ANN KERN

KERN--Ann Powers. Trailblazing Executive Search Leader Ann Powers Kern, a pioneering force in executive search, died on October 26, 2025, in New York City, following complications from Parkinson's Disease. She was 87. She helped shape the leadership of major cultural, educational and philanthropic institutions in the U.S. and abroad. Known for elegance, exacting standards and a sure instinct for leadership, Ms. Kern placed executives at the helm of many of the nation's most influential cultural, medical, educational and philanthropic organizations. During her tenure at Korn Ferry, she led high-profile searches for the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; American Ballet Theatre; the Aspen Music Festival and School; the Guggenheim Museum; the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Ronald McDonald House Charities; Museum of New Zealand; Museum of Australia; Hadassah and UJA-Federation of New York, among many others. Ann Rosaland Powers was born on March 20, 1938, in Richmond Hill, Queens, NY. She earned a degree in occupational therapy from New York University and began her career as an occupational therapist. She later paused professional life to raise her two sons. Following a divorce, she reentered the workforce to support her family -- first in nonprofit development at NYU Medical Center, then at the university's College of Dentistry, and later at its graduate business school. There, her success in cultivating donors and matching talent with institutional needs drew the attention of a board member who encouraged her to consider executive search. Ms. Kern joined Korn Ferry in 1980, a period when few women held senior roles in the industry, and rose quickly, becoming the firm's second female partner and founding the nonprofit practice. Her portfolio centered on institutions where leadership is, in effect, a public trust -- arts organizations, educational institutions, health-care leaders, civic and cultural entities -- and she became known for recruiting executives who paired operational rigor with a sense of mission. She mentored scores of younger professionals, particularly women returning to work, and counseled clients to evaluate character alongside credentials. Beyond her search work, Ms. Kern served for many years on the board of the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, a leading organization advancing peace and combating religious prejudice. At the time of her death, she also served on the board of NYRep, a New York-based theater and film company dedicated to socially impactful storytelling, and she was a member of The Women's Forum of New York, an organization of distinguished women leaders. Ms. Kern lived in Greenwich Village, where she maintained an active calendar well into her 80s. Friends and colleagues recall a consummate connector whose curiosity, loyalty and generous counsel drew an ever-widening circle. She was predeceased by her longtime partner, Jerome Gotkin. She is survived by her sons, Jonathan Kern and Peter Kern, and their wives, Beth and Kirsten Kern; her grandchildren, Sara, Benjamin, Adam, Max and Milo; her nephew Brian Powers; and nieces Amy Powers and Dawn Leeds. Donations can be made to The Parkinson's Foundation, www.parkinson.org