Who We Are › Our Team
Cory R. King 
President & CEO
312.283.8420
Cory has been leading executive searches for over a decade. In his role as President & CEO, he leads Kittleman’s search practice as well as the overall management of the firm. Since joining Kittleman, he has completed over 130 executive searches for organizations across the nonprofit sector. Select clients include the National Retired Basketball Players Association, Yellowstone Forever, American Dental Association, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Rasmuson Foundation, and SkillsUSA.
Cory’s practice includes an emphasis in social services, private, family and community foundations, conservation and environmental organizations, national and international organizations, and cultural institutions. Cory serves on the Executive Committee of Kittleman, along with its Chairman and Vice President, responsible for the strategic growth and innovation of the firm.
Cory has been in the nonprofit sector since 1998 and has executive-level experience in higher education, healthcare and social services. Prior to joining Kittleman, his career encompassed Chief Development Officer experience at several highly respected institutions throughout the country including the California Institute of Technology; Illinois Institute of Technology and its Chicago-Kent College of Law; Accordia Global Health Foundation in Washington, D.C., a program developed in partnership with senior researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Virginia; and Penfield Children’s Center.
He is an active member of the Network of Nonprofit Search Consultants (NNSC), serving on their Program Committee. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Development Leadership Consortium, a national network of executive fundraising professionals, and has previously been active in many professional organizations including the Board of Directors of the Association of Fundraising Professionals-Milwaukee Chapter, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy. Cory is an active volunteer in his local community, serving on a variety of steering committees focused on housing, climate and natural spaces.
Cory received his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and his Master of Business Administration degree from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). He is based in Kittleman’s founding office in Chicago, Illinois and he resides in Evanston, Illinois with his wife and two teenage daughters. He can often be found with a backpack on a trail.