Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
DEI Begins with All of Us
At Scion Executive Search, we believe diversity isn’t just a strength—it’s essential to organizational success. Inclusive workplaces foster innovation, broaden perspectives, and strengthen teams, driving meaningful and lasting impact.
We are committed to promoting, modeling, and implementing equitable, and inclusive hiring practices. Removing implicit bias and ensuring all qualified candidates are considered—regardless of race, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic—is at the heart of our work.
Our candidate slates feature a wide spectrum of executive backgrounds and experiences, ensuring access to exceptional leadership options. Together, we provide the expertise and resources needed to create equitable, high-impact leadership matches that shape the future.
Scion Executive Search DEI Committee
Joshua Steele – Chair
I am proud to say that the growth and impact of the Scion Staffing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee is having a multiplier effect on the interest and passion that our team brings to our work and clients. With DEI, there is an inherent, wide spectrum of where peoples’ interest and passion is.
Candice Zemina
Embracing diversity, equity, inclusion, representation, and an overall sense of belonging can significantly change perceptions of the world around you. Letting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging be a foundational part of how you approach others in your personal and professional life creates an environment that people want to be a part of.
Sarah Kurhajetz
There are many benefits of incorporating DEI strategies into the workplace, but for me, the most important is creating a sense of belonging for employees. For employees to do their best work and to expand their professional capacity, it’s critical that they feel a sense of belonging with their colleagues. With a sense of belonging comes a feeling of trust and safety. When trust and safety are present, employees feel comfortable asking for help, taking risks, making mistakes (and learning from them), as well as providing support to their co-workers.
Building Strong Nonprofit Leadership Teams with an Equity Lens
In today’s competitive landscape, organizations that foster inclusive, equitable, and welcoming workplaces not only attract top talent but also create a stronger foundation for long-term impact. When leadership teams reflect diverse perspectives and lived experiences, they inspire innovation, enhance workplace culture, and strengthen mission-driven outcomes.
As a leader in the executive search industry, we are committed to delivering the most qualified candidates based on merit, skills, and experience, without regard to protected characteristics. This commitment extends to the exceptional talent and clients we serve, as well as to our internal team, who actively contribute to the success and advancement of our firm.
As the competition for executive talent grows, Scion Executive Search remains dedicated to building meaningful and lasting partnerships. We connect our clients with highly qualified professionals who bring a wealth of perspectives, experiences, and expertise. Our commitment extends beyond recruitment—we strive to create opportunities where individuals of all backgrounds, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender identity, disability status, socioeconomic background, and religion, can thrive in leadership roles.
By prioritizing equity in leadership, we help nonprofit organizations build teams that not only lead effectively but also cultivate workplaces that reflect the communities they serve.
Internal Diversity and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Scion Executive Search
Since its inception in 2006, Scion Retained Search has remained committed to a workplace welcoming to a diverse team of professional recruiting experts. Today as a firm, more than 50% of our internal team self-identifies as being an individual from a diverse background. As an employer, we remain steadfast in our commitment to facilitate continued learning on DEI best practices and changes in the national legal environment. We are always looking for innovative and creative ways to continue to enhance our own company by striving every day to become a more welcoming and inclusive place to work, as well as offering continuous DEI learning opportunities for our entire team. As proven executive search leaders in the industry, we are proud of the hard work and shared knowledge of our own internal diversity, equity, and inclusion committee. We utilize the knowledge shared by our DEI committee to support the ongoing development of our executive recruiting and search methodologies as well as enhance our collective understanding of best practices. In doing so, our knowledge is evolutionary, always improving, and a tremendous benefit to our nonprofit client partners. While we cannot provide legal advice, our search leaders proactively answer questions and provide guidance that supports the pursuit and achievement of your recruiting goals. As part of our client relationship, you will benefit from the significant internal resources we leverage on your behalf.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Executive Leadership
A well-rounded executive team enhances decision-making, fosters innovation, and drives meaningful, sustainable success. Research consistently shows that diverse executive teams drive better decision-making, innovation, and profitability. Despite these benefits, leadership diversity remains a challenge. Recent studies indicate that nearly 75% of executive directors in the United States identify as white, while only 9% identify as African American or Black, 6% as Hispanic or Latinx, 8% as Asian or Pacific Islander, 1% as Native American or Alaskan Native, and 4% as multiracial or another background. Additionally, 60% of surveyed executive directors identified as female according to this report.
How We Ensure Fairness Through Our Executive Search Process
Our role in executive recruitment is intentional, proactive, and consistent. As your partner, we strategically engage our network to build outstanding candidate slates that reflect a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives—ensuring that personal traits or characteristics never define opportunities.
As we source talent across various industries, our conscious approach to executive recruiting ensures that all open roles reach a broad and diverse spectrum of candidates. This includes individuals from different target industries, geographical locations, historically underrepresented backgrounds, racial and ethnic groups, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, veteran and military statuses, disabilities, age groups, and generations.
Every candidate we present is evaluated solely on their executive leadership skills and qualifications. At no point in our recruiting process are candidates assessed based on personal traits, nor do we request any protected class information. Our focus is on leadership, innovation, and impact. Every candidate, regardless of background, is given full and fair consideration for each executive search we undertake.
Partner with Us
Our team looks forward to the opportunity to provide you with examples of our proven approach to executive search as well as details about how our team of recruiting experts stands ready to strengthen your organization through our strategic executive search services.
