Nanci Tessier
Former Vice President for Enrollment Management at University of Richmond
Current Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at Boston College
My first interaction with Lahti Search Consultants was as a candidate for the position I now hold, and I was really impressed by their level of professionalism. They were very clear about the process, what the university was looking for, and what challenges were apparent for the university as well as what opportunities were available. At every point during the search, they did an excellent job of keeping me informed, making me feel like I mattered, and sticking to all timelines and processes they had outlined.
Then during my first year at Richmond, we launched a search for our dean of admission position, and we again hired Lahti. What impressed me at that time was their ability to listen to what we needed in terms of skill set, experience, personality, and style—because it’s about fit, just like it is for our students during the college admission process! They spent a lot of time on the campus getting to know the senior leadership team and the admission staff, and where we were as a university and where we wanted to go. They then delivered an extraordinary pool of candidates to us.
We subsequently conducted another search for a director of admission, and there was no question we would work with Terry again. In this case, we had some very clear skill sets we were looking for, and they went out and built a sizable and diverse pool of people who had exactly the experiences that we were seeking. And what’s more, they did a good job of selling the university to the candidates.
When you work with Lahti, they stay on schedule, they stay on budget, and there are no surprises. They are competent, reliable, thorough, good listeners, and realistic in terms of helping you articulate your needs. They are also realistic in relation to what’s in the pool. They’re dynamite and fabulous! There are lots of search firms out there, but Lahti’s strength is being “boutique” and highly specialized in admission and enrollment searches—they are able to really get to know potential candidates well.