Washington D.C. (October 27, 2023) – Leading talent advisory firm DHR Global announces that Diane Charness has joined as Managing Partner of the Global Nonprofit and Social Impact Practice, based in the firm’s Washington D.C. and Los Angeles offices. Previous practice group leader, James Abruzzo, is being promoted to Vice Chairman.
Charness has over 25 years of experience consulting mission-based institutions on leadership acquisition and development, and an earlier career in corporate strategy and human capital roles for a leading university and global corporations. She takes a broad view of talent, deploying transformational and multicultural leaders who are growth and impact-oriented on behalf of U.S. and international nonprofit, public, and private-sector organizations.
“I am thrilled to welcome Diane to DHR. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to an already successful practice,” said Geoff Hoffmann, CEO, DHR Global. “She is a valuable addition to our firm, and I look forward to working with her to grow our impact in this important space.”
“Diane adds great depth and expertise to our established nonprofit practice,” said James Abruzzo, Vice Chairman. “By expanding the purview of the practice to encompass social impact, she will further integrate the team into the broader DHR business activities.”
Charness is known for her integrity in managing relationships and processes and a focus on elevating women and minority access to opportunity and advancement. She has served 300+ clients and completed more than 1,000 talent assignments in education, healthcare, philanthropy, government, and those advocating for the arts, research, sustainability, and social impact investment. She is a strategic partner to institutions seeking to cross-populate leadership teams who inspire innovation and operational excellence and partners with clients on Board, C-Suite, and management talent selection.
“I am excited to scale DHR’s already exceptional Nonprofit Practice and expand offerings in the Social Impact Sector. My passion for this work stems from my own multi-sector experience,” said Charness. “I hold a fundamental belief that solving some of society’s most pressing challenges will require leaders stepping in from industry, nonprofit, and the public sector to innovate, transform operational platforms, and diversify the revenue streams of mission-based institutions. These leadership assignments require a breadth of expertise and relationships as well as a nuanced and skilled approach. DHR’s executive search platform and team are ideally suited to deliver.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Diane to our evolving Nonprofit practice,” said Sara Lundberg, Managing Partner, Global Nonprofit Practice. “It’s an exciting time to join our team, as we serve more and more mission-driven organizations, and we are keen to have her insight and perspective as we look toward the future.”
Prior to joining DHR, Charness served as Education, Social Impact, and Nonprofit Practice leader for another global talent advisory firm, as Co-Founder and President of a boutique executive search firm, and as the Director of Recruitment and a Senior Member of the Department of Human Resources at Georgetown University. Charness began her career in strategic planning and marketing with Marriott and ITT. She has been elected to leadership and Board positions for prominent nonprofits in medical research, conservation, and social services.
Charness is recognized as one of the Top 40 Higher Education Recruiters in the U.S. by Hunt Scanlon and was also named to its Nonprofit Top 60 list. She is a recent member of CUPA-HR, CASE, National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, Government Finance Officers Association, SHRM, and the American Marketing Association, and a frequent author on strategic talent management.
Charness holds a bachelor’s degree in international politics from Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, a master’s degree in business administration in marketing from George Washington University, and a certificate in talent management from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler School Business School. She is also certified in Hogan’s HPI Personality Assessment and Wiley’s PXT Select Assessment.