Overview
Teraesa Vinson, Ph.D., is a partner in Heidrick & Struggles' Los Angeles office and a member of the CEO & Board of Directors Practice. She collaborates with clients across industries, focusing on CEO and CFO assessment and succession planning, board assessment and review, and CEO coaching.
Experience
As a licensed psychologist with more than 25 years of clinical experience in assessment and intervention, Teraesa brings substantial psychological training and experience to her role. She is skilled at top talent assessment across industries for organizations ranging from large public companies to smaller, high-growth PE and VC-backed businesses.
Teraesa has led and worked on many CEO successions across various industries, including technology, healthcare and life sciences, professional services, financial services, and consumer products. She works closely with boards to identify the ideal characteristics of their next leader and guide the process of accurately measuring internal and external talent on leadership style, cognitive approach, and organizational fit.
Teraesa has experience assessing the CFO population and assessing senior finance talent across all industries. She is skilled at advising on CFO succession practices and works closely with clients to integrate the best finance talent into their organizations.
Earlier in her career, Teraesa was a clinical professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, conducting graduate-level training in selecting, administering, and interpreting psychological assessment instruments. She previously held academic positions at the University of Florida and City University of New York.
Education
University of Florida, Doctor of Philosophy Degree
University of Florida, Master of Science Degree in Counseling Psychology
Spelman College, Atlanta, GA, Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology