People

Naree W. S. Viner

Managing Director

Managing Directors, Nonprofit and Social Impact

Naree W.S. Viner is a Managing Director at Koya Partners, part of Diversified Search Group. Based in the New York metro area, she has deep experience in executive recruiting, with an exclusive focus on mission-driven clients.

For more than 15 years, Viner has placed seasoned executives as well as next-generation leaders in critical roles for a variety of clients. She has partnered closely with board members at prominent public and private organizations to identify, develop, and evaluate executive talent, recruiting chief executives and senior team members at regional, national, and international art, education, and social service organizations.

Widely regarded as one of the leading search consultants in the field and possessing particular expertise working with art museums and cultural institutions, Viner has placed many accomplished museum leaders across the U.S. Her clients include: the American Folk Art Museum; Buffalo Museum of Science; the Clark Art Institute; the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum; Harvard Art Museums; Huntington Library, Art Museum & Botanical Gardens; Lucas Museum of Narrative Art; the Menil Collection; the Museum of the City of New York; Phoenix Art Museum; the Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, National Museum of American History, and National Portrait Gallery; Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library; and Yale Center for British Art, and Yale University Art Gallery.

Prior to joining Koya Partners, Viner worked at global search firms Korn Ferry and Heidrick & Struggles. She started her search career at a boutique generalist firm in Pasadena, co-leading the firm’s education and nonprofit practice.

Viner began her career at the J. Paul Getty Trust, where she was a principal developer of one of the first websites featuring art images and associated educational materials for K-12 teachers. She also spent time in the dot-com arena, serving as producer for the parent channel of a K-12 education web portal and manager of instructional design at an online executive education company. In addition, she served as a senior project manager at Crystal Stairs, a nonprofit organization offering childcare services, research, and advocacy in support of families in South Los Angeles.

Education

MA, Art History
University of Washington