionally, Secretary of the College Terry Holt will provide support. 

The Presidential Search Committee is constituted as follows:

  • Erik M. Benau 03F, trustee
  • Elle K. Chan 87F, board vice-chair and trustee
  • Jose Fuentes 05F, board chair and trustee
  • Raymond Kasei F23, student-elect trustee  
  • Rebecca Miller, faculty trustee 
  • Juana M. Schurman 72F, trustee 
  • Cathy Smith 71F, board vice-chair and trustee 
  • Renee M. Sweeney, staff trustee 
  • Wendy W. Williams 86F, trustee

After evaluating a variety of potential paths, the committee concluded that the best way to manage a successful search process and to target the best possible pool of candidates is to hire a search firm to assist us. We received proposals last week and will be interviewing each firm to select the one that best fits our needs and aligns with our vision.

The committee recognizes that identifying and choosing Hampshire’s next president will require broad input from staff, faculty, students, and alums and we are committed to creating ample opportunities for the community to engage in this process. We will share regular updates on our progress, and we encourage you to provide ideas and feedback to the board at trustees@hampshire.edu.

We want to thank all the trustees that are serving on the committee and we look forward to working with the board and the community to successfully find the next president to lead the College. Thank you all for the work you do to make Hampshire the special place it is.   

Sincerely,

Wendy Webb Williams 86F and Jose Fuentes 05F

Co-chairs, Presidential Search Committee

Messages to the campus community

  • May 4, 2025

    Dear Alums,

    Since sharing the news of President Ed Wingenbach’s upcoming departure with our community in January, the board of trustees has been working thoughtfully to advance the search for Hampshire’s next president. The board formed a presidential search committee, including the elected staff, faculty, and student trustees. This committee selected Greenwood Asher & Associates (GA&A) after interviewing and evaluating an array of search firms, and began stakeholder conversations to define what qualities are essential in our next president.

    The search process will be divided into five stages:

    1. Stakeholder Engagement and Profile Development: Define the essential qualifications, expertise, skills, and values we want in our next president.
    2. Candidate Recruiting: To include internally sourced nominations from faculty, trustees, students, staff, and alumni. Externally sourced candidates will also be identified with support from GA&A.
    3. Candidate Pool Evaluation: The search committee will evaluate both internally and externally sourced candidates as applications are received.
    4. Candidate Selection: Any semi-finalist candidates will be invited to visit campus, and select faculty, staff, and students will have an opportunity to interview them.
    5. Recommendation and Appointment by the Board of Trustees: The search committee will forward a recommendation to the board of trustees, and the board of trustees will elect Hampshire’s next president.

    The board and GA&A are eager to receive input from all Hampshire College stakeholders. GA&A has created an anonymous online survey to submit your thoughts. The survey will be open through May 9. Thank you for your participation in this important process!

    Additionally, you are encouraged to follow along with our updates, which will be archived here. As always, we welcome your feedback, which you can send to trustees@hampshire.edu.

    Wendy Webb Williams 86F & Jose Fuentes 05F

    Co-chairs, Presidential Search Committee

  • Dear faculty, staff and students,

    As we announced earlier, members of the presidential search committee will be on campus tomorrow, Tuesday, April 22. Details were posted to the intranet and emailed to staff, faculty, and students. We have engaged Greenwood Asher & Associates (GAA), to be our partner in conducting our presidential search.

    The search process will be divided into five stages:

    1. Stakeholder Engagement and Profile Development: Define the essential qualifications, expertise, skills, and values we want in our next president.
    2. Candidate Recruiting: To include internally sourced nominations from faculty, trustees, students, staff, and alumni. Externally sourced candidates will also be identified with support from GAA.
    3. Candidate Pool Evaluation: The search committee will evaluate both internally and externally sourced candidates as applications are received.
    4. Candidate Selection: Any semi-finalist candidates will be invited to visit campus, and select faculty, staff, and students will have an opportunity to interview them.
    5. Recommendation and Appointment by the Board of Trustees: The search committee will forward a recommendation to the Board of Trustees, and the Board of Trustees will elect Hampshire’s next president.

    Essential to the success of this search will be a hybrid approach that will give us flexibility in the hiring process of our next president. We will be reviewing nominations and applications as they are received and will move forward with appointing a president as soon as the Board has identified and successfully recruited that candidate.

    We’ve posted some additional information on a frequently asked questions page on the intranet to provide more clarity and we encourage you to visit that page frequently. 


    We look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow.
     
    With thanks,
     
    Wendy Webb Williams 86F & Jose Fuentes 05F 
    Co-chairs

     

  • Dear Staff,

    We are excited to share opportunities for you to shape the future of Hampshire College by providing the presidential search committee with ideas regarding the expertise, qualities, and attributes you hope to see in the next Hampshire College president. Members of the search committee will be on campus Tuesday, April 22, along with staff from Greenwood Asher & Associates (GAA) – the search firm aiding Hampshire in its search.

    JOIN A STAKEHOLDER SESSION
    Defining the role of president and finding the best candidates requires broad input from our staff. To that end, we are scheduling stakeholder sessions to provide ample opportunities to engage in this process. Please join your fellow staff, representatives from the presidential search committee, and GAA on Tuesday, April 22, for one of two staff stakeholder sessions in Franklin Patterson Hall West Lecture Hall:

    10–11 a.m. or 2:15–3:15 p.m.

    The format for these sessions will revolve around a series of questions, which we are sharing below. We will be collecting your feedback and listening as you share with the committee what characteristics your ideal next president would embody.

    • What attributes are you seeking in our next president?
    • What do you hope they will accomplish in the next 3-5 years?
    •  What do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities that exist at Hampshire that the next president will need to address in their first year?
    • What do you see as points of pride about Hampshire College?
    • How do you envision the future of Hampshire College when we complete our financial sustainability goals? What does that version of Hampshire look like to you?

    KEEP IN TOUCH
    We look forward to engaging with you in these discussions. You are encouraged to follow along with our updates, which will be posted first in announcements, and will be archived here. As always, we welcome your ideas and feedback, which you can send to trustees@hampshire.edu.
     
    Wendy Webb Williams 86F & Jose Fuentes 05F  

    Co-chairs Presidential Search Committee

  • Dear Hampshire Community,

    As we shared with you in mid-March, the Presidential Search Committee has been evaluating and interviewing search firms to assist the committee. Our next step will be to engage all of you in conversations to learn what qualities and capacities you would identify as most essential for our next president. We are working now to plan those conversations on campus for the week of April 21 and will share the details over the coming days. Please be on the lookout for emails for dates, times, and locations to meet with members of the search committee.

    Additionally, over the past three weeks we solicited proposals from a wide array of search firms, interviewed several finalists, and settled on a firm we are confident will support us effectively as we continue the process. We are pleased to announce Greenwood Asher & Associates will work closely with the search committee as we move forward and will be a part of the listening sessions.

    We look forward to engaging with all of you in these discussions and remain grateful for everything you do to ensure Hampshire’s success. As always, we welcome your ideas and feedback, which you can send to trustees@hampshire.edu.

    Sincerely,

    Wendy Webb Williams 86F
    Jose Fuentes 05F

    Co-chairs, Presidential Search Committee

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