Keeling & Associates

What Keeling & Associates does

Keeling & Associates is a U.S.-based higher education consulting and executive search firm founded in 1999 by Richard P. Keeling, MD and Eric L. Engstrom, MPH. The firm delivers customized professional services to colleges and universities across North America through five core offerings: Vision & Strategy consulting, Assessment & Accreditation support, organizational Reviews (including Pre-Placement Reviews), Executive Coaching, and Executive Search via its Open Searches platform. Its go-to-market is direct institutional sales supplemented by RFP intake, professional referrals, CAS Council presentations, and content marketing through the Insights blog.

K&A has no proprietary technology platform; the business is human-led consulting with a Director of Research overseeing survey and interview data analysis. The team comprises the two founders, two senior vice presidents, a Director of Assessment and Evaluation, a Director of Research, a Chief of Staff, an operations consultant, and a roster of affiliate consultants drawn from former presidents, provosts, vice presidents, deans, and directors at U.S. institutions. The firm emphasizes interdisciplinary expertise spanning academic leadership, student affairs, medicine, psychology, public health, athletics, and the arts.

Revenue is generated through negotiated per-engagement fees on consulting projects and executive search retainers. There is no disclosed pricing, no subscription or SaaS revenue, and no external institutional investment; the LLC is closely held by its two founders. The firm has served 350+ colleges and universities over 26 years and primarily targets vertical customer segments within higher education, including student affairs divisions and executive leadership at research universities, liberal arts colleges, and community colleges.

Name

Keeling & Associates

Legal name

Keeling & Associates, LLC

Website

https://keelingassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Keeling & Associates is a privately held higher education consulting and executive search firm founded in 1999 that delivers customized strategy, accreditation, review, coaching, and executive search services to colleges and universities across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Executive Search Services (561312), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Performance Management & Productivity Consulting (BPAHAGAL)

Keywords

• Higher education consulting
• Executive search services
• Strategic planning consulting
• Accreditation support services
• Organizational assessment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Provincetown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Customized consulting services for higher education institutions including vision and strategy, assessment and accreditation support, and organizational reviews. Fees are negotiated per engagement.
2. Executive Search Services: Executive search services facilitating placement of senior leaders (e.g., Medical Directors, Chief Health Officers, Chief Wellness Officers) at client institutions. Coordinated through open searches listed on website.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Keeling & Associates provides customized consulting and executive search services to colleges and universities across North America. Offerings include Vision & Strategy consulting, Assessment & Accreditation support, organizational Reviews (including Pre-Placement Reviews), Executive Coaching, and Executive Search services. Engagements are scoped and priced per project and are designed to address leadership transitions, strategic planning, accreditation readiness, and program-level reviews in student affairs and student health/wellbeing.

Product overview

Keeling & Associates (K&A) is a higher education consulting and executive search firm offering a portfolio of specialized professional services. The core offerings include Vision & Strategy consulting, Assessment & Accreditation support, organizational Reviews (including Pre-Placement Reviews), Executive Coaching, and Executive Search services through their Open Searches platform. These services are complemented by their Insights thought leadership content. The firm serves colleges and universities across North America, focusing on student-facing priorities in student affairs, health/counseling/wellness, and student success.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vision & Strategy Forward-looking, change-oriented consulting processes that clarify purpose, direction, and priorities for higher education institutions, blending aspirations with practical steps along a sustainable pathway forward.
• Assessment & Accreditation Services that strengthen institutional frameworks for assessment and evaluation, supporting continuous improvement and successful accreditation through self-study processes, customized training workshops, and readiness preparation.
• Reviews Assessments of the structure, leadership, functioning, resources, and outcomes of programs or organizations, including readiness evaluations for future needs and challenges. Includes Pre-Placement Reviews.
• Pre-Placement Reviews Pre-placement reviews that assess candidates or organizational readiness prior to placement decisions, as a specialized component of the Reviews service line.
• Executive Coaching Confidential executive consultation and thought partnership that helps leaders or leadership teams navigate challenges, enhance skills, and achieve their goals.
• Executive Search (Open Searches) Customized executive search services that help institutions strengthen leadership in key positions, including placement, pre-placement reviews, and ongoing recruitment support, with currently open searches listed on the website.

Quantifiable outcome

• 350+ colleges and universities served over 26 years

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• RNL (Ruffalo Noel Levitz): RNL is a higher education consulting and technology firm specializing in enrollment, student success, and fundraising — competing with K&A on parts of the institutional strategy and student affairs engagement portfolio.
• EAB (formerly Advisory Board Company): EAB provides research, consulting, and technology services to higher education institutions on student success, enrollment, and advancement — competing with K&A's assessment, strategic planning, and student affairs review services from a research-driven platform.
• Huron Consulting Group: Huron is a large, diversified consulting firm with a Higher Education practice offering strategic, operational, and student-success consulting — competing with K&A on broader institutional engagements from a scaled platform.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Russell Reynolds is a global executive search firm with a Higher Education practice placing presidents, provosts, and senior leaders at colleges and universities — competing directly with K&A on leadership search mandates.
• MGT Consulting Group: MGT is a national consulting firm serving K-12, higher education, and government with management consulting, organizational reviews, and student affairs advisory services — adjacent to K&A's higher education consulting portfolio.
• Spencer Stuart: Spencer Stuart is a global executive search firm with a well-established Education, Nonprofit, and Social Enterprise practice that conducts college and university presidential and senior leadership searches, overlapping with K&A's executive search work.

Direct peers

• WittKieffer: WittKieffer is a leading executive search and advisory firm focused on healthcare, higher education, and nonprofit leadership — directly competing with K&A on senior leadership searches in college health and student affairs.
• Isaacson, Miller: Isaacson, Miller is a top-tier executive search firm with a substantial higher education practice, frequently running presidential, provost, and student affairs searches comparable to K&A's executive search offerings.
• Greenwood Asher & Associates: Greenwood/Asher specializes in executive search for higher education institutions, particularly for student affairs and academic leadership roles — a direct head-to-head competitor in K&A's core niche.
• AGB Search (AGB Consulting): AGB provides executive search and consulting services exclusively to higher education institutions, directly overlapping with K&A's executive search and strategic consulting practice for colleges and universities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/keeling-&-associates-llc
• Xx.com/keelinghighered
• Facebookfacebook.com/keelingandassociates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Keeling & Associates