Naree Viner
Education & Non-Profit Practice Leader
Naree Viner brings a diverse set of experiences to her work at Gary Kaplan & Associates, complementing the range of executive search expertise offered by the firm. Her work is characterized by meticulous attention to detail, a high level of sensitivity to client needs, and a keen ability to identify and match crucial qualities in potential candidates with our client companies. Since joining the firm, she has been involved with searches in a variety of sectors, including healthcare, financial services, consumer products, and information technology.
Ms. Viner has particular expertise working with and representing clients in the education and non-profit fields, and is a specialist in conducting searches for arts and cultural organizations. Her successful placements span a diverse range of executive positions and key functions, including executive director; chief operating officer; chief financial officer; advancement and fundraising leadership; curatorial, education, and program management; and human resources. Ms. Viner's clients encompass major non-profit organizations dedicated to education, social services, arts and culture, children and family services, environmental and health-related causes, as well as prominent educational institutions from small liberal arts colleges to large research universities. She is actively involved in the entire executive recruitment process, including initial client interaction, guiding research, identifying and developing candidates, and working to ensure a quality placement in a timely manner.
Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Viner was Executive Project Manager at Crystal Stairs, a non-profit child care services and advocacy organization. In this role, she oversaw searches for several of the organization's key senior management positions, including Director of Public Affairs, Vice President of Programs, Vice President of Human Resources, and President/Chief Executive Officer. Given her experience with executive search firms from the client side of the table, Ms. Viner has a practical, specific sense of the high caliber of work and professionalism clients should expect when they engage with a top-notch executive recruiting firm. She brings this real experience to all facets of her work at Gary Kaplan & Associates.
Ms. Viner also has a unique background in the e-learning industry, serving as Manager of Instructional Design at an online executive education company and Producer for the parent channel of an educational web portal site. While working in these high-paced environments, she gained vivid exposure to the importance of placing the right people in the right positions within complex organizations. Prior to her work in the Internet for-profit realm, Ms. Viner spent five years at the J. Paul Getty Trust. Her project was conceiving, developing, and managing one of the first websites for K-12 teachers, offering lesson plans, curriculum ideas, and art images to use in the classroom.
Ms. Viner earned a Master of Arts degree in art history from the University of Washington in Seattle, specializing in Italian Renaissance art. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, she taught English to business people in Tokyo, Japan. Ms. Viner remains active with Williams College as an Associate Class Agent and Class Reunion Committee member. She has served on the Williams College Alumni Association Executive Committee and within the Los Angeles Regional Association as a member of that Executive Committee.