Ferra Executive Search welcomed Cathy Light as Managing Director, Higher Education & Board Advisory aboard the Floating Think Tank.

Founded in 2015, Ferra Executive Search is based in Pittsburgh, providing national and international recruitment support at all levels for organizations in education, healthcare, life sciences, technology, research, nonprofits, and high-growth startups. We specialize in white-glove search services tailored to the unique needs of mission-driven and innovation-focused organizations. Our approach is ideal for teams that: Require executive search to identify and recruit top-tier leadership talent; Lack in-house recruitment capacity to manage evolving hiring needs; Are scaling rapidly, especially biotech, AI, robotics, SaaS, and research; Need hard-to-find talent to lead through growth, transformation, or change. With more than a decade of experience navigating complex institutions—from top-tier universities to nonprofits and startups—Ferra brings a personalized, equity-minded approach to every search. We’ve successfully placed leaders in critical roles such as Chief Financial Officer, Chief People Officer, Executive Director, and Chief Strategy Officer—for organizations tackling today’s most urgent challenges across education, healthcare, philanthropy, and the public good. Whether you're building out your leadership team or expanding key functions, Ferra delivers the insight, care, and precision needed to help you recruit exceptional talent—and drive long-term success.