October 20, 2022

Recent Placements

At Peña Search, our mission is to support our clients’ missions by finding them the right long-term leadership. We work tirelessly to find the best people for the best organizations and are thrilled to share some of our recent placements.

Lesley Atkinson, Vice President of Development

Lesley Atkinson, Vice President of Development | United Way of Tarrant County

Ms. Atkinson joins the United Way of Tarrant County after serving as Executive Director of Development for Envision Dallas (formerly Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind). Prior to that, she was Vice President of Foundation & Fund Development for Texas Health Resources for eight years, preceded by an eight-year tenure as Director of Development for Cook Children’s Health Foundation. Ms. Atkinson brings a wealth of development, managerial, and strategic experience to her new position and is looking forward to playing a significant role in fundraising as the organization embarks on its Second Century Campaign.


Emily De Maria, Executive Director

Emily De Maria, Executive Director | Breast Cancer Resource Center

Ms. De Maria joins BCRC after eleven years with Central Texas Food Bank where she served as Chief Program Officer. Previously, she spent ten years with United Way in community development. Her earlier experience includes a variety of roles with nonprofit and for profit organizations.


Kaitlin Guthrow, Director of Partnerships

Kaitlin Guthrow, Director of Partnerships | The Morris Foundation

Ms. Guthrow joins The Morris Foundation after five years with Communities Foundation of Texas as Director of Strategic Partnerships and a key member of the North Texas Giving Day team. Prior to her tenure with CFT, she served in leadership roles for a number of nonprofit organizations including Reading Partners, Communities in Schools of Central Texas, the Texas Early Childhood Education Coalition, and the Children’s Defense Fund of Texas.


Kevin Pellegrino, Executive Director/CEO

Kevin Pellegrino, Executive Director/CEO | Apartment Association of Tarrant County

Mr. Pellegrino joins the Apartment Association of Tarrant County after serving as Senior Vice President of Membership & Operations for the California Apartment Association for the past eight years. His prior experience includes executive level sales and marketing positions with the California Chamber of Commerce and Hewlett-P.


Are you looking to make a career move? You could be one of our next recent placements! Explore our current open searches.