Wood named Exec. Director of Benefits at Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt University is pleased to announce the placement of Catherine Woods as their new Executive Director of Benefits. In this role, Catherine will be responsible for the end-to-end Benefits Platform for the entire Vanderbilt employment base. She will report to the Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Human Resources Officer, Barbara Carroll. Catherine and family will be relocating to Nashville, Tennessee where she will be based for this executive assignment.

Prior to joining Vanderbilt, Catherine was the Sr. Director of Benefits for Koch Business Solutions where she was accountable for setting strategic direction and managing the operational team that executes on full suite of benefits for all of Koch businesses. Catherine has also held Senior Human Resources leadership roles with Kellogg Company. She holds a Masters Degree in Human Resources Management from University of Phoenix and a Bachelors Degree in Psychology from The University of Western Ontario.

This successful executive search assignment was conducted by Thomas Christopher, TCG President and Erin Merker, TCG Vice President. “It has been our unique honor and privilege to work with such an amazing Client and group of Candidates. We are very pleased for both Vanderbilt and Catherine and we deeply appreciate their most positive feedback on their search experience,” reports Thomas Christopher. “For us at TCG, it is never enough just to fill an exciting opportunity with an outstanding candidate. It is equally about providing every candidate and client with an exceptional search experience.”

About Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, founded in 1873. It was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the South. Vanderbilt hoped that his gift and the greater work of the university would help to heal the sectional wounds inflicted by the Civil War.

Today, Vanderbilt enrolls approximately 12,000 students from all 50 U.S. states and over 90 foreign countries in four undergraduate and six graduate and professional schools. Several research centers and institutes are affiliated with the university, including the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies, Freedom Forum First Amendment Center, Dyer Observatory, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the only Level I trauma center in Middle Tennessee. With the exception of the off-campus observatory and satellite medical clinics, all of the university’s facilities are situated on its 330-acre (1.3 km2) campus in the heart of Nashville, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from downtown. Despite its urban surroundings, the campus itself is a national arboretum and features over 300 different species of trees and shrubs.

About The Christopher Group

Founded in 1998 by Tom and Paula Christopher, The Christopher Group (TCG) has become one of the nation’s largest and most respected boutique HR Executive Search Firms. Our Mission simply put: “To be the Best HR Search Firm in the World!” To this end, we have created a highly specialized boutique firm, staffed by former HR professionals and highly trained search practitioners, which utilizes proprietary, scientific, and industry leading systems, tools, and processes. As a result, we fill 92% of all searches in our first 2 Slates of candidates!

Equally impressive is our exceptional client and candidate experience ensured through our exclusive and unique Candidate/Client Concierge Service. From search commencement to the first day of employment, every TCG candidate and client will enjoy unparalleled, comprehensive, professional, and stress eliminating support services to ensure the very best search experience you have ever had.

Interested Clients: If you seek the very best, highest performing, passive HR candidates (who do not read/respond to failed ads) to build your HR Team, click here to understand how TCG can uniquely meet your HR recruiting needs.

Interested Candidates: If you are a high performing HR Business Partner interested in being considered/assessed for your next big HR opportunity, click here to enter the exclusive and confidential TCG assessment sequence.