About Us

Established in 1993, McCormack + Kristel is a national retained executive search firm with expertise in discovering transformational leadership talent for mission-driven organizations. We know that visionary leaders fuel innovation, nurture creativity, and inspire action, and we are passionate about connecting our nonprofit and philanthropic clients with top-tier executives who ignite impact.

Because we believe in the power of purpose to create a more just and equitable world, our practice is focused exclusively on the social impact sector. Our team of talent acquisition experts, board leaders, and former nonprofit executives has a nuanced understanding of the leadership challenges and opportunities unique to these organizations, and we know how to find leaders who can navigate complex landscapes and advance missions. We excel at discovering leaders who not only share our client's values but have the proven skills to drive meaningful change.

Since the earliest days of our practice, long before diversity, equity, and inclusion were buzzwords, we have held an enduring commitment to sourcing candidates with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives; presenting inclusive candidate panels; and conducting equitable evaluation and selection processes. Today, we are proud to be one of the nation’s leading diversity-focused search firms supporting client organizations to build more dynamic, innovative, and engaged leadership teams.

Integrity is core to our firm’s values and exemplified in each relationship and every aspect of our process. Our client and candidate engagements are characterized by transparency and respect, and trust is earned and kept by maintaining the highest standards of confidentiality, providing candid feedback, and sharing informed insights.

McCormack + Kristel is honored to be included on the Forbes 2026 list of America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms and recognized by Healthcare Business Review as a 2023 Top Ten Executive Search Firm. The firm is an NGLCC-certified diversity-owned business and a proud member of the Network of Nonprofit Search Consultants. 

 

Founder, Joe McCormack and Managing Partner, Michelle Kristel

Meet Our Team

  • Michelle leads McCormack + Kristel with 25 years of executive search and nonprofit expertise and a passion for matching exceptional talent to mission-driven organizations. The incisive insights and wise counsel she brings to each client and candidate relationship are informed by decades of nonprofit board and executive leadership experience with human service, social justice, and arts organizations.

    With an unwavering commitment to mitigating bias in candidate evaluation and selection processes, Michelle is proud to continue the firm’s pioneering mission to center diverse, equitable, and inclusive hiring practices in every engagement.

    The firm’s best practices are shaped by her knowledge of diverse candidate sourcing, DEI environmental assessments, and inclusive decision-making. The M+K team reflects and shares the firm’s core values, rooted in the conviction that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential for healthy organizations and dynamic teams.

    Michelle believes in the exponential power of collective wisdom, and she has a long record of success supporting chief executives to structure, build, and expand transformational leadership teams. As a search consultant, board member and former executive director, she understands the immense responsibility and consequential impact of appointing a new chief executive. She enjoys partnering with search committees to define the ideal candidate and to select the right leader to drive impact.

    On a deeply personal level, Michelle understands the importance of community centers in providing refuge, connection, and vital services to marginalized communities. Currently, she co-chairs the board of CenterLink, the national association of LGBTQ+ community centers, an organization she has volunteered with since 2013. She is a longtime member of the Network of Nonprofit Search Consultants and has served in various leadership roles on the program and executive committees.

    With the idea that helping people find solutions to pressing issues would make for an interesting and gratifying profession, Michelle earned a BS in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Reflecting a love of culture and an enduring interest in ideas, she received an MA in Humanities from New York University.

  • Through her consulting work with social impact organizations, Rev. Dr. Zaria is committed to addressing the systemic issues that attempt to keep groups oppressed. Her executive search skills are grounded in a passion for social and racial justice and informed by expertise in restorative practice work.

    During her tenure with McCormack + Kristel, Zaria has supported CEO and executive leadership searches for organizations with a mission for justice and equity. Her astute candidate assessment skills are informed by her social work training and practice, and her success in sourcing and finding talent is enhanced by her extensive national networks, which she developed over decades of moderating and serving on panels and facilitating trainings and workshops on topics related to social and racial justice.

    Previously, she served as Director of Advocacy with the Chicago Community Bond Fund where she successfully implemented the Pretrial Fairness Act, which eliminated the cash bond system in Illinois. She is a longtime contributor to the JAMII Sisterhood, a professional development community for Black women engaged in carceral system disruption and deconstruction, an area in which she is a nationally recognized subject matter expert.

    Zaria currently serves on the board of Dress for Success Cincinnati, is a former board member of the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio and the Ohio Justice and Policy Center, and is a longtime contributor to Free Hearts, a Nashville-based organization addressing statewide issues such as voting and other post-release barriers to full community participation.

    She is a member of the International Coaching Federation, the National Association of Social Workers, the National Association of Community & Restorative Justice, and the National Association of Black Social Workers. As a part of her restorative practice and self-care, Zaria is an ambassador for Black Girls Hike and is a member of the D9 travel group, Professional Relaxation.

    Zaria holds a DSW from Capella University, an MSW from the University of Cincinnati, an MDiv from Eden Theological Seminary, and a BA from Wilberforce University.

    For articles and podcasts of Rev. Dr. Zaria Davis, visit   Dr. Zaria Davis | Linktree

  • Catie brings nearly 15 years of executive search experience in the nonprofit and private sectors. Her role spans the full search lifecycle, working closely with internal teams and clients on research, candidate development, project management, and search operations.

    Catie has successfully helped recruit C-suite executives for a wide range of mission-driven organizations. She has expertise in working with social justice and advocacy organizations, health and human services organizations, and public and private foundations.

    Prior to joining McCormack+Kristel, Catie served as Associate – and previously Research Associate – in the Los Angeles office of Diversified Search, a leading executive search firm. She played an integral role in successfully completing more than 200 executive searches across multiple industries. Although she has helped recruit C-suite and other senior executives in many markets and sectors, Catie has always felt most connected to her work on behalf of mission-driven organizations.

    Catie grew up in South Carolina and now lives in El Paso, TX with her daughter. She is a strong supporter of the Point Foundation and has enjoyed volunteering with organizations such as Union Station Homeless Services and Five Acres. She has served as a Board Member and Board Development Chair for the South Pasadena Educational Foundation.

  • Kristine is a multi-talented professional who leads the firm’s financial, administrative, and marketing functions. She is skilled at balancing a diverse range of responsibilities and excels in the creation of dynamic marketing materials to promote our searches and engage candidates.

    After a long, accomplished career in corporate marketing and branding, Kristine chose to follow her passion by working with purpose-led organizations. Her dedication to our clients is further reflected in her commitment to volunteer service. During the fall of 2020, Kristine worked with the U.S. Census Bureau to count people experiencing homelessness in New York City. She is a long-serving volunteer at the Meatloaf Kitchen and Pantry at University Community Social Services in Manhattan, and she has prepared and served Thanksgiving dinners to individuals and families in need at the Saint Stephen of Hungary School for many years. She is a current Board Member of First Avenue Owners Corporation. 

    Kristine earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and Marketing from Ithaca College. 

  • Joe’s 30+ years of search experience include positions in New York and Los Angeles as Partner with Ward Howell International, Vice President with Ray & Berndtson and with Billington, Fox & Ellis, and Manager with Ernst & Young. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Joe McCormack served in the U.S. Navy and, following training in the Department of Defense Information School, was a Navy public affairs officer on the staff of Commander, U.S. SECOND Fleet. Joe served for four years on the national Board of the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which advocates for respect for all in our nation’s schools. He also served on the Board of Regents for The Point Foundation, the first national LGBT scholarship fund, for six years and was the first Chair of its Board of Trustees. He served for three years as a board member and member of the Development Committee for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network in Washington, DC, which successfully advocated in 2011 for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Previously, he served as Vice Chair of the Board of PHFE (Public Health Foundation Enterprises) in Los Angeles. Joe has served as Vice Chair of the Board of the LGBT Center of the Desert in Palm Springs and served on the Center’s Capital Campaign Committee for its successful $3.5 million campaign.

    Since his retirement in 2022, Joe continues to be a sage strategic advisor and mentor to the McCormack + Kristel team.

Awards and Affiliations