Susan Forman
Founder of Excelon Associates, at the helm across all four service markets since 2007.
Who Is Susan Forman?
Susan Forman is the founder, President, and CEO of Excelon Associates, the retained executive search firm she established in 2007.
Susan founded the firm with a focus on higher education recruitment, and her instinct for matching the right leader with the right institution has been the foundation of Excelon's reputation since day one. She continues to lead searches at the highest levels of the institutions the firm serves, from presidents and provosts to the executive teams around them.
Under her leadership, Excelon Associates has grown from a single-market firm into a retained and contingency search practice serving higher education, healthcare, financial services, and government clients across the United States and internationally, with offices in Asheville, NC, Boca Raton, FL, and Delray Beach, FL.
Susan's Background and Experience
Susan Forman founded Excelon Associates in 2007 after seeing a gap in how institutions found leadership. What began as a recruitment firm focused on higher education has grown into a multi-sector retained search practice serving higher education, healthcare, financial services, and government clients across the United States and internationally.
Over nearly two decades she has earned the trust of clients across every sector the firm serves, and her instinct for matching the right leader to the right institution has shaped Excelon's approach since day one. Her focus remains on expanding access to opportunity for qualified professionals while making sure every client receives strong, well-matched talent.
Establishes Excelon Associates in higher education
Susan founds the firm with a focus on higher education recruitment, placing academic and administrative leaders at colleges, universities, and career schools.
Grows the firm into a multi-sector practice
Under her leadership the firm builds dedicated healthcare and financial services practices, applying the same retained search discipline to each new market.
Leads all four service markets, nationally and internationally
Susan oversees senior leadership searches across higher education, healthcare, financial services, and government, with clients across the United States and abroad.
What Does Susan Forman Specialize In?
Susan leads Excelon Associates across all four of its markets, with her deepest roots in higher education executive search, the firm's founding practice. She works at the level of institutional leadership, advising clients on the senior hires that shape an organization.
Higher Education Executive Search
Presidents, provosts, deans, and enrollment leadership for universities, colleges, and career schools. The specialty searches Susan's founding practice runs most often:
Explore the markets Susan supports across the Excelon Associates service markets, or see the full leadership team on the Meet the Team page.
How Does Susan Run a Search?
Retained first, exclusive by design
Susan's engagements run on the firm's retained model: one client, full attention, and a commitment to the outcome. Read how it compares in retained vs. contingent search.
A vetted slate in three to five weeks
Searches follow the firm's structured process from position profiling to offer, typically presenting a candidate slate in three to five weeks. See the step-by-step search process.
Every search marketed publicly
Each engagement is promoted on LinkedIn and indexed on Google at no added cost. Browse the live record in recent campaigns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Meet the Rest of the Team
Work With Susan and the Excelon Team
Whether you are hiring a senior leader or exploring your next opportunity, the Excelon Associates team is ready to help. Headquartered in Asheville, NC. Serving clients nationally and internationally since 2007.
Prefer to talk? Call +1 (828) 417-7094