Executive Transitions Program Staff

Two Third Sector New England staff members have day-to-day responsibility for the Executive Transitions Program, helping nonprofits effectively manage executive transition and search to recruit outstanding executive directors – while strengthening their programs and operations during the transition.

Heather Harker, Director of Consulting & Executive Transitions, has worked with Third Sector New England since 2001. Prior to coming here, she was the assistant director of the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, focusing on policy development, advocacy and program implementation. She worked closely with the director to pass significant pieces of legislation and to expand the agency’s services four-fold. While there, Heather received the prestigious three-year Kellogg International Leadership Program fellowship.

Receiving an Echoing Green fellowship for social change, she also lived in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Sabah) working with the deaf community to establish a public health educational series, English as a Second Language programs and a summer youth leadership camp, all while teaching in schools for the deaf.

Heather has a B.A. in international relations from Brown University and a master’s degree in public administration, specializing in leadership and non-profit management, from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Hez Norton, Executive Transitions Program Manager, previously served as the executive director of Resource Generation, a national nonprofit that engages young adults with financial wealth in social change philanthropy. Prior to Resource Generation, Hez founded and was the executive director of North Carolina Lambda Youth Network.

Hez also led the youth involvement program in the North Carolina Governor’s Office and was a program officer for Learn and Serve America with the North Carolina Commission on National and Community Service. Hez brings experience as an interim executive director as well as a consultant to nonprofits in the areas of organizational development and fundraising.

A Rockefeller Foundation Next Generation Leadership Fellow, Hez also received a fellowship from the Lyndhurst Foundation’s Southern Community Partners Program. Hez served as a board member of the Funding Exchange Foundation and currently sits on the board of Funders for Gay and Lesbian Issues. Hez is a co-creator and contributing editor to the book Classified: How to Stop Hiding Your Privilege and Use It for Social Change. Hez received a B.A. in public policy from Duke University and a master’s degree in public administration from Northeastern University.