Higher Education Executive Recruiting Network
Supporting and promoting world-class in-house executive recruitment in higher education and academic medicine.
Supporting and promoting world-class in-house executive recruitment in higher education and academic medicine.
HEERN is a 501(c)6 nonprofit professional association for in-house executive search professionals in higher education and academic medicine.
To support and promote world-class in-house executive recruitment in higher education and academic medicine.
We do this by promoting the building and growth, collaborative discussion, and mutual learning and support of excellence in in-house executive recruitment teams in higher education and academic medicine organizations.
HEERN was founded on the idea that in-house executive recruiters in higher education have a unique and valuable perspective, and reflecting the continued learning mission of our environments, that we’re stronger when we learn from one another, and we're always seeking to grow.
In 2014, a small group of university-based executive recruiters who had heard of each other by word-of-mouth began meeting for regular calls to exchange ideas, tools, and lessons learned. That group soon adopted a name: the Higher Education Executive Recruiters Network (HEERN).
As more colleges, universities, and academic medical centers recognized the value of in-house executive search teams, HEERN grew organically: one connection, conversation, and collaboration at a time. By 2024, the informal network had expanded into a vibrant national community of over 90 executive search professionals from 39 institutions. That year, the group took a major step forward by formally establishing HEERN as a 501(c)(6) nonprofit professional association.
HEERN is the first and only national association dedicated exclusively to in-house executive search professionals in higher education and academic medicine. Our members are deeply committed to the long-term success of their institutions and the communities they serve. They bring a nuanced understanding of campus culture, compliance requirements, and strategic alignment – providing a tailored, cost-effective, and mission-driven alternative to traditional external search firms.
Through quarterly calls, peer-to-peer collaboration, resource sharing, and an annual conference, HEERN supports the professional development of its members and promotes the advancement of in-house executive search as a growing movement across higher education. Today, we are proud to serve as a national resource, advocate, and community for professionals who are transforming how top leadership is identified, recruited, and supported in academia
Whether you are an established in-house executive search professional looking for information on best practices, or an organization seeking to build an internal executive search function, HEERN serves as a resource and community of support.
Join quarterly calls to speak directly with peers who are doing in-house executive search at universities, academic medical centers and other organizations of higher education across the country.
Access templates, job descriptions, question banks, process guides and pitch decks for making the case to establish an in-house team.
Get data on the various models, size and structures of teams at peer institutions to help inform your organization's strategic decisions.
For those who join at 2025 launch
Our inaugural annual conference will bring together professionals from across the country for workshops, networking, and thought leadership in higher education executive search.
Become a part of the first professional association exclusively for in-house executive search professionals in higher education.