Charles Aris Executive Search Founder and Chairman Mitch Oakley has led the retained executive search firm since 1969. Mitch also founded Charles Aris Transaction Services, helping private equity clients find new acquisition opportunities.

While he is proud of his many “Manager of the Year” and “Account Executive of the Year” awards, as well as his industry honor for lifetime achievement, it is Charles Aris’ consistent record of elite quality and service which he finds most satisfying.

Mitch’s commitment to serving clients breathes life into all aspects of the company. His expertise and experience remain key ingredients in its uninterrupted success. Now in his fifth decade on the job, Mitch continues to be recognized for his leadership in growing Charles Aris into one of the top 25 search firms in the United States.

CONTACT MITCH

Direct: (336) 217-9119
Email: mitch.oakley@charlesaris.com

The post Mitch Oakley appeared first on Charles Aris Website.

Chad Oakley serves as the chief executive officer of Charles Aris Executive Search. He joined the firm in 2003 and founded our Strategy & Corporate Development Practice, a practice that has to date completed over 1,200 searches.

Prior to joining Charles Aris, Chad worked as a consultant and case team leader in the Boston practice of Bain & Company. At Bain, he focused on solving strategic challenges for clients in a number of industries including software, telecommunications, manufacturing and financial services.

Before his time with Bain, Chad earned an MBA degree from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. During business school, Chad spent a summer at Nabisco as a Summer Associate for the Oreo Cookie portfolio.

Prior to business school, Chad served as a Business Analyst and Consultant in the Philadelphia practice of Deloitte Consulting, where he focused on industries such as healthcare, pharmaceuticals and oil and gas.

Chad also holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from North Carolina State University.

Chad met his wife, Mindy, at Wharton and together they have three wonderful children. Chad enjoys playing golf, running, snow skiing, fly fishing, rooting for the Wolfpack of NC State and the Quakers of UPenn, and the occasional trek up to Boston for a night of baseball at Fenway Park.

Chad is a proud member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (Southern Seven chapter) and of Vistage.

Contact Chad

Direct: (336) 217-9101
Email: chad.oakley@charlesaris.com

A quick note from Charles Aris: If you’re a current or former strategy consultant, please consider supporting our annual compensation studies by spending five minutes on this anonymous survey. For every complete response, we’ll also donate $10 to charity! Click here to complete the survey.

The post Chad Oakley appeared first on Charles Aris Website.

Allen Oakley serves as president and chief operating officer of Charles Aris Executive Search. In these roles, he works directly with the recruiting and operations teams to manage firm-wide efficiency and innovation.

He also serves on the board of directors for InterSearch Worldwide, a global alliance of executive search firms that selected Charles Aris as its United States representative in 2015. Allen previously worked in commercial real estate development and brokerage throughout the southeastern United States. Upon joining Charles Aris, he managed the conception, purchase and construction of its LEED-certified headquarters building in downtown Greensboro, N.C.

Allen holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Georgia and earned his MBA degree from Wake Forest University.

He met his wife, Heather, while living in Atlanta, and together they share a love of the outdoors and traveling. Allen and Heather currently live in Greensboro with their two children, Walter and Eloise, and their dog Franklin, and all are avid fans of the Georgia Bulldogs!

CONTACT ALLEN

Direct: (336) 217-9117
Email: allen.oakley@charlesaris.com

The post Allen Oakley appeared first on Charles Aris Website.

TJ Deal is a managing director at Charles Aris Executive Search stationed in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. He’s focused on partnering with private equity clients to build out their M&A capabilities in addition to helping them internally at the fund level.

Before joining Charles Aris, TJ directed military accounts for Arbor Supply, a brokerage firm that facilitates the distribution of non-food items to the Military Commissaries. There, he enjoyed building lasting professional relationships as a business liaison.

TJ earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he held leadership positions in UNC’s chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity.

Outside of work, TJ enjoys coaching youth basketball, reading and culinary ventures.

CONTACT TJ

Direct: (336) 217-9154
Email: tj.deal@charlesaris.com

The post TJ Deal appeared first on Charles Aris Website.

Charles Aris Executive Search Senior Vice President Greg Harper serves as the company’s primary practice leader for engineering, operations and supply chain and sales and marketing with a focus on industrial manufacturing and chemicals.

Greg solves his clients’ needs in corporate management; executive and technical sales, marketing and business development; chemical, mechanical and process engineering; as well as production and manufacturing. He joined Charles Aris with 25 years of chemical and industrial experience including 15 years with The Sherwin-Williams Company in multiple roles revolving around sales, marketing and business development.

Greg’s success in serving his clients is built on his extensive knowledge in business management and sales development. Greg’s consulting background, in combination with the Charles Aris 14-Step Priority Search Process, enables him to thoroughly and accurately deliver A-level talent to his clients in a timely and efficient manner.

Greg earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from Georgia Southern University.

Greg enjoys the outdoors and sports-related activities. He and his soulmate, Charmaine, and their sons, Hayden and Bryce, enjoy weekends spent wakeboarding, slalom skiing and barefooting at their lake home.

CONTACT GREG

Direct: (336) 217-9123
Email: greg.harper@charlesaris.com

The post Greg Harper appeared first on Charles Aris Website.

Charles Aris Executive Search Senior Vice President Jim Etling serves as the company’s primary practice leader for the private equity and finance and accounting practices.

Prior to joining Charles Aris, Jim spent 12 years as the chief financial officer of a global textile machinery manufacturer. As a member of the senior management team, he partnered with seven senior managers, playing a key role in directing the company through two management-led buyouts in six years with two private equity partners.

At Charles Aris, Jim provides a blend of seasoned financial expertise in the manufacturing space and deep knowledge of the intricacies of the private equity world from a portfolio company perspective. It is this blend of knowledge and experience which enables him to quickly understand the needs of his private equity clients and add significant value to each step of their search process. Jim has an additional 12 years of financial management experience in manufacturing from the CPG and chemical spaces, as well as from the software development world.

Jim earned his bachelor of science degree in accounting from Indiana University Bloomington.

Married to Karen for more than three decades, Jim has inherited her love of dogs, providing rescue and respite for countless visitors during that time. As a hospice volunteer, he attempts to combine his hospice ministry with his love of dogs, diligently working to find the time to conclude training of a certified therapy dog who, along with Jim, will provide comfort and peace to the hospice patients they will visit.

CONTACT JIM

Direct: (336) 217-9113
Email: jim.etling@charlesaris.com

The post Jim Etling appeared first on Charles Aris Website.

Steven Stewart is a strategy and corporate development vice president with an industry focus on technology.

Prior to joining Charles Aris Executive Search, Steven spent 14 years in various business development and recruiting roles in the technology services industry. Today, he focuses on identifying Strategy & Corporate Development professionals for his high-tech clients. Steven leverages his deep recruiting expertise and the Charles Aris 14-Step Priority Search Process to ensure that world-class talent is introduced to industry-leading organizations.

Steven earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky.

Married since 1998, Steven and his wife, Julie, are raising two wonderful children. When he’s not spending time with his family, Steven enjoys running and golf.

CONTACT STEVEN

Direct: (336) 217-9114
Email: steven.stewart@charlesaris.com

CLIENT TESTIMONY

“This was our first time using (Charles Aris) and we are completely satisfied. The process your team has in place is impressive. From the initial work to understand our need to the research completed to source those that had the right background to getting those people on the phone and then your screening process; we could see it all working together.” – Leading Provider of Tech-Enabled Financial Solutions

A quick note from Charles Aris: If you’re a current or former strategy consultant, please consider supporting our annual compensation studies by spending five minutes on this anonymous survey. For every complete response, we’ll also donate $10 to charity! Click here to complete the survey.

The post Steven Stewart appeared first on Charles Aris Website.

Jill Jitima is a vice president in the Strategy & Corporate Development Practice at Charles Aris Executive Search, leading the Consumer, Retail & Hospitality Practice. Since joining the firm in 2011, Jill has worked with multiple Fortune 500 companies across food and beverage; health and beauty; household goods; consumer durables; apparel; and retail.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in business marketing and international studies at Marshall University and studied abroad at the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand. Jill also holds a master’s degree in human resources from Marshall University. Before joining Charles Aris, she held multiple leadership positions at Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

Jill and her husband, Nick, share a passion for the outdoors and love spending time camping, hiking and traveling. She is a proud mother of three young boys: Sam, Max and Oliver.

CONTACT JILL

Direct: (336) 217-9115
Email:  jillian.jitima@charlesaris.com

A quick note from Charles Aris: If you’re a current or former strategy consultant, please consider supporting our annual compensation studies by spending five minutes on this anonymous survey. For every complete response, we’ll also donate $10 to charity! Click here to complete the survey.

The post Jill Jitima appeared first on Charles Aris Website.

As the company’s human capital lead, Danielle Bowman spearheads both the firm’s human resources initiatives and its organizational development strategy. Danielle is a veteran talent leader with experience working across diverse global environments.

Prior to joining Charles Aris Executive Search, Danielle served as senior director of talent management, human resources for Primo Water Corporation in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Prior to that, she served for three years as associate vice president of talent management for dormakaba Americas and earlier spent nearly a decade with Ralph Lauren, where she rose to senior director of learning and organizational development within the company’s global operations team.

Danielle is also an ​SHRM senior certified professional with the Society for Human Resource Management.

Danielle is married to David and they have three children: Jacob (wife Emily), Wade and Lilly. Danielle enjoys being active with her family, photography and gardening. She is driven by her faith, a belief in humanity and looks for opportunities to serve and support others.

CONTACT DANIELLE

Direct: (336) 217-9169
Email: danielle.bowman@charlesaris.com

The post Danielle Bowman appeared first on Charles Aris Website.

Ashlee Wagner is a vice president who leads the firm’s financial services / asset management and private equity recruiting practices across banking, insurance, wealth/asset management, credit card, payments, fintech, real estate investment clients, hedge funds, growth equity, venture capital and private equity.

As a leading member of the Strategy Practice, Ashlee primarily focuses on recruiting current and former management consultants from Bain & Company; The Boston Consulting Group; McKinsey & Company; and other top-tier consulting firms into various functional roles.

Ashlee holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Prior to joining Charles Aris, Ashlee worked for State Farm Insurance with a focus on auto, home, life and health insurance, as well as banking products.

Ashlee and her husband, John, have a passion for enriching the Greensboro community and spending time with friends and family. Outside of work, they like to check off their bucket list and travel to new places together with their two children, Lowina and Elizabeth, and spend time with their dogs, Marley, Riley and Nelson.

Contact Ashlee

Direct: (336) 217-9142
Mobile: (336) 334-2944
Email: ashlee.wagner@charlesaris.com

Candidate Testimony

“I felt like I had a partner that was on my side. I never felt like I was alone in the process. The team was there to answer any questions. The whole life cycle of the process was just awesome.” – Senior vice president Charles Aris placed at a publicly traded financial services firm

A quick note from Charles Aris: If you’re a current or former strategy consultant, please consider supporting our annual compensation studies by spending five minutes on this anonymous survey. For every complete response, we’ll also donate $10 to charity! Click here to complete the survey.

The post Ashlee Wagner appeared first on Charles Aris Website.