Bill Peterson

Bill Peterson leads the Nonprofit and Higher Education Practice at CarterBaldwin Executive Search, partnering with governing boards to identify presidents, CEOs, and senior executives who will advance their organization’s mission. For more than twenty-five years, he has advised boards through one of their most consequential responsibilities: selecting leaders whose character, judgment, and capabilities position institutions to flourish.

Bill has led hundreds of executive searches for colleges and universities, Christian ministries, nonprofit organizations, foundations, and mission-driven enterprises. His experience includes recruiting presidents, chief executive officers, provosts, chief financial officers, chief advancement officers, and other senior executives. He has also successfully completed C-suite searches for corporate clients whose work intersects with the nonprofit, education, and healthcare sectors.

Bill believes leadership stewardship does not end with the successful completion of a search. He works alongside boards and chief executives during leadership transitions, helping establish the trust, alignment, and partnership that contribute to long-term organizational health. His writing and speaking focus on presidential leadership, governance, succession, executive transitions, and the enduring practices that help leaders begin well and finish faithfully.

Before joining CarterBaldwin, Bill spent six years as a partner in the Atlanta office of a national executive search firm, where he helped establish the firm’s healthcare and higher education practices. He began his search career recruiting physicians and healthcare executives for health systems and academic medical centers.

Bill and his wife, Angela, have been married for more than thirty years and are active supporters of organizations serving children and families.