Our Leadership

founder & ceo

Frederic “Ric” M. Comins, Jr.

Frederic “Ric” M. Comins, Jr. launched Succession Partners in late 2016 to offer an innovative new business model designed to assist clients strategically and proactively manage their organization and succession plans. A deeply-experienced retailer, C-level Human Resources executive, and skilled retained executive search practice leader, his mission is to help companies navigate the sea change of disruption and transform their Boards and Executive Leadership teams to ensure future success. 

For two decades, Ric has led the Retail or Consumer/Retail practices for several well-known retained executive search firms, including Ray & Berndtson (today trading as Odgers Berndtson), AT Kearney Executive Search, and Diversified Search, a Top 10 U.S. retained firm. For Diversified Search, Ric led the Consumer/Retail Practice and co-led the Global Consumer/Retail/Luxury Practice for its global network, ALTO Partners. He was also a key member of both the Board of Directors and Chief Financial Officers practice teams. Most recently, Ric served as Vice President, Consumer/Retail Practice Leader for Pearson Partners International prior to founding Succession Partners.

Earlier, Ric spent 26 years in the Retail industry and served as chief HR officer for three well-known brands, including KMart Corporation (F-15) and OfficeMax (F-386), both publicly-traded at the time. He began his Retail career as an Executive Trainee at Bamberger’s, the NJ-based division of RH Macy, Inc., where he held roles in both merchandising and human resources. He was recruited to Rich’s Dept. Stores in Atlanta where he served as Divisional Vice President of Human Resources before being promoted into the corporate offices of Federated Department Stores (today Macy*s, Inc.) as Operating Vice President-Executive & Organization Resources.

Ric earned his Bachelor’s degree in Government from Harvard University and pursued postgraduate studies at The Stern School at New York University.

Education

THE STERN SCHOOL, NYU
Postgraduate Studies in Business Management

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
B.A., Government

Activities & Affiliations

• Member, Harvard Club of New York City

STRATEGIC ALLIANCE Partner

Dr. Wayne F. Nemeroff

With more than 25 years of consulting experience in executive assessments, coaching and development, Dr. Nemeroff has been committed to helping businesses maximize their effectiveness by matching the right leaders to the right jobs. He helps companies gain insight and understanding about the specific strengths and weaknesses of both candidates and incumbents relative to an organization’s critical success factors, mission, and values.

Wayne received his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and has devoted his consulting to working with top executives and leaders in many different businesses of all sizes, including small companies to very large organizations.

Dr. Nemeroff is the President and CEO of PsyMax Solutions, Nemeroff Consulting Group, and Human Capital Assessments.

STRATEGIC ALLIANCE Partner

Julie Silard Kantor

Julie Kantor is an “all-in” roll-up your sleeves leader and social impact entrepreneur committed to building mentoring cultures to drive employee engagement and elevating women in the STEM workforce.

Whether in a board room with executives or working with collaborative teams, Julie instills excitement, inspires commitment, and demonstrates an unwavering drive to help others succeed.

Two adages Julie often shares with clients are: “The people who mentor at your company are the people who drive retention at your company,” and “Mentor your Millennials or they will often leave and find a company that will.”

In 2017 Julie stepped up as Co-Chair for Leadership Greater Washington Signature program and has chaired multiple conferences focused on women in the workforce, STEM and entrepreneurship.

Julie’s 5th start-up Twomentor, LLC, focuses on elevating women in STEM, and retaining a skilled diverse workforce, builds on Julie’s 24 years in workforce development and building movements including Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (former Executive Director 1992- 2012 of DC Region, Boston, National VP) and Million Women Mentors (team lead and Chief Partnership Officer).

As a sought-after global speaker and connector, Julie is well networked to the national community of top business, academic, nonprofit, & government leaders. She has worked & consulted with clients such as: Cisco, Samsung, Tata (TCS), Intel, Sony, Carnival, BP, Ernst & Young, The Federal Reserve Bank, The World Bank, American University Kogod School of Business, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Stratasys, UPS and more. She recently gave a TEDx style presentation to 400 Millennials from 85 countries at the UN on social impact.

Julie was honored by the White House in 2012 for her 20-year career in youth entrepreneurship education & as a SmartCEO (15 Leaders We Admire & Brava Hall of Fame for Women’s Leadership). She has been featured on CNN.com, Washington Post, Washington Business Journal, Chronicle of Philanthropy, Forbes.com, Huffington Post Live, and AT & T Women Who Inspire. She is also the author of I Said Yes: Youth Entrepreneurship in America’s Schools and numerous other publications including Million Women Mentors & BP’s 20 Hour Mentor Action Guide, The Mentor Road Trip Training Guide, Youth Entrepreneurship in America for The Aspen Institute. Julie is also a contributing author to Women in STEM: Realizing the Potential with Tata Consulting Services and has been a Business and Tech Blogger for Huffington Post since 2012.

She lives in Bethesda MD on the DC border with her husband Marc, teen daughter and Havanese pup who often comes to the office as the CHO (Chief Happiness Officer), Naomi.

Education

SIMMONS COLLEGE
B.A., Communications and English, 1991

Activities & Affiliations

• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, Advisor