Executive Search
“The Chalmers Center has been leading the charge for poverty alleviation for almost 25 years under the leadership of Dr. Brian Fikkert, founder and CEO. Dr. Fikkert was ready to step away from the day-to-day leadership and bring on a new CEO to lead the organization into the future. Most of the candidate’s lives had been transformed by the tools and resources offered by Chalmers. Because of Chalmers’ reach, this helped to find leaders who had a true passion for the work the center is doing.”
- Chantel McHenry, Executive Search Consultant
Meet Chalmers Center
The Chalmers Center, founded in 1999, continuously develops and improves its tools and resources for ever-changing contexts. Its signature programs include Faith & Finances (a financial education resource for low-income adults in the U.S. and Canada), Work Life (a jobs readiness training program for communities facing the challenges of unemployment and underemployment), RESTORE (a church-centered program for starting savings group ministries in the Majority World), and Innovate (a program that integrates best practices in community development and design thinking, teaching how to apply a biblical framework to develop or improve ministries). Together with online, on-demand courses like Helping without Hurting and Are You a Good Neighbor? The Chalmers Center provides all learners with practical, biblical, and effective ways to care for their community. In addition, Chalmers influences thousands of organizations through its books, speaking engagements, and workshops.
Over the past two decades, the Chalmers Center has expanded its impact and influence throughout North America and the Majority World. Partnering with Christian organizations like Compassion International, Tearfund, OneChild, and Prison Fellowship, The Chalmers Center trains thousands of people each year in principles of biblical poverty alleviation.
Opportunity
In need of a CEO, The Chalmers Center’s growth and effectiveness toward their mission were at risk until they would find the right person to fill the role. Their CEO would lead, manage, and inspire the overall pursuit of the center’s mission and vision. Once found, the CEO would strengthen and advance the work of the Chalmers Center by cultivating relationships with the staff, supporting institutions, donors, churches, foundations, and the public at large. The CEO would also forge new relationships to expand Chalmers' influence and impact. A good hire would allow Chalmer’s to flourish internally and externally, meaning this person would without a doubt have a global impact.
Solution
Executive Search Consultant Chantel McHenry met the center’s staff, search team, and founder to discuss what a unicorn candidate would look like at The Chalmers Center. Chantel learned the ins-and-outs of what makes the center successful, their team culture, and what they need for growth. Chantel began to search through Vanderbloemen’s pool of candidates for a highly skilled leader who aligned with the center’s beliefs.
The ideal candidate would have personal conviction toward aiding the poor and local churches. The team desired to welcome a person of authentic character, living out the center’s mission both on the job and at home. They wanted someone who would see past their success and pursue ambitious goals, challenging the center to fulfill more of their potential to serve.
Result
One candidate stood out as a first-choice match. The search team was elated when that candidate, Coy Buckley, accepted the position. Coy stood out as a personable and resilient candidate with a demonstrated ability to lead a team in pursuing a vision. Not only does Coy bring extensive experience through co-founding a non-profit in Tanzania, but he also demonstrates personal grit, someone who has climbed 3 of the 5 highest mountains in Africa.
The Buckley family - including Coy, his wife, and their four children (three boys and one girl) - moved across the globe, from Tanzania to Lookout Mountain, Georgia. After serving in Tanzania in various capacities since 2010, the Buckleys were ready to move back to the United States. The opportunity to work with The Chalmer’s Center in Georgia was an exciting answer to their specific prayers.
Benefit
The benefit of hiring Vanderbloemen is that we have the search capabilities to find the ideal fit for your organization, whether the right person is already working for you or is living halfway across the globe. We can provide an extensive reach and a full-staff approach for organizations that otherwise would be limited to their local networks and would need to sacrifice other responsibilities to invest in a quality search. We are able to bring schools and organizations executive position candidates they could not find on their own.
If you’re ready to start the conversation around hiring, contact our team. We’ll guide you through the hiring process at every level, from job descriptions to signing the offer letter.
