RPA Inc. Executive Search & Consulting

What RPA Inc. Executive Search & Consulting does

RPA Inc. Executive Search & Consulting is a privately held, founder-owned professional services firm founded in 1988 by Richard Allen and headquartered in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The firm specializes in executive recruitment for U.S. higher education institutions (four-year public and private universities, two-year community and technical colleges, religious and public systems) and nonprofit organizations, with a documented client list that includes Yale University, Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, Howard University, multiple SUNY campuses, and numerous community colleges. Service delivery is built around a six-tier product architecture: two core full-service engagements (Presidential Search and Comprehensive Search, typically completed in 16 weeks or less) plus four modular add-ons (Qualification Evaluation, Enhanced Recruitment, Targeted Outreach, and Candidate Screening) that allow clients to mix services to budget.

The firm's principal technical asset is a proprietary candidate database of over 200,000 professional profiles, maintained by an Information Specialist and used to populate every search. The operating team consists of a President, two Vice Presidents, Search Managers, Search Consultants, a Project Manager specializing in marketing and communications, and a network of named higher-education consultants totaling roughly two dozen senior practitioners, supplemented by former college presidents and senior administrators. Searches follow a five-phase process (Facilitating a Partnership; Research & Marketing; Outreach & Recruitment; Qualifying & Evaluating; Closing the Search), with continued consultation through the first year of placement.

The business model is fee-for-service professional services revenue. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based per engagement, with multi-year or single-engagement contracts negotiated against the six service tiers. Go-to-market is consultative and relationship-led: direct client engagement via website inquiry, telephone, and email; RFPs addressed to a Vice President; placement in industry publications such as the Chronicle of Higher Education and Insight Into Diversity; an owned "Join Our Network" candidate platform; and referrals from past institutional clients. Operating geography is the United States; there is no evidence of international expansion or external institutional investment.

Name

RPA Inc. Executive Search & Consulting

Legal name

RPA Inc.

Website

https://rpainc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RPA Inc. Executive Search & Consulting is a privately held, Williamsport, Pennsylvania-based executive search firm founded in 1988 that recruits presidents and senior administrators for U.S. higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations, leveraging a proprietary database of 200,000+ profiles and a network of former higher-education administrators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Sector, Education & Nonprofit Leadership Search (BPACAAAI), Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops) (BPACAAAB), Confidential/Replacement & Succession Search (BPACAAAK)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Higher education recruiting
• Leadership recruitment
• Talent acquisition consulting
• Higher education consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Williamsport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Services: Professional services revenue generated through executive recruitment and consulting engagements. Services include Presidential Search, Comprehensive Search, Qualification Evaluation, Enhanced Recruitment, Targeted Outreach, and Candidate Screening. Pricing varies by service level and scope, with multiple cost-effective options available to meet different client needs and budgets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

RPA Inc. Executive Search & Consulting is described as a higher education executive search firm that provides executive search services. Beyond this high-level description, no additional details about specific service lines, methodologies, or client engagements are evidenced in the provided source material.

Product overview

RPA Inc. is a comprehensive executive search and consulting firm offering a portfolio of six service tiers for higher education and nonprofit organizations. The core offerings are Presidential Search (for CEO-level placements) and Comprehensive Search (for senior administrative positions), both following a five-phase process: Facilitating a Partnership, Research & Marketing, Outreach & Recruitment, Qualifying & Evaluating, and Closing the Search. Additional modular services include Qualification Evaluation (pre-recruitment preparation and candidate tiering), Enhanced Recruitment (increased visibility and candidate outreach), Targeted Outreach (position announcement placement), and Candidate Screening (360-degree reference checks and background verification). Services are delivered through a combination of proprietary database research, multimedia advertising, direct professional outreach, and multi-tiered interview techniques.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 16 weeks or less from initiating search to on-site interviews
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers26 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Greenwood/Asher & Associates: Executive search consultancy dedicated exclusively to higher education and education-related nonprofit leadership. Closely aligned with RPA Inc. in niche and client segments.
• Academic Search, Inc. Higher education executive search firm serving colleges, universities, and related associations. Direct peer given overlapping target customers and similar presidential/senior search service model.
• AGB Search: Executive search arm of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, focused exclusively on higher education leadership placements. Closely aligned with RPA Inc.'s higher education executive search focus.
• Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates: Specialist executive search firm serving higher education, education-adjacent nonprofits, and associations. Comparable in scale, vertical specialization, and client base to RPA Inc.
• WittKieffer: Executive search firm specializing in healthcare, higher education, and nonprofit leadership. Competes directly with RPA Inc. in the higher education presidential and cabinet-level search market.
• R. William Funk & Associates: Higher education executive search firm with long-standing relationships across U.S. universities. Directly comparable to RPA Inc. in vertical specialization and presidential search focus.
• Isaacson, Miller: One of the largest U.S. executive search firms dedicated to the education, nonprofit, and social impact sectors. Directly comparable to RPA Inc. in vertical specialization, service offering, and target client base, with a deeper geographic footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global executive search and organizational consulting firm with a higher education practice. Larger, broader incumbent serving the same client institutions for senior leadership placements.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with a dedicated education, nonprofit, and social enterprise practice. Broad incumbent operating across higher education with deeper resources than RPA Inc.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with higher education and nonprofit practices. Large incumbent competitor for presidential and senior-level higher education searches.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rpa-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 RPA Inc. Executive Search & Consulting