Jack (Rusty) O’Kelley

Rusty has helped the boards of Fortune 500 and large-scale family businesses design long-term CEO succession plans, conduct CEO searches, and advise new CEOs on governance and leadership matters. He advises boards on how best to improve overall effectiveness, enhance performance and culture, resolve governance issues, and limit vulnerabilities related to activism. Rusty also works with leading boards to identify and appoint new directors.

Rusty joined Russell Reynolds Associates from a search and leadership firm, where he led the Leadership Consulting Practice for the Americas. Previously, he was a management consultant with Katzenbach Partners (now PwC). Rusty began his career as a corporate lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell.

Rusty has written or co-authored numerous white papers and articles, including “The Elegant Transition,” “Preparing for an Activist Before There is One,” and the firm’s seminal “Global Trends in Corporate Governance,” which has been published annually since 2016. Rusty is also a frequent contributor to the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation.