Insights & Research
The right leader is only the beginning.
Successful leadership transitions require more than finding the right executive. What happens before, during, and after a leadership search can shape a leader's ability to succeed and an organization's future.
Drawing on original research, firsthand executive experience, and conversations with leaders across the nonprofit and cultural sectors, CKF Collective examines the conditions that help leaders and organizations thrive.
Our work challenges conventional thinking about executive transitions and explores how boards, executives, funders, and search partners can create stronger foundations for long-term success.
Featured Research
FORTHCOMING RESEARCH · FALL 2026
Beyond the Search: What Drives Executive Success During Leadership Transitions
Developed by CKF Collective in collaboration with Arts Consulting Group, Beyond the Search examines how nonprofit and cultural organizations approach executive leadership transitions.
Drawing on a national survey of 656 respondents across arts, culture, and the broader nonprofit sector, the forthcoming report explores the organizational conditions that shape leadership success before, during, and after a search.
The research examines organizational readiness, board alignment, executive onboarding, leadership support, and the responsibilities organizations carry throughout a transition.
Publication note: Full report forthcoming in fall 2026.
Conversations & Media
Explore conversations about nonprofit leadership, executive transitions, governance, organizational change, and the experiences that shape how leaders approach consequential decisions.
Executive Success During Leadership Transitions
Arts Insights Live | July 30, 2026
Featuring Courtney K. Ford and Arts Consulting Group.
In this Arts Insights Live conversation, Courtney K. Ford joins Arts Consulting Group to explore executive success during nonprofit and cultural leadership transitions and share early perspectives from their collaborative research.
From Executive Leadership to Entrepreneurship: Courtney K. Ford's Story
Success Leaves Clues Podcast | September 21, 2026
Episode: Courtney K. Ford on Turning a Career Transition Into a Business
Courtney K. Ford discusses the leadership transition that led her to establish CKF Collective, her experience navigating complex nonprofit organizations, and how those experiences inform her approach to coaching CEOs and senior executives.
The conversation also explores her national research on leadership transitions, the importance of board relationships, and the challenges facing first-time chief executives.
UPCOMING · THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2026 · 12:00 P.M. EASTERN TIME
Arts Insights Live — Executive Leadership Transitions
Featuring Nagham Wehbe, President of Arts Consulting Group, and Courtney K. Ford, Founder and CEO of CKF Collective.
Research Leadership
This research began during the MBA Courtney K. Ford earned at the Global Leaders Institute and has benefited from the guidance of a research advisory committee.
Research Advisory Committee
Dr. AnaMaria Correa
Director of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging, Brooklyn Friends School
antonio c. cuyler, Ph.D.
Professor of Music, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership, University of Michigan
Emil J. Kang
Arts Consultant and Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Yale Cultural Innovation Lab
Kazz Alexander Pinkard
Founder & CEO, Teachable NYC
