Dennis C. Miller
Founder & President
Dennis C. Miller, the Founder and President of The Nonprofit Search Group and the Board and Leadership Institute, is a nationally recognized strategic leadership coach and executive search consultant with more than thirty-five years of experience working with nonprofit board leadership and chief executives across the country. Dennis is also an expert in board governance, leadership development, philanthropy and succession planning. In addition, he is a sought-after motivational speaker, retreat facilitator and leadership performance coach. Dennis’ experience working with hundreds of nonprofit organizations has provided him with the knowledge and insights to understand the competencies required of today’s nonprofit leadership.
As the former president and chief executive office of Somerset Medical Center and Foundation in New Jersey, his reputation as a respected healthcare executive resulted in numerous honors, including the status of Fellow in the American College of Health Executives. He has served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the New Jersey Council of Teaching Hospitals, Chaired the Board of Trustees for the Center for Health Affairs, Inc. in Princeton and received his Fellowship in the American College of Healthcare Executives. Dennis obtained his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in Public Health Administration from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.
Passionate about leadership and governance, Dennis is the Founder of the Center for
Excellence in Leadership, Governance and Philanthropy at Fairleigh Dickinson University and served as their Executive Director from 2012-2016. Dennis was the Chair of the highly successful “Profiles in Excellence” capital campaign for St. Joseph’s Regional High School in Montvale, NJ, was the board chair of their Board of Trustees and was recently elected into the Green Knights Hall of Fame.
Dennis is the author of four books on nonprofit organization success: A Guide to Achieving New Heights: The Four Pillars of Successful Nonprofit Leadership; The Nonprofit Board Therapist: A Guide to Unlocking Your Organization’s True Potential; and The Power of Strategic Alignment: A Guide to Energizing Leadership and Maximizing Potential in Today’s Nonprofit Organizations, and his new book, A Guide to Recruiting Your Next CEO: The Executive Search Handbook for Nonprofit Boards. With his fifth book, Moppin’ Floors to CEO: From Hopelessness and Failure to Happiness and Success, Dennis mixes together the right ingredients for an engaging, illuminating and compelling autobiography: a gut-honest recount of his highly eventful life; lots of engaging stories; and some valuable life lessons. Dennis shows up how anyone, including a troubled kid from New Jersey, can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, make it to the top and live a happy and fulfilling life.
Michele Hickey
Executive Vice President
Michele Hickey, Executive Vice President, is integral to all aspects of the firm’s operations and client services, including executive search services, leadership education programming, nonprofit organizational assessment, and communications and marketing. She brings to the firm more than 25 years of experience as a nonprofit professional and has partnered and collaborated with Dennis C. Miller on client projects since its founding in 2005. According to Dennis, “Michele is the reason our firm’s growth and success has been made possible. She’s incredibly talented and enthusiastic and has been a tremendous asset to myself and our clients.”
Michele began her career in arts and humanities organizations such as The Joffrey Ballet and Fraunces Tavern Museum. She expanded into higher education with development positions at Bloomfield College and Fairleigh Dickinson University. In 2003, she formed Silver Lining Communications, LLC, a boutique writing services firm that assists nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders with projects ranging from white papers and case statements to email marketing and web content. Clients have included the Sankofa Collaborative, the New Jersey Historical Society, Caldwell University, Barnard College, Felician University, Marymount Manhattan College, NJIT, NYIT, Seton Hall University, Oliver Scholars, Spectrum for Living and the Morris County Chamber of Commerce.
Michele has an M.S. in Professional and Technical Communication from NJIT, an M.A. in Nonprofit Management from the New School University, and a B.A. in Business from Rutgers University. She is a regular article contributor to CharityChannel.com, an online community serving the philanthropic sector. Michele was also the editor for Dennis’s most recent book, A Guide to Recruiting Your Next CEO: The Executive Search Handbook for Nonprofit Boards.
Kiersten Michie
Research Associate
Kiersten brings to the firm internship experience at Walt Disney World Company, WaterAid UK, and the Morris County Bar Association. As a U.S. House of Representatives Intern for the Office of Representative Ted Yoho, Kiersten performed legislative and policy research and addressed constituent concerns. A recent graduate of American University’s School of International Studies with a concentration in Foreign Policy and National Security, Kiersten gained community organizing experience through her involvement with the Alpha Phi Omega Community Service Fraternity. Serving as Spring Youth Service Day Coordinator and later as Vice President of Fellowship of the fraternity, Kiersten planned and organized service projects that engaged more than 200 volunteer participants. Kiersten’s research for Dennis C. Miller will be integral to directing and implementing the firm’s marketing and business development strategies.
