The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) seeks applications and nominations for the position of Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel (CLO). This new position reports directly to President Selena M. Grace and serves as NWCCU’s most senior legal executive, providing legal strategy, oversight, and accountability for all legal and regular functions across the agency.
The CLO directly supervises the Senior Vice President, Legal & Regulatory Affairs, sets legal strategy and risk tolerance in partnership with the President and Commission, personally handles or directly oversees the agency's highest-risk and highest-complexity legal matters, and serves as the final quality-control checkpoint for legal work product before it reaches the President, Commissioners, or external parties. Success in this role will be measured by the soundness, timeliness, and reliability of U.S. Department of Education (USDE) recognition, complaints oversight, By-Laws, Standards, and Policies (BSP) governance, and legal and regulatory risk management, as well as by the performance and development of the legal function as a whole.
This position requires the highest level of confidentiality and ethical standards. The incumbent must maintain attorney-client privilege, handle sensitive institutional information appropriately, and demonstrate unwavering integrity in all professional dealings. Compliance with professional responsibility rules and continuing legal education requirements is mandatory.
This is a senior leadership role with a remote work arrangement, with periodic travel to Commission meetings, site visits, national conferences, and the NWCCU’s Redmond, WA office. The NWCCU operates on Pacific Time.
Information about minimum and preferred qualifications, key priorities, and NWCCU can be found in the leadership profile linked above.
AGB Search is pleased to assist NWCCU with this leadership search. To apply for the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel position, candidates are requested to submit the following: (i) resume; (ii) a letter of interest that addresses how the candidate’s experiences and qualifications connect with the required/preferred characteristics and priorities as expressed in this position profile; and (iii) contact information for five references (to be contacted with candidate’s permission at a later date).
For best consideration, applications should be submitted by October 23, 2026, to the AGB Search portal at: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The search will remain open until an appointment is made.
Nominations and expressions of interest in the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel position are encouraged. Please direct them to NWCCUGenCounsel@agbsearch.com or the AGB Search consultants listed below:
Kimberly Templeton, JD
Principal
Kimberly.templeton@agbsearch.com / 540.761.9494
Fred Moore, JD/MBA
Senior Executive Search Consultant
fred.moore@agbsearch.com / 712.299.2544
Anne Hoffman
Executive Search Associate
anne.hoffman@agbsearch.com / 805.490.9161
