Pamela Bol Riess is the Founder and CEO of PBR Executive Search. She has been in the search business for more than twenty years and focuses exclusively on conducting executive leadership searches for nonprofit clients. She began her career placing senior executives in marketing, sales, communications, operations, human resources, and finance at client companies such as American Express, Wells Fargo, and Capital One. Pamela knows that search is part art, part science and relies on objective criteria as well as instinct when assessing candidates. She is particularly adept at understanding the culture of a client organization and identifying people who will thrive there.

She has a BA in English from Brown University where she rowed on the varsity crew team for four years. She also has an MFA in Fiction Writing from New York University.

Mandy Casamassima, Vice President, leads and executes searches, and drives the company’s operational growth. She brings over a decade of nonprofit management experience with a focus on public education and education reform. She began her career as a corps member with Teach For America in the South Bronx. From there, she joined KIPP, a national charter school organization where she built the NYC region’s operational arm and led the Shared Services Team responsible for fundraising, operations, human resources, finance, technology, and board development/engagement for its network of schools and alumni programs. Mandy spent close to ten years at KIPP NYC and was a key member of the leadership team who grew the organization from an operating budget of $2M in 1999 to over $24M upon her departure in 2009.

Mandy understands how to assess talent and build high-functioning teams that are mission-focused and aligned with organizational culture. In addition, she has first-hand experience scaling operations and implementing systems that enhance organizational effectiveness. Able to operate at 30,000 feet and on the ground, Mandy brings to PBR Executive Search and our clients a proven track record of helping teams and organizations function at their best.

Mandy serves on the Teach For America Connecticut Advisory Board.

She graduated cum laude from Boston College with a major in Art History and minor in Women’s Studies, and spent semesters studying in London and Ghana.

Kirsten Conover, Consultant, has been in executive search since 2003, focusing solely on the nonprofit sector. She has placed senior- and mid-level professionals at museums, universities, colleges, hospitals, think tanks, cultural institutions, and social service organizations. Prior to becoming a search consultant, Kirsten spent seventeen years as a print and online journalist.

She holds a B.A. in English with a business concentration from Principia College.

Megan Johnson, Consultant, comes to nonprofit consulting via the fast-paced world of technology recruiting. In addition to leading and executing searches, she heads the firm’s research function and is an expert in mining a range of candidate databases for specific qualities and skillsets.

She has performed a wide range of volunteer work for organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, Start Making a Reader Today (SMART), and Store to Door.

Megan holds a B.A. in Psychology from University of Colorado and a Certificate in Human Resource Management from Portland State University.

Caroline Ceniza-Levine, Consultant, has more than fifteen years of recruiting experience in retained search and corporate human resources for a range of industries, including education, nonprofit, consulting, banking, life sciences, technology, and media.

Caroline is an adjunct assistant professor of professional development at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs.

She graduated summa cum laude from Barnard College with a double major in music and economics.

Adam Riess  is the CFO of PBR Executive Search. He holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MPH from the Cornell School of Hospitality Management.

In addition to his work for PBR, he is the CEO of ProCibo, a restaurant consulting company that provides business planning, financial planning, and project management to restaurants.