Zachary A. Smith, Ph.D. is senior partner and deputy managing partner for
Witt/Kieffer’s Education practice. Based in Irvine, California, he conducts
nationwide searches for C-suite and leadership executives within education,
healthcare and the non-profit sector. Zach works with clients across the U.S.
Zach brings over 17 years of leadership experience as a practitioner and consultant
to the firm. He has supported and led higher education president searches for
AAU, research, regional comprehensive, polytechnic and liberal arts institutions.
He has also supported executive leadership searches for a broad range of public
and private universities and healthcare organizations.
As a former practitioner, Zach leverages his breadth of organizational and
leadership experience with a strategic and consultative approach focused on
delivering high-quality client service and results. He has a keen understanding of
the importance of leadership effectiveness as it relates to organizational culture,
and is particularly skillful at identifying candidates who have the propensity for
success at each specific client organization. Zach received Witt/Kieffer’s 2016
Quality Award recognizing his clients’ satisfaction and his overall impact on the
firm’s values and ideals.
Prior to joining Witt/Kieffer, Zach served as UC Riverside’s interim chief
development officer/associate vice chancellor and executive vice president for
the UC Riverside Foundation. He also worked in the advancement and academic
medicine divisions at UC Irvine. Zach is a frequent presenter at industry events
with a focus on leadership development, the search process, and overall talent
management trends. He is the co-author of Making the Case for Leadership: Profiles
of Chief Advancement Officers in Higher Education, and has published articles in the
Journal of Leadership and Organization Studies, the International Journal of Educational
Advancement, and the Chronicle of Higher Education.