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Mahauganee Shaw

Director of Search Operations

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Dr. Mahauganee Shaw serves as Director of Search Operations at Academic Search, overseeing the processes and operational infrastructure that support the organization’s executive search work. Drawing on her background as a researcher, student affairs administrator, faculty member, and search consultant, she brings a deep understanding of higher education and a highly analytical approach to ensuring searches are conducted thoughtfully and effectively.

Dr. Shaw joined Academic Search in 2017 and has contributed to executive searches at all levels of institutional leadership, including multiple presidential searches. Her experience working directly with institutions and search committees informs her leadership of search operations and her understanding of the needs of institutions, candidates, and consultants throughout the search process.

Earlier in her career, Dr. Shaw served as assistant dean and director in the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership Development at Dillard University. In her second year at Dillard, Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans campus. Dr. Shaw and her colleagues were responsible for immediate recovery efforts as well as planning the institution’s path forward as the city began to recover. The experience shaped her subsequent research into how colleges and universities prepare for and recover from crises.

Dr. Shaw earned her doctorate in higher education and student affairs from Indiana University, where she worked in the Center for Postsecondary Research and helped administer and report on national surveys, including the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) and National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Her research has focused extensively on crisis preparedness, response, and recovery in higher education. She has developed and taught coursework in this area, led professional development workshops, and shared her research through keynote addresses, publications, and presentations. In 2022, she published a book examining campus-based memorialization of tragic events.

Before joining Academic Search, Dr. Shaw held a tenure-track position in the Department of Educational Leadership at Miami University in Ohio and served as a social science research fellow at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She continues to contribute to the field through graduate-level instruction and guest lectures.

Across these experiences, Dr. Shaw has developed particular expertise in translating complex information into clear, effective processes. Her combination of research expertise, firsthand executive search experience, and understanding of higher education administration informs her leadership of Academic Search’s search operations and its ongoing work to strengthen the search experience for institutions and candidates.