RH Perry & Associates

What RH Perry & Associates does

RH Perry & Associates is an executive search firm founded in 1974 and headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina, specializing exclusively in senior leadership placements for higher education institutions across the United States. The firm conducts retained searches for college and university presidents, chancellors, provosts, vice presidents, CFOs, deans, and other cabinet-level roles, with particular depth in community colleges and four-year public, private, and religiously-affiliated institutions. Its core offerings comprise three interconnected service lines — Presidential Searches, Senior Administrative Searches, and Community & Technical College Searches — supported by value-added services including candidate pool development, top-candidate screening, finalist due diligence with accredited background screening, and a proprietary Client Resource Center online platform for search committee use.

The firm operates a direct, sales-led go-to-market model with no resellers or third-party channels, acquiring clients through institutional referrals, RFP responses, and industry reputation reinforced by Forbes and Hunt Scanlon recognition. Revenue is generated through project-based retained search fees; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The associate bench is composed predominantly of former higher education presidents, provosts, and senior administrators, providing domain credibility that differentiates the firm in a confidential, high-stakes recruitment process. Technology infrastructure consists of a proprietary CRM for candidate and client communications and the Client Resource Center platform; no AI/ML capabilities are evidenced in available materials.

The firm has served 143 colleges and universities over the past decade, with 76% of engagements originating from repeat institutional clients. Sixty percent of appointed candidates are women and/or people of color, and 74% of community college presidents placed since 2016 remain in office, which are key reported metrics supporting client outcomes and diversity commitments. RH Perry remains privately held with no disclosed parent company, external investment, or acquisition activity, and is recognized by Forbes and Hunt Scanlon's 2024 Select Guide among America's top executive search firms.

Name

RH Perry & Associates

Legal name

RH Perry & Associates

Website

https://rhperry.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RH Perry & Associates is a privately held executive search firm founded in 1974 that conducts retained searches for college and university presidents, provosts, and senior administrators across U.S. higher education institutions, with particular strength in community colleges.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Sector, Education & Nonprofit Leadership Search (BPACAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA), Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops) (BPACAAAB)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Higher education recruiting
• Presidential search firm
• College leadership placement
• Retained executive search

Headquarters

HQ city

Asheville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Services: Retained executive search engagements for higher education institutions seeking presidential, provost, and senior administrative leadership. Revenue is generated through project-based retained search fees, typically involving comprehensive national searches with defined engagement periods.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RH Perry & Associates is a retained executive search firm that conducts national searches to place presidents, chancellors, provosts, vice presidents, CFOs, deans, and other senior administrators at U.S. colleges, universities, and community colleges. Engagements are project-based and cover the full search lifecycle — candidate pool development, screening, reference and background checks — supported by a proprietary CRM and a confidential Client Resource Center for search committees.

Product overview

RH Perry & Associates is a higher education executive search firm offering a unified suite of search services. The core offering consists of three interconnected service lines: Presidential Searches (placing presidents, chancellors, and campus presidents), Senior Administrative Searches (placing provosts, vice presidents, CFOs, and deans), and Community & Technical College Searches (specialized searches for two-year institutions). Supporting these are Value Added Search Services including Candidate Pool Development, Candidate Screening, and Finalist Due Diligence. The firm also provides a proprietary Client Resource Center platform for committees to review candidate materials, and manages a proprietary CRM for candidate and client communications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Services - Presidential Searches Retained executive search services for college and university presidential positions, placing leaders such as presidents, chancellors, and campus presidents at U.S. institutions through comprehensive national searches.
• Executive Search Services - Senior Administrative Searches Retained executive search services for senior administrative roles including provosts, vice presidents, CFOs, deans, and other C-suite and cabinet-level positions at U.S. colleges and universities.
• Executive Search Services - Community & Technical College Searches Specialized retained executive search services focused on community colleges and technical colleges, placing presidents and senior administrators at two-year institutions across the United States.
• Client Resource Center Confidential online platform providing search committees convenient and efficient access to review candidate materials throughout the search process.

Quantifiable outcome

• 76% of searches are from repeat client institutions, demonstrating high client satisfaction and trust.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 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

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm with an executive search practice that includes higher education leadership, competing for presidential and senior administrative placements at larger and more prestigious institutions.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Heidrick & Struggles is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a higher education practice that competes for college and university presidential searches as part of its broader cross-industry portfolio.
• Spencer Stuart: Spencer Stuart is a global executive search and leadership consulting firm with an education, nonprofit, and social enterprise practice that recruits presidents, chancellors, and other senior leaders for higher education clients.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Russell Reynolds Associates is a global executive search firm with a higher education practice placing college and university presidents, provosts, and senior administrators as part of its broader cross-sector portfolio.

Direct peers

• WittKieffer: WittKieffer is a leading executive search firm dedicated exclusively to healthcare, education, and nonprofit leadership, with a higher education practice that directly competes for presidential, provost, and dean-level searches at colleges and universities.
• AGB Search: AGB Search is the executive search arm of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges and is one of the most direct higher-education executive search competitors to RH Perry, placing presidents, chancellors, and senior cabinet leaders at colleges and universities across the US.
• Academic Search: Academic Search is an executive search consulting firm serving colleges, universities, and related organizations, placing presidents, provosts, and other senior leaders; it competes head-to-head with RH Perry for community college and small-college presidential mandates.
• Isaacson, Miller: Isaacson, Miller is a national executive search firm focused on the nonprofit sector with a substantial higher education practice, recruiting presidents, provosts, deans, and senior administrators for colleges and universities.
• Parker Executive Search: Parker Executive Search is an executive search firm with a dedicated higher education practice placing presidents, provosts, deans, and senior administrators at colleges and universities nationwide, directly overlapping RH Perry's core service lines.
• Greenwood/Asher & Associates: Greenwood/Asher & Associates is a woman-owned executive search firm specializing in higher education leadership placements, offering similar presidential and senior administrative search services to RH Perry's client base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/r-h-perry-&-associates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 RH Perry & Associates