Our Team
Sally Carlson
managing partner
Sally’s career spans 40-plus years, and is steeped in nonprofit Board leadership and philanthropic investment management. Her experience in finance, real estate and institutional investment management on behalf of foundations, endowments, and public pension funds was earned at companies such as Wells Fargo, Deloitte, and Jones Lang LaSalle, Sally also gained in-depth experience in capital raising and client relations. In the world of recruitment, from Heidrick & Struggles to founding her own firm, Terra Search Partners and now, Carlson Beck, her track record includes working with ultra high net worth philanthropists, C-level searches in community development and affordable housing, community foundations, as well as health and human services. She has worked for ultra high net worth philanthropists placing executives in their operating foundations. Sally graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley, with a minor in political science, specializing in Soviet studies. She holds a Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University.
Community Commitment: Co-Chair, Advisory Board of the Center for Social Sector Leadership at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, Former Trustee of Deep Springs College, Board member of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, Past Board Chair of Network of Nonprofit Search Consultants, a North American professional membership association ensuring best practices in executive search. Former Board Chair of Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation and of CompassPoint Nonprofit Services; former Board member of the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California, Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at UCSF, and the Rockwood Leadership Institute.
Personal Passions: Adventure travel and mountaineering (Africa, Russia, and the Cascades), art and design (favorite museum is Guggenheim, Bilbao), and experiencing other cultures with her children, Daanika, Justin, and Madeleine.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
– Margaret Mead
Heidi Holzhauer
partner
Heidi’s broad background allows her to move easily through diverse worlds, whether working with senators in Washington, DC; assisting with development of regulatory programs for energy in California; or identifying leaders in affordable housing, human services, youth development, and philanthropic organizations. With twenty plus years of experience in the search industry, she began her executive search career at Heidrick & Struggles. Heidi graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Puget Sound.
Community Commitment: Board member for Summer Search Bay Area and board member for the Napa Valley Community Foundation.
Personal Passions: Film (favorite movies: Harold and Maude, The Big Lebowski, Sense and Sensibility, The Best Years of Our Lives); talking about Summer Search; cooking a meal and sharing a bottle of wine (particularly Spottswoode sauvignon blanc) with family and friends.
“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.”
– Maya Angelou
Courtney Ammons
principal
Courtney brings an exceptional ability to identify and source executive talent for the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley, Courtney trained as a researcher at Korn Ferry International, a global retained executive search firm. She continued her successful career in executive search at The Farnsworth Group, Highland Partners and Heidrick & Struggles. Courtney brings deep knowledge in various industries including Finance, Consumer Goods, Healthcare and Nonprofit.
Community Commitment: Courtney is an active volunteer with the Reed Foundation and she is extremely passionate about helping people with physical disabilities. Courtney lives in Tiburon, CA with her husband and three children.
Personal Passions: Spending time with her family, traveling, skiing and watching great movies.
“Just keep taking chances and having fun.”
– Garth Brooks
Celeste Andrini
Chief Administrative Officer
Celeste serves as our Chief Administrative Officer, playing a pivotal role in overseeing administrative operations and providing project management support across the team. With a diverse skill set, she efficiently manages daily processes to guarantee the seamless execution and high-quality, tailored completion of each search. Celeste is an essential member of the team, actively contributing at every stage of the search process to ensure success. Her dedication, organizational acumen, and attention to detail are fundamental to optimizing the effectiveness of our operations.
Community Commitment: Celeste has helped spearhead her prior companies’ participation at food banks, local clean-ups and community service events. Celeste also volunteers for a cat rescue service, fostering kittens while they find their forever homes.
Personal Passions: Celeste enjoys spending time with her children and grandson, boating on Lake Shasta, trips to Disneyland, and crafting seasonal cocktails.
“Some dream it, some do it, some do both.”
– Walt Disney
Dustin Bradley
Senior Associate
Dustin has a dedicated passion for supporting lifelong learning and connecting clients to opportunities. His career began as an AmeriCorps member with the Department of Human Services in Dane County, Wisconsin. There, he directed programs promoting youth literacy, spearheaded student-led community service initiatives, and implemented social-emotional learning curricula. Dustin's proactive approach also involved securing grant funding for youth programming, orchestrating monthly food/clothing drives, and coordinating polling places in greater Madison, WI. With a wealth of experience, Dustin is committed to empowering individuals on their journeys, and fostering positive change in communities.
Dustin has been deeply involved in college and career readiness, providing guidance to students navigating the complexities of college applications and researching institutions of best fit. He served as a Program Coordinator with University of Wisconsin-Madison's PEOPLE pre-college program, preparing students for college and beyond through major/career exploration, internships, and summer residential programs.
In Massachusetts, he continued close work with students and families from diverse communities as a college counselor at Phillips Academy-Andover and Roxbury Preparatory High School. At both institutions, he designed and delivered Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice programming to students and faculty alike.
Personal Passions:
Golf, board games, vinyl record collecting, and a broad range of literature.
“Those who say it can't be done are usually interrupted by others doing it.”
-James Baldwin
Lucia Verzola
Research Associate
A storyteller at heart, Lucia enjoys learning about an organization's unique narrative, and finding individuals who will continue to build on that story. She began her career as a research analyst at Spencer Stuart in their Consumer Financial Services Practice in the Philadelphia office. There she supported searches with large financial institutes, fintechs, nonprime lenders, and small community banks. Lucia graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Journalism. She led USF's official student-run newspaper, The Foghorn, as editor in chief and co-led The Ignatian, USF's student-run literary magazine. She recently returned to the Bay Area to continue her education at St. Mary's College of California, where she is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction.
Personal Passions:
Reading nonfiction essays, writing, exploring the Bay Area's many urban green spaces, attending the performing arts, and spending time with friends and family—preferably over a good meal.
"We tell ourselves stories in order to live."
- Joan Didion, The White Album