By Serena Moy
Spending three full days in Placerville, CA, recently was deeply meaningful, beyond just the work. This place, nestled in the Sierra foothills, holds a piece of my family’s history. After World War II, my grandfather once lived here, working as a houseboy and cooking for the laborers in this community. My great-grandfather worked on the railroads. Being in Placerville made me pause and wonder what my grandfather would think if he were still alive and I told him I was facilitating a modern executive search process in the same town.
That professional work was the capstone of an intense search project: facilitating the Finalist Interview Days for Innovative Education Management (IEM), an Edgility Search client. After hours of Zoom meetings with search committee members and candidates—a standard Executive Leadership search can last anywhere from four to six months—the Finalist Interview Days are the highlight where everything finally comes together. This is when the long hours transition into an invaluable in-person connection. I love finalist days!
IEM is a well-established and pioneering Charter School Development and Management Organization in California. IEM empowers parents and students through individualized, high-quality public education. Since 1993, we've been at the forefront of the independent study and homeschool model within the charter school movement. Their mission centers on honoring individual education choices and providing innovative learning opportunities that foster responsible and contributing members of society.
The Finalist Interview Day is a critical, one-day opportunity for candidates to meet with staff, leadership, and Board members face-to-face. It’s a chance for the organization to share what their office culture is like and for everyone to interact with one another. These days were packed with introductions to three Finalist candidates, office tours, face-to-face meetings with Directors, Business and Operations staff, and the Board of Directors. The atmosphere was vibrant, including lunches with staff in the conference room and even a baby shower one day. While it’s an exhausting time for every candidate and staff member involved, it is a vital step in ensuring the organization has the information they need to make one of the biggest decisions they will make.
To stand where my grandfather and great-grandfather once lived and worked and now help an organization like IEM secure its next leader was a special full-circle moment for me personally and professionally.