Executive Search Consultant

Dr. Rajesh R. Gandhi is a trauma surgeon, educator, and healthcare systems leader who now advises academic medical centers and healthcare organizations on leadership development, physician recruitment, and program building. He retired from clinical practice in 2024 after serving for 17 years as Trauma Medical Director at JPS Health Network, where he led the hospital’s designation as Tarrant County’s first Level I Trauma Center. Dr. Gandhi brings extensive experience in graduate medical education, multidisciplinary program development, and faculty recruitment. His work focuses on identifying and developing leaders who can advance institutional missions in clinical care, education, and organizational performance.

Representative Leadership and Recruitment Experience

• Recruitment of trauma surgeons supporting program development in Waco and Fort Worth, Texas
• Recruitment of subspecialty faculty at JPS Health Network, including neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology (ENT), and urology
• Leadership of multidisciplinary teams supporting Level I Trauma Center verification in Tarrant County
• Development of a regional trauma referral network across North and West Texas
• Implementation of Texas’ first Patient Blood Management program within a county hospital system
• Establishment of one of the nation’s first Emergency General Surgery Centers of Excellence programs
• Advancement of culture change initiatives emphasizing accountability, collaboration, and performance improvement
• Mentorship and development of medical students, residents, fellows, and early-career faculty

Experience and Honors

Dr. Gandhi served as Trauma Medical Director at JPS Health Network from 2007 to 2024, where he led the hospital’s designation as the first Level I Trauma Center in Tarrant County. His leadership focused on building high-performing multidisciplinary teams and advancing a culture of accountability, quality improvement, and patient safety within a large county hospital system. During his tenure, he developed the county’s only Geriatric Trauma Program and established Texas’ first Patient Blood Management program. He also implemented system-wide safety initiatives, created a preoperative optimization clinic for high-risk surgical patients, and helped establish one of the first Emergency General Surgery Centers of Excellence programs in the country.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Gandhi served as Trauma Medical Director in Waco, Texas, where he strengthened trauma services and aligned surgeons, hospital leadership, and clinical teams around shared standards of excellence and performance improvement. Throughout his career, he has been deeply engaged in graduate medical education, mentoring medical students, general surgery residents, surgical critical care fellows, emergency medicine residents, and other healthcare trainees. He has served as a trauma center surveyor for the Texas Emergency Trauma and Acute Care Foundation since 2009 and for the American College of Surgeons from 2011 to 2025. Dr. Gandhi currently serves as Professor of Medical Education at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at TCU, where he focuses on executive coaching, physician leadership development, and faculty mentoring. He also serves on several nonprofit boards supporting community health and education initiatives.

Education

• Ph.D. in Physiology from Albany Medical College
• M.S. in Physiology from Albany Medical College
• M.D. from Albany Medical College
• B.S. in Applied Biology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Robert Newman joined AGB Search in 2026. Dr. Newman served as President and Director of the National Humanities Center from 2015–2024, where he expanded the Center’s scholarly and educational reach, doubled the endowment, strengthened diversity initiatives, and broadened public engagement. Previously, he was Dean of the College of Humanities, Professor of English, and Associate Vice President for Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Utah. In these roles, he increased philanthropic support, expanded interdisciplinary and international programs, and advanced diversity and community partnerships. Throughout his career, Dr. Newman has demonstrated a strong commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship, institutional leadership, and the promotion of the humanities in higher education and nationally.

Experience and Honors

Dr. Newman has held leadership and faculty roles at several major research universities, culminating in his leadership of the National Humanities Center. As Dean at the University of Utah, he created federally funded centers in Asian and Latin American Studies, founded the nation’s first graduate program in Environmental Humanities and led the development of the Taft/Nicholson Center for Environmental Humanities in Centennial Valley, Montana, advancing interdisciplinary research and teaching focused on environmental issues.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Newman served on the faculty at the University of South Carolina, where he chaired the Department of English, and held appointments at Texas A&M University and the College of William and Mary. 

Dr. Newman has published six books and over one hundred articles, reviews, and poems. For more than twenty-five years, he has served as General Editor of the “Cultural Frames, Framing Culture” series published by the University Press of Virginia. In addition to awards for his administrative, scholarly, and teaching accomplishments, he has been recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus by both Penn State and the University of North Carolina.

Education

• B.A. degree in English from Pennsylvania State University 
• M.A. degree in Literature and Aesthetics from Goddard College 
• Ph.D. in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Susan C. Puryear, Ed.D. joined AGB Search in 2024 after over 15 years in both private and public higher education leadership in the areas of research administration, compliance, and development. As a senior and cabinet level university leader, Dr. Puryear has been actively involved in searches as both committee chair and committee member for key university leadership positions including executive cabinet level leadership. 

Experience and Honors

Dr. Puryear most recently served as the interim Associate Vice President for Research Administration for the Georgia Institute of Technology providing transitional leadership for their Office of Sponsored Programs, and onboarding support for their permanent AVP.  Prior to Georgia Tech, she served as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Administration, Integrity, and Development at the University of Massachusetts Lowell where she oversaw research infrastructure operations supporting a rapidly growing university research portfolio.  She played a lead role working with government, industry, foundation, and higher education partners and sponsors negotiating research collaborations and agreements, and was integrally involved in the larger strategic management and planning work of the university related to its research operations and growth.  Prior to UMass Lowell, Dr. Puryear oversaw research administration and compliance at Clark University in Worcester, MA.  

In addition to her expertise in research administration, compliance, and development, Dr. Puryear’s higher education management experience includes strategic planning, leadership development, strategic enterprise analysis, change management, cross-functional collaboration, meeting facilitation, and negotiation. Her earlier career included consulting work with higher education institutions and other non-profit and for-profit organizations in the areas of business development, program design and implementation, and fundraising.

Dr. Puryear has served on the boards of K-12 serving educational institutions and organizations and continues to volunteer supporting educational programming and community health initiatives as a member of The Links, Incorporated .  She was appointed in 2024 by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey to serve on the Board of Trustees of Framingham State University.

Education

• B.A. degree in history from Yale University
• Ed.M. degree in administration, planning, and social policy from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education
• J.D. degree from Stanford Law School
• Ed.D. degree in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education

Rene Stewart O’Neal joined AGB Search in 2025 as an Executive Search Consultant. Ms. O’Neal has been a senior level strategic budget and financial planning executive at several major universities over the past 25 years, including George Mason University, George Washington University, Michigan State University, University of Michigan and Wellesley College.  

Experience and Honors

Ms. O’Neal most recently served as Vice President for Budget and Strategy/Executive Administration at George Mason University until her retirement on July 1. In this role, and in her previous post as Vice President for Strategic Budgeting & Planning, she worked in close partnership with institutional leadership to align financial strategy with academic and operational priorities.

Ms. O’Neal has extensive experience in senior leadership roles in budgeting, financial planning, and strategy at leading universities. She is known for building high-performing teams, leading change, and developing effective budget processes that support academic, research, and student success priorities.

Ms. O’Neal is a former American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow at NYU and currently serves on the board of EACUBO. She remains active in professional service and mentoring and lives in Baltimore, Maryland with her husband.

Education

• B.A. from Harvard College
• Master of Public Policy in Public Finance and Education Policy, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
   

Dr. John Cech joined AGB Search as an Executive Search Consultant in June 2025. Dr. Cech brings decades of executive experience and national recognition as a transformational higher education leader. He most recently served as the 18th President of Carroll College (2018–2025), where he led the institution to national prominence through academic innovation, capital improvements, and global partnerships. A former deputy commissioner for the Montana University System and dean/CEO of City College at Montana State University Billings, Dr. Cech is widely respected for his ability to build strategic coalitions and guide institutional change.

Experience and Honors

Dr. Cech’s leadership in higher education spans presidential, statewide, and community college roles. As President of Carroll College, he led major capital renovations, launched new academic programs, expanded international partnerships, and successfully navigated the COVID-19 crisis. He also served as Deputy Commissioner for Academic, Research & Student Affairs for the Montana University System, where he championed academic innovation and national grant initiatives. Earlier in his career, Dr. Cech was Dean/CEO of City College at MSU Billings and led adult and continuing education programs at Rocky Mountain College.

He has chaired accreditation teams for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and held national leadership roles on the Executive Committees of NAICU, NAIA, and NACU. His national service includes testimony before legislative bodies and meetings with senior leaders, including Pope Francis and President Trump. Dr. Cech’s recognitions include the Engaged Leadership Award (2025), Distinguished Service Awards from multiple athletic conferences, and distinguished alumni honors from MSU Billings and Regis University.

Education

• Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, Walden University
• Master of Nonprofit Management, Regis University
• B.S. in Business Administration & Computer Information Systems, Montana State University Billings

Dawn Overstreet-Doyle, Ph.D. joined AGB Search in 2022 and has since guided numerous presidential, dean, and senior academic leadership searches across both public and private institutions. She brings more than two decades of higher education leadership experience, which informs her collaborative and mission-driven approach to executive search.

Representative Executive Searches

• Bowie State University - Interim Executive Director of Budget
• Central Washington University - Interim Dean of the College of Business
• Governors State University - Dean, College of Business
• Idaho State University - Dean of the Graduate School
• Mount Saint Mary College - President
• Portland State University - Dean, School of Business
• Spalding University - President
• Stockton University - Interim Dean, School of Business
• Stockton University - Interim Dean, School of Health Sciences
• University of Idaho - Dean, College of Business & Economics
• University of San Diego - Dean, Kroc School of Peace Studies 
• University of the District of Columbia - Interim Dean, School of Law

Experience and Honors

Dr. Overstreet-Doyle has held leadership roles across the Offices of the President, Provost, Dean, and Vice President for Student Development in both public and private universities. At Loyola University Chicago, she served as Assistant Vice President for Student Development and as Associate Vice President for Mission and Ministry.

Her academic career has been rooted in Catholic higher education, with teaching and administrative appointments at the University of Notre Dame, Boston College, and Boston University. She began as a postdoctoral teaching scholar at Notre Dame before advancing into leadership roles that strengthened student success, faculty collaboration, and institutional mission.

Much of her work in higher education focused on mentoring undergraduate students and enhancing academic advising and international service immersion programs, with particular emphasis on student transition, retention, and formation. Her research and publications explored the relationship between college students’ spiritual and religious practices and their educational experiences.

Before joining AGB Search, Dr. Overstreet-Doyle served as an Assistant Vice President at a corporate, international commercial real estate firm, where she earned three Presidential Awards for exceptional performance.

Education

• B.B.A. degree from the University of Notre Dame
• M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Higher Education Administration from Boston College

Dr. Carl Moses joined AGB Search in 2024, after serving as Provost and VP for Academic Affairs at Grand View University for eight years. He is a member of the firm’s Provost/CAO practice area. His approach to search is informed by his experiences as a search committee member or chair and as a candidate spanning 24 years as an academic administrator.

Executive Search Expertise

• Associate and Academic Deans
• Chief Financial Officers
• Department Chairs across multiple disciplines
• Provosts and Vice Provosts (Graduate and Professional Studies)
• Student Affairs executives, including Chief Student Affairs Officers and Directors of Accessibility Services, Student Success, and Counseling

Experience and Honors

Dr. Moses has served institutions ranging from a medium-sized residential research-intensive university to a smaller university with a traditional undergraduate focus and a blend of liberal arts and professional programs to a small university with traditional day students, a working adult population, and masters’ degree programs. His service as an academic administrator at Lehigh University included roles as associate dean and Interim Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and Deputy Provost for Academic Affairs. He chaired the Middle States accreditation self-study steering committee, co-chaired the University Diversity Leadership Council, led the enrollment management team, oversaw the performing arts center, and guided the management of study abroad risk management. 

As the Provost and Dean of the Faculty at Susquehanna University, Dr. Moses reorganized the Academic Affairs Division, led the planning for a library renovation, oversaw Student Affairs and Information Technology, and contributed to expanded internationalization. As Provost and VPAA at Grand View University, Dr. Moses oversaw the reallocation of faculty lines to support areas of growth, led the expansion of graduate programs, and oversaw the implementation of initiatives to support student success, including partnering with a telehealth provider for 24/7/365 mental health services for students.

A longtime member of the American Conference of Academic Deans, Dr. Moses served on ACAD’s Board of Directors, including a rotation as Vice Chair, Chair, and Past Chair. He also served a term on the Board of Directors of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).

Education

• A.B. in Chemistry, with a Certificate in Science in Human Affairs, from Princeton University
• M.S. in Environmental Sciences from the University of Virginia 
• Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from the University of Virginia

Tony Pace joined AGB Search as an Executive Search Consultant in December 2023, following a year as Director at Huron Consulting Group. Mr. Pace served in various enrollment leadership roles, including Director, Dean, and Senior Associate Director, at Trinity College (CT), Holy Cross College (MA), Vanderbilt University, and Lafayette College (PA). 

Mr. Pace has also served in interim leadership roles as Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Southern Connecticut State University and Dean of Admissions at Xavier University of Louisiana.

Representative Searches 

• President, Salt Lake Community College
• President, Utah Tech University 
• Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dona Ana Community College
• Vice President for Enrollment Management, Stockton University 
• Vice President for Enrollment Management & Student Success, Southeast Missouri State University

Experience and Honors

Mr. Pace has spoken and presented at higher education professional organization meetings and conferences, including the National and Southern Association for College Admissions Counseling, the College Board National and Regional Forums, and the Historically Black Colleges & University Conference (now rebranded A Dream Deferred).

Mr. Pace's prior career was as Higher Education Chief at the Southern Regional Office of the College Board, leading product placement, consulting on enrollment planning and policy development, training, and other consultative services to higher education institutions and university system offices across the Southeastern part of the US.

Education

• BA degree in Sociology, Trinity College 
• K-6 Teacher Certification, Saint Joseph’s College 
   

Franklin (Frank) A. Newton, Ed.D., joined AGB Search in 2023, bringing with him over 35 years of experience in education, most in higher education. He has served in roles in student affairs, academic affairs and at the assistant and associate dean level as well as vice president and chief of staff to the university president.

Representative Executive Searches

• California State University-East Bay-Founding Dean of Health
• Marist College – Dean, School of Computer Science and Mathematics
• University of Idaho- Director, Counseling and Mental Health Center
• University of Utah – Dean, John and Marcia Price College of Engineering

Experience and Honors

Dr. Newton's decades in Higher Education include experience in housing and residence life, student conduct, first year experience and new student orientation. At the University of Delaware, he served as the founding Assistant Dean in the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment where he was instrumental in building the undergraduate academic programs and student support services for the college, increasing the undergraduate footprint and impact of the college exponentially.  He also served as Associate Dean in the College of Health Sciences as the college built a holistic program blending and leveraging the pillars of education, research, and care.

He served as Vice President and Chief of Staff for the University President. In this role, he was responsible for the functioning of as well as extending the reach and impact of the President’s office. Additionally, he directly supported presidential transition activities, with both the incoming and departing administrations.

He has been responsible for executive search support at the faculty, director, assistant/associate dean, dean, and vice-presidential levels and supported presidential transition activity. Most recently, he served as Head of School for Newark Charter School in Delaware, which serves 3,000 diverse K-12 students. During his tenure in that role, he led the school community through the pandemic while maintaining the highest financial rating and academic ranking. Additionally, the school expanded in enrollment and physical plant and saw more than $3M in funds raised to support the expansion.

Education

• B.A. degree in Economics from Framingham State University (MA)
• M.A. degree in Education (Student Affairs in Higher Education) from Indiana University of Pennsylvania
• Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Delaware

Dr. Tamara Jhashi joined AGB Search in 2022 after having served as a senior academic affairs leader for nearly twenty years in various capacities at both public and private institutions. Her leadership roles include Provost and Senior Vice President, Dean, Associate Provost, and Acting Dean. Throughout her leadership roles, Dr. Jhashi was involved in a number of searches as both hiring manager and committee member for Cabinet level positions, vice presidents, associate provosts, deans, and directors.

Representative Executive Searches

• Bowie State University - Associate Provost for Academic Programs 
• California State University, East Bay - Dean, College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences
• California State University, East Bay - Dean, College of Science 
• Canisius University - Vice President for Academic Affairs 
• Cottey College - Vice President for Academic Affairs 
• Farmingdale State College (SUNY) - Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
• Holy Family University - Vice President for Academic Affairs
• Northeastern Illinois University  - President 
• Siena College - Dean of the School of Science 
• Stockton University - Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Experience and Honors

Most recently Dr. Jhashi served as Provost and Senior Vice President at New Jersey City University, an urban HSI/MSI institution serving a highly diverse community. At NJCU she was engaged in multiple initiatives, including a strategic planning process, enhancing shared governance, building student success through an equity lens, academic rightsizing, and refining standards of academic excellence. In addition to the academic schools and library, she oversaw global education, sponsored grants and research, and was responsible for launching a reimagined Career Office and Center for Teaching and Learning.

Dr. Jhashi also served as Dean of the School of Liberal Arts at Mercy College, a private HSI/MSI institution with multiple campuses in the New York City area. As Dean, she a number of faculty and implemented student success initiatives. Prior to that, Dr. Jhashi served Oakland University (MI) for eighteen years in the roles of Faculty, Associate Provost, and Acting Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Jhashi has engaged in myriad leadership development opportunities, including the Harvard Management Development Program, the American Academic Leadership Institute, and was selected for the American Council of Education Fellows program in 2013-2014. Her ACE Fellowship was completed at Mount Holyoke College. She has also participated in several provost-directed programs through the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, including the Student Success Institute and program on Strengthening Democracy.

Education

• Ph.D. in Art History with focus on European modernism and specialization in early twentieth century Russian art from Indiana University