Higher Education Experience Like Yours Should Not Sit on the Sidelines.

Lead with purpose, flexibility, and immediate impact.

Many higher education leaders reach a point in their careers where they want to keep contributing but in a different way. Registry membership offers the opportunity to apply your experience in focused, assignments where your judgment and insights can make an immediate difference.

Interim leaders help institutions maintain continuity, steady teams, assess what comes next, and move important work forward. Our members are not placeholders. They are trusted leaders called into consequential moments and decisions.

Two paths to interim leadership

We support higher education institutions through two pathways: Members and Associates. Both are part of a selective interim leadership community. The difference is the level and type of role they are prepared to fill.

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• Registry Members
  ‍Registry Members are experienced senior higher education leaders prepared to serve in interim executive and cabinet-level roles. They bring the judgment, institutional perspective, and leadership credibility needed to support colleges and universities through major transitions.
  Members are former or current presidents, provosts, vice presidents, deans, cabinet officers, and other senior leaders who want to continue serving higher education through focused interim assignments.

• Registry Associates
  Registry Associates bring experienced interim leadership and operational support to critical functions across the institution. They are often prepared for associate, assistant, director-level, or function-specific roles where colleges and universities need immediate capacity and steady execution.
  Associates help institutions maintain momentum during vacancies, reorganizations, recruitment periods, or moments when specialized support is needed quickly.

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Why join ZRG The Registry

Through ZRG The Registry, interim leaders become part of a selective professional community known for service to higher education.

• ‍Meaningful assignments
  Members and associates are considered for interim roles aligned with their experience and expertise.
• ‍A trusted model
  We have supported interim placements in higher education for almost 35 years through a selective, membership-based model.
• ‍A professional community
  Members and associates join a collegial network of higher education leaders committed to service, expertise, and results.
• ‍Defined expectations
  Interim assignments are shaped around clear institutional needs, helping leaders enter with a focused mandate.
• ‍Flexibility with purpose
  Interim service allows experienced professionals to contribute in meaningful ways without committing to a permanent institutional role.

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How the process works

Membership is selective and begins through nomination or direct inquiry. Prospective members and associates complete a review process designed to ensure alignment with our standards and the needs of client institutions.

The process may include:

• Initial inquiry or nomination
• Review of professional experience
• Submission of résumé and references
• Conversation about expectations and interim service
• Media and background checks
• Formal invitation to join, if qualified

There is no application fee and no membership fee.

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Interim roles across the institution

ZRG The Registry considers experienced leaders for interim assignments across a wide range of higher education functions.

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• Executive & Cabinet Leadership
  President/Chancellor
  Chief of Staff
  Chief Operating Officer
  General Counsel
  Board and trustee-facing leadership

• Academic & Research Leadership
  Provost/VPAA
  Deans
  Chief Research Officer
  Academic affairs leadership

• Student & Enrollment Leadership
  Chief Enrollment Officer
  Chief Student Affairs Officer
  Admissions
  Financial Aid
  Registrar

• Finance & Administration
  Chief Financial Officer
  Chief Human Resources Officer
  Chief Information/Technology Officer
  Controller

• Facilities & Campus Services
  Chief Facilities Officer
  VP Facilities  
  Facilities, planning, and operations leadership

• Advancement, Athletics & External Affairs
  Chief Advancement Officer
  Chief Athletics Officer
  Chief Communications Officer
  Chief Marketing Officer
  External relations leadership

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What makes a strong interim leader

Our strongest members and associates bring more than experience. They bring the temperament to enter complex environments with humility, clarity, and purpose.

Interim leaders are expected to work collaboratively, focus on the institution’s defined needs, maintain continuity, and uphold the standards of ZRG The Registry. They serve in interim capacities only and do not pursue permanent placement at the institutions they support.

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