PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
Ann Aguiar Yates is a Managing Director in ZRG’s Not-For-Profit & Education Practice with an emphasis in higher education. Ann brings a clear understanding of higher education and leadership as well as a strong commitment to quality and lasting client service and engagement. This is a hallmark of Ann’s work, as evidenced by her outstanding record of repeat clients. As a strategic partner, clients repeatedly rely on her expert counsel and aptitude for identifying talented, diverse, and dedicated leaders in mission-driven organizations. In particular, she brings a strong reputation for advancing women and diverse candidates.
Ann is well-versed in every area of academic leadership which enables her to serve her clients broadly and across multiple disciplines and areas of leadership. She has completed more than 250 executive-level searches throughout her career, including engagements for Presidents, Provosts, Deans, and Vice Presidents at leading public and private colleges and universities. She regularly serves boards, Presidents, and other senior-level leaders within higher education institutions.
Ann’s executive search career spans more than a decade and includes prior experience at two national executive search firms, most recently as Senior Partner/Senior Vice President at WittKieffer. Her expertise is enhanced by her experience at a top-tier AAU institution, the University of Minnesota Foundation, where she was responsible for multiple recruitments across the university’s colleges and divisions as the inaugural Talent Acquisition Manager. She has been an invited speaker and presenter at ACE Women’s Network and AACSB’s ICAM and is a recognized thought leader as well, having contributed articles in the Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Education.
Education
Ann received her MA in Industrial Psychology from the University of New Haven and her BS in Psychology from Bethany College.
Hobbies and Interests
Ann lives in Virginia with her husband and is a proud mother of two sons. She is an animal lover and enjoys the outdoors with her three German Shepherds. Ann is an active volunteer at a nonprofit organization whose mission is to prevent and disrupt human trafficking/slavery.