Happy New Year! As Bridge Partners looks towards 2026, we are (briefly!) pausing to celebrate and share the past year of meaningful partnerships, impact and growth. In 2025, through executive search, original research, thought leadership and convenings we were able to help clients strengthen their leadership teams, placing exceptional leaders across high impact sectors, proudly partnering with organizations that are shaping their communities and spaces during uncertain times.
This review highlights the work that defined our past year. We are eternally grateful to our clients, candidates, networks and team for their dedication and partnership in this work – and we look forward to the next 12 months!
Throughout 2025 we supported leading mission-driven organizations across the country and globe, in global social impact, philanthropy, healthcare, arts and culture, housing, food systems, humanitarian relief, democracy, social services, impact investing and public-private partnerships.
These relationships reflect our commitment to placing leaders who combine both expertise and purpose. Below are just a small sample of those extraordinary leaders and the organizations they now support:
Umbreen Bhatti
Chief Executive Officer, Springboard Enterprises
We partnered with Springboard Enterprises to place Umbreen Bhatti as Chief Executive Officer, where she is now leading the next chapter of growth for the world’s leading accelerator for women-led innovation, advancing its global network of founders, investors, and partners.
Nitin Khanna
VP Data Analytics & AI, IT Services, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
We partnered with the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco to place Nitin Khanna as VP Data Analytics and AI, where he is leading a large-scale transformation of Data and Analytics Services to support a more data-driven and AI-enabled future.
Gregory Lee
Chief Financial Officer, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
We partnered with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra to place Gregory Lee as their new Chief Financial Officer. In this role, Gregory will now oversee the financial strategy for the Orchestra and its broader network of affiliated arts organizations.
Lisa North
Chief Operating Officer, Foundation for a Just Society
We placed Lisa North at the Foundation for a Just Society as Chief Operating Officer, where she has subsequently taken on the role of Interim Co-CEO supporting the organization’s global work advancing gender, racial, and LGBTQI justice.
Dr. Timothy Mah
SVP Global Planning, Operations & Strategic Initiatives, Vital Strategies
We placed Dr. Timothy Mah to lead global planning and operations at Vital Strategies, where he leverages over two decades of global public health leadership experience, including overseeing a multibillion-dollar USAID health portfolio.
Kelly Moody
VP Advancement, The J. Paul Getty Trust
We partnered with The J. Paul Getty Trust to place Kelly Moody as Vice President of Advancement, where she is now leading Getty’s global fundraising and strategic partnerships in support of the organization’s mission to preserve and share the world’s cultural heritage.
Sharese Reyes
General Counsel, Atlanta Housing
We partnered with Atlanta Housing to place Sharese Reyes as General Counsel, who has joined the executive leadership team to provide strategic legal counsel on complex, high-impact matters shaping one of the nation’s leading affordable housing authorities.
Uma Viswanathan
President, Samuel S. Fels Fund
We partnered with the Samuel S. Fels Fund to place Uma Viswanathan as President, where she is now advancing the Fund’s mission to strengthen racial, social, and economic justice in Philadelphia, through movement building and community-rooted leadership.
Arash Yomtobian
President, Mercy For Animals
We placed Arash Yomtobian as the President at Mercy For Animals, where he now guides the organization’s exciting next chapter of advocacy, partnerships and global strategy to accelerate the organization’s progress towards ending factory farming.
Umbreen Bhatti
Chief Executive Officer, Springboard Enterprises
We partnered with Springboard Enterprises to place Umbreen Bhatti as Chief Executive Officer, where she is now leading the next chapter of growth for the world’s leading accelerator for women-led innovation, advancing its global network of founders, investors, and partners.
Nitin Khanna
VP Data Analytics & AI, IT Services, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
We partnered with the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco to place Nitin Khanna as VP Data Analytics and AI, where he is leading a large-scale transformation of Data and Analytics Services to support a more data-driven and AI-enabled future.
Lisa North
Chief Operating Officer, Foundation for a Just Society
We placed Lisa North at the Foundation for a Just Society as Chief Operating Officer, where she has subsequently taken on the role of Interim Co-CEO supporting the organization’s global work advancing gender, racial, and LGBTQI justice.
Dr. Timothy Mah
SVP Global Planning, Operations & Strategic Initiatives, Vital Strategies
We placed Dr. Timothy Mah to lead global planning and operations at Vital Strategies, where he now leverages his more than two decades of global public health leadership experience – including oversight of a multibillion-dollar USAID health portfolio – on their global leadership team.
Gregory Lee
Chief Financial Officer, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
We partnered with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra to place Gregory Lee as Chief Financial Officer, where he now oversees the financial strategy for the Orchestra and its network of affiliated arts organizations. Gregory Lee is known for aligning financial strategy with long-term mission and growth.
Kelly Moody
VP Advancement, The J. Paul Getty Trust
We partnered with The J. Paul Getty Trust to place Kelly Moody as VP Advancement, where she is now leading global fundraising and strategic partnerships in support of the Getty’s mission to preserve and share the world’s cultural heritage.
Sharese Reyes
General Counsel, Atlanta Housing
We partnered with Atlanta Housing to place Sharese Reyes as General Counsel, who has joined the executive leadership team to provide strategic legal counsel on complex, high-impact matters shaping one of the nation’s leading affordable housing authorities.
Uma Viswanathan
President, Samuel S. Fels Fund
We partnered with the Samuel S. Fels Fund to place Uma Viswanathan as President, where she is now advancing the Fund’s mission to strengthen racial, social, and economic justice in Philadelphia, through movement building and community-rooted leadership.
Arash Yomtobian
President, Mercy For Animals
We placed Arash Yomtobian as President at Mercy For Animals, where he now guides the organization’s next chapter of advocacy, partnerships and global strategy to accelerate progress towards ending factory farming.
Throughout 2025 we supported leading mission-driven organizations across the country and globe, in global social impact, philanthropy, healthcare, arts and culture, housing, food systems, humanitarian relief, democracy, social services, impact investing and public-private partnerships.
These relationships reflect our commitment to placing leaders who combine both expertise and purpose. Below are just a small sample of those extraordinary leaders and the organizations they now support:
Umbreen Bhatti
Chief Executive Officer, Springboard Enterprises
We partnered with Springboard Enterprises to place Umbreen Bhatti as Chief Executive Officer, where she is now leading the next chapter of growth for the world’s leading accelerator for women-led innovation, advancing its global network of founders, investors, and partners.
Nitin Khanna
VP Data Analytics & AI, IT Services, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
We partnered with the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco to place Nitin Khanna as VP Data Analytics and AI, where he is leading a large-scale transformation of Data and Analytics Services to support a more data-driven and AI-enabled future.
Gregory Lee
Chief Financial Officer, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
We partnered with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra to place Gregory Lee as Chief Financial Officer, where he now oversees the financial strategy for the Orchestra and its network of affiliated arts organizations. Gregory Lee is known for aligning financial strategy with long-term mission and growth.
Lisa North
Chief Operating Officer, Foundation for a Just Society
We placed Lisa North at the Foundation for a Just Society as Chief Operating Officer, where she has subsequently taken on the role of Interim Co-CEO supporting the organization’s global work advancing gender, racial, and LGBTQI justice.
Dr. Timothy Mah
SVP Global Planning, Operations & Strategic Initiatives, Vital Strategies
We placed Dr. Timothy Mah to lead global planning and operations at Vital Strategies, where he now leverages his more than two decades of global public health leadership experience – including oversight of a multibillion-dollar USAID health portfolio – on their global leadership team.
Gregory Lee
Chief Financial Officer, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
We partnered with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra to place Gregory Lee as Chief Financial Officer, where he now oversees the financial strategy for the Orchestra and its network of affiliated arts organizations. Gregory Lee is known for aligning financial strategy with long-term mission and growth.
Kelly Moody
VP Advancement, The J. Paul Getty Trust
We partnered with The J. Paul Getty Trust to place Kelly Moody as VP Advancement, where she is now leading global fundraising and strategic partnerships in support of the Getty’s mission to preserve and share the world’s cultural heritage.
Sharese Reyes
General Counsel, Atlanta Housing
We partnered with Atlanta Housing to place Sharese Reyes as General Counsel, who has joined the executive leadership team to provide strategic legal counsel on complex, high-impact matters shaping one of the nation’s leading affordable housing authorities.
Uma Viswanathan
President, Samuel S. Fels Fund
We partnered with the Samuel S. Fels Fund to place Uma Viswanathan as President, where she is now advancing the Fund’s mission to strengthen racial, social, and economic justice in Philadelphia, through movement building and community-rooted leadership.
Arash Yomtobian
President, Mercy For Animals
We placed Arash Yomtobian as President at Mercy For Animals, where he now guides the organization’s next chapter of advocacy, partnerships and global strategy to accelerate progress towards ending factory farming.
We take this moment, as we enter 2026, to reinforce our long-standing commitment to leading an inclusive search process. Since our inception, equity and inclusion have never been just an ‘initiative,’ but instead, the foundation of our work. Our team continues to reflect the populations our clients serve, enabling us to cast a wide net, interrupt bias, and ensure that every search yields a highly qualified, diverse, and values-aligned longlist and shortlist.
In our ACCP webcast with Bridge Partners’ Tory Clarke and Laura K. Gallagher, Global Head of Corporate Citizenship at AIG, we explored how CSR and corporate citizenship are becoming strategic engines for business value. This ACCP-hosted webcast leveraged research insights developed by Bridge Partners and brought together leaders shaping the future of responsible business.
Bridge Partners teamed-up with MLT to host an invite-only executive breakfast exploring the new realities of values-centered leadership. As political, cultural, and social dynamics continue to shift, leaders are navigating how to uphold core organizational values while mitigating risks. The session created space for candid dialogue around recruitment, retention, and leadership behavior in today’s complex environment.
Throughout the year we published a variety of articles exploring the changing shape of leadership across sectors, ranging from the Future of Arts and Culture Leadership to the New Imperative for CSR Leadership, the Evolving Role for Food Bank Leadership and the Growing Needs for COOs in Nonprofits.
In 2025 we completed one of our most comprehensive research initiatives to-date, releasing 6 major leadership studies across the Finance, Corporate Social Responsibility, Information Technology, Health Equity functions and Supply Chain functions, in an effort to uncover what the next era of leadership requires. Across this research series, several themes stood out. View and download the full studies here.
– Leaders are navigating rising workforce expectations and greater organizational complexity
– Technology is reshaping every function and every decision
– Cross-functional fluency and human-centered leadership are becoming essential, reinforcing the concept of the Myriad Leader explored previously
– Organizations that invest in diverse, adaptive, and globally minded leaders will stay ahead
In 2025 we expanded our commitment to long-term leadership success by introducing partnerships with vetted executive coaches. These partnerships complement our search work by providing tailored support that helps leaders thrive in their new roles and accelerate their impact from day one, including:
– Personalized onboarding support with monthly check-ins to ensure a smooth and strategic transition
– One-on-one executive coaching for at least a year to deepen leadership effectiveness
– A structured 30/60/90-day framework that aligns new executives with key stakeholders, clarifies priorities, and builds early momentum
This integrated approach reinforces our belief that placing exceptional leaders is only the beginning. We are equally committed to supporting their success in the roles where they will be shaping organizations and communities long into the future.
As we look to 2026 and all that is ahead, we are thrilled to share that Bridge Partners is growing! Two fabulous new Partners have joined our team, each bringing a deep values alignment, extraordinary track-record in executive search and a focus on impact. Based in California and Washington DC, they join our national team – please join us in welcoming Amy Shea and Martens Roc. We also welcome Jessica Estariz, who joins Bridge Partners’ research team and is based in our Boston location:
Partner
Los Angeles, CA
Amy joins Bridge Partners with more than 15 years of experience recruiting transformative CEOs and senior executives for mission-driven organizations nationwide. She is known for her strategic clarity, inclusive approach, and ability to guide leaders through pivotal career transitions.
Partner
Washington, D.C.
Martens brings deep expertise partnering with philanthropic and social-impact organizations to recruit inclusive, mission-aligned leaders. He is recognized for his relationship-centered approach, ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments, and commitment to advancing equity in leadership.
Researcher
Boston, MA
Jessica has previously worked with clients including startups, venture capital firms, private equity firms and large technology companies. She spent the last 4 years at Management Leadership for Tomorrow, an organization focused on opportunity and economic mobility, where she supported a variety of clients in connecting underserved talent to high impact opportunities at VC backed startups.
We wish you a happy 2026 and we look forward to partnering with you this year!
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