SEC adds recruiting firm to aid in search for Slive’s replacement
By Ethan Levine
Published:
The SEC announced Monday afternoon it has retained executive recruiting firm Korn Ferry to aid in the search for Mike Slive’s replacement as the conference’s next commissioner.
SEC spokesman Chuck Dunlap said in a media release delivered Monday the firm will begin work immediately to seek out worthy candidates for the position. Slive will continue to serve as commissioner until July.
According to the release, Jed Hughes, Vice Chairman of Korn Ferry, will lead the firm’s search team throughout the process. He will work closely with University of Arkansas chancellor Dr. David Gearhart, who currently serves as the chairman of the SEC’s search committee. The SEC’s committee features presidents and chancellors from among the conference’s 14 member schools.
“Korn Ferry offers the expertise and experience necessary to assist us in identifying candidates for a position of this significance to our institutions,” Gearhart said in the SEC’s release. “Their proven success at bringing highly qualified individuals to high profile positions is well-documented and gives the committee great confidence in their ability to do the same for the SEC.”
The recruiting firm assisted in previous commissioner searches with the Big 12, Major League Baseball and the National Football League. Hughes in particular was also instrumental in the hiring of Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott.
Per the release, Gearhart said the SEC has stressed to Korn Ferry it would like the firm to meet with “key constituency groups” within the conference, including athletic directors, senior female administrators, faculty athletics representatives and student-athletes, among others.
Beyond Gearhart, the SEC’s search committee features University of Alabama president Dr. Judy Bonner, University of Kentucky president Dr. Eli Capilouto, Mississippi State University president Dr. Mark Keenum and University of Missouri chancellor Dr. Bowen Loftin.
Slive, 74, has served as SEC commissioner since 2002, but announced in October he would step down this July due to focus on health concerns, including ongoing treatment for prostate cancer. His final day in office will be July 3.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
