Regents pick Atlanta firm to search for next UNLV president

A Board of Regents committee voted Friday to hire Baker and Associates LLC of Atlanta to help select UNLV presidential candidates.

The committee indicated that the search was not likely to conclude by September, an initial target set by the regents.

“I’m not going to rush it and I’m not going to delay it,” said Regent Mark Doubrava, chairman of the regents committee.

The presidential search committee consists of six regents and about 30 community and faculty advisory members.

Committee members lauded Jerry Baker, president of Baker and Associates, for the clarity of his presentation and his directness.

Baker, who has worked as an executive search consultant since 1976, told the committee that UNLV’s goals of attaining Carnegie Tier 1 very high research status, as well as founding a medical school and building a stadium, would be a challenge.

His work comes at a cost of $150,000 regardless of the time involved. He said a thorough candidate search could take as long as a year.

“There was a maturity and a level of sophistication in the way he approached the questions that showed me a seasoning and a depth of understanding of what we’re looking for,” said Pat Mulroy, former president of the Southern Nevada Water Authority who is now a senior fellow at Brookings Mountain West.

“That was one of the best presentations I’ve ever heard,” said advisory member Gregory McKinley of Cragin & Pike insurance. “He’s a great salesman. The only thing I’d make sure of is that the follow-through is as good as the sales pitch.”

“He’s someone I would want to sell on my behalf,” Regent Michael Wixom said before the vote.

Committee members also heard from Diversified Search of Philadelphia, AGB Search of Washington, D.C., and EFL Associates Inc. of Kansas.

The committee’s next meeting is June 2.

Contact reporter Kristy Totten at ktotten@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3809. Follow her on Twitter: @kristy_tea.