Executive search firm hired to help find next Fort Hays State president

Hunt Scanlon Media

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Wheless Partners, an executive recruitment firm in Birmingham, AL, has been selected to help find the next president for Fort Hays State University, one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The search is being led by Michael J.R. Wheless, senior partner and division president responsible for engaging boards of directors, CEOs and senior management leaders, and Lisa J. Marks, managing director and divisional chief operations officer.

The school’s previous president, Mirta Martin, departed in November amid controversy over her style of leadership. Ms. Martin had been in the job for two years, the shortest tenure for a president in the history of the school.

Job Requirements

Wheless Partners is charged with finding a president who can provide “innovative and dynamic leadership,” said the regents in a statement announcing the position.

FHSU “seeks an entrepreneurial, politically astute, and innovative president who has knowledge of national higher education issues,” the regents said. “This individual must bring a strong vision for the university’s future, along with a strategic, thoughtful understanding of how to advance FHSU in conjunction with the Kansas Board of Regents Foresight 2020 strategic plan and the university’s goals, mission, and strategic plan. The university community expects a staunch advocate, a stable presence, and an inspirational, congenial leader.”

In April, the Kansas Board of Regents appointed 20 people, including students, faculty, staff, alumni and the wider Hays community, to the school’s search committee. The group is led by Jeffrey D. Peier, the chair of the FHSU Foundation Board of Trustees. He is also a managing member of Klenda Austerman, a law firm. The committee is charged with identifying three to five candidates.

Wheless Partners was expected to be on campus this spring to meet with the school’s community and gather information about the role.

Applications are due in September. Candidates will be interviewed by the school’s search committee and the Kansas Board of Regents. The new president is expected to take over in the early part of 2018.