Cheryl Stevens is a Managing Director in the Nonprofit & Social Impact Practice at DSG | Koya, where she also serves as Co-Head of the firm’s Chicago office. A trusted executive search partner, Cheryl brings more than decade of experience helping organizations identify and place transformative leaders.

She has led CEO, President, Executive Director, Board, and senior-level searches across a wide range of nonprofit, philanthropic, and social impact organizations. Her work spans private and corporate foundations, human services organizations, environmental and conservation nonprofits, associations, and major cultural institutions.

Cheryl’s philanthropic clients have included the Walton Family Foundation, the Builders Initiative, M&T Bank Charitable Foundation, Clif Family Foundation, and the Oishei Foundation. In the environmental space, she has partnered with organizations such as the National Audubon Society, Patagonia’s Home Planet Fund, Ralph Wilson Park Conservancy, and the Biomimicry Institute. She has also partnered with mission-driven institutions including Feeding America, the Museum of Science & Industry, the National Academy of Public Administration, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, and American Public Media Group.

Cheryl is known for the strong, values-driven relationships she cultivates with clients and candidates alike. She brings both rigor and adaptability to the search process—ensuring structure and quality while tailoring her approach to each organization’s unique culture and needs. She is driven by Koya’s founding principle: The right person in the right place can change the world.

Before joining Koya, Cheryl was with PierceGray, a boutique executive search firm serving high-growth, private equity-backed companies across industries such as retail, healthcare, consumer goods, and manufacturing. Flagship clients included TPG Capital and Advent.

Cheryl began her career in finance at Ariel Investments, the nation’s largest minority-owned investment firm. Her time at Ariel was foundational, grounding her in the firm’s values of bold teamwork and independent thinking—principles that continue to guide her work today. While at Ariel, she also supported the Office of the CEO on strategic initiatives, including the annual Black Corporate Directors Conference, which promotes corporate diversity and inclusion.

Cheryl earned her BA in History from Princeton University, where she co-captained the record-breaking Division I women’s basketball team. She continues to engage with the Princeton community through roles on the Alumni Council Executive Committee, the Princeton Club of Chicago, and the Friends of Princeton Basketball mentorship program, and by interviewing prospective students as part of the Alumni Schools Committee.

She splits her time between Chicago, IL and Bozeman, MT.

Education

BA, History
Princeton University