Wallace Pond

Partner, Education Practice

Thirty Plus Years of Real-World Experience

Dr. Wallace Pond has been a mission-driven educator for over 30 years in higher education, K-12, and corporate milieus, both domestically and internationally. Wallace also brings 20 years of experience as a senior leader in higher education, holding both campus and system level positions overseeing a variety of single and multi-campus and online institutions of higher education in the US and internationally. He has served as COO, CAO (Chief Academic Officer), chancellor, president, and CEO, providing exceptional value as an entrepreneurial, strategic-servant leader through extensive experience and acumen in strategic planning, transformational change management, organizational design and development, finance, human capital and leadership development, innovation, new programs, and deep operational expertise among other areas of impact.

Wallace began his career as a high school teacher and adjunct professor, and spent six years in the elementary and secondary classroom working primarily with at-risk youth. Dr. Pond was also an administrator in the public K-12 and community college systems, and spent another six years as a full-time professor and administrator in the private, not-for-profit higher education sector, working in both on campus and online education. Additionally, Wallace has over 15 years of executive, private sector experience, creating a unique and powerful combination of mission-driven and business focused leadership.

Wallace has lived, worked, and studied in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. He has presented nationally and internationally and is the author of numerous articles and the book, The Lights Are On, Is Anybody Home? Education in America. His new book, Leadership in the Real World will be published in early 2020.

Executive Leadership Experience to Support GameChanging Search Outcomes

Dr. Pond leverages his extensive experience across multiple sectors of post-secondary and K-12 education to ensure that clients hire dynamic, Game Changing leaders. As Dr. Pond notes, “Executive search in higher education today is not simply about filling leadership vacancies. It is about effectively addressing an existential crisis, and that is why I am now in the retained executive search field—leveraging over 30 years of experience to get educational institutions the kinds of leaders they need to not just survive but to thrive and build sustainable futures for all stakeholders.”

Reach Wallace at wallace@topgunventures.com.