Nancy Targett, Ph.D., joined AGB Search in 2018, with executive search experience at the director, dean, provost, and presidential levels. Her work is informed by more than 34 years of executive service in higher education.
Dr. Targett’s recent searches include both public and private institutions:
As an ocean scientist, she brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her work and has been a change agent focused on positioning institutions for success in a dynamic academic landscape.
Dr. Targett served as Dean of the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment, Director of the Delaware Sea Grant College Program, and Acting President of the University of Delaware (UD). She also served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of New Hampshire (UNH).
In her roles at UD, she fostered campus-wide innovation ecosystems that expanded entrepreneurship and public-private partnerships at the institution. She led the team that formed First State Marine Wind (FSMW), a joint venture between the University and Gamesa Technology Corporation and served on its board of directors for six years. FSMW built a commercial scale wind turbine on the marine campus for purposes of education, research, and development. The multidisciplinary team included engineers, scientists, policy analysts, and elected government officials.
At UD, Dr. Targett also expanded the footprint and portfolio of the Graduate College of Marine Studies to become the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment and developed numerous academic partnerships. These efforts drew on her experiences as Director of the Delaware Sea Grant College Program, whose mission was to translate applied research into projects that directly addressed societal needs. She received the Order of the First State from Governor Jack Markell in recognition of her contributions to the State of Delaware. At UNH, Dr. Targett promoted university relationships with external partners and focused on Initiatives related to recruiting and retaining students. She also worked to prepare students across the institution for entry into the workforce.
Dr. Targett served as the Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Consortium of Ocean Leadership, a Washington, D.C.-based group of 100 universities and industries aimed at advancing ocean research and technology. In addition, she has held multiple elected positions for the National Sea Grant Program and has served on several National Academy of Science panels, chairing two of those panels. She also chaired several fisheries committees during her federal appointment to the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council. She currently has a federal appointment to the National Sea Grant Advisory Board.
Dr. Targett, a first-generation college graduate, holds a B.S. in Chemistry and Biology from the University of Pittsburgh, an M.S. in Marine Science from the University of Miami (FL), and a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of Maine. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Delaware. She resides in Portsmouth, NH where she chairs the board of the Seacoast Science Center.
