Jan Lehman founded Lehman Associates to provide retained, customized searches for the public and private sectors. Her nationwide portfolio of top-level placements cuts across the industry spectrum. Jan began her career with a leading search firm that recruited senior talent for the Fortune 100 companies in Dallas, Texas. She then moved out of state in various positions with American Express out of Texas, and later worked in commercial lending for Texas Commerce Bank (now Chase Bank) before founding her firm. She attended Austin College in Sherman, Texas.

Ms. Lehman’s trademark is an unerring ability to see the larger picture and achieve measurable and sustainable results. Difficult assignments and challenging situations are her forte. She works closely with clients to hone the job definition and the qualities required. Then she applies her singular brand of knowledge, judgment, and networking to find the right candidates, and the sales skills to deliver them to clients.

Ms. Lehman is an Austin native and an active member of the community, personally and professionally. She has served on the boards of numerous private and nonprofit corporations. Appointments include: Chairwoman, The Salvation Army of Central Texas; Compensation Committee member for a significant San Antonio, single-family, wealth office; Advisor for TruPlay, an Austin-based start-up children’s gaming company; Director, St. David’s North Austin Medical Center (Past Chair); Director, KLRU-TV Executive Board (Past Chair); and past Director, Austin Community Foundation.

Vanita Trippe oversees the operations of Lehman Associates’ searches. She has been with the firm for more than 15 years. She spent more than a decade as a leader in the business research department at Hoovers.com, which is now a subsidiary of Dun & Bradstreet (NYSE: DNB). Previously a journalist, Vanita is a graduate of Auburn University.

Gwen Schirpik leads executive searches for the company. As the newest member of Lehman Associates’ leadership team, Gwen brings particular strength in searches related to technology and to other hard-to-fill searches. Prior to headhunting, Gwen served with companies later acquired by Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) and HP (NYSE: HPQ). She is a graduate of Texas State University.

Elizabeth González manages the firm’s operations and client relations. A native Austinite, she served as the executive assistant to the headmaster of a private school for nearly 20 years before joining Lehman Associates in 2016.

Will Sharpe heads all research efforts for Lehman Associates. He is a native Austinite who earned a history degree from the University of Georgia. He also studied at Keble College, University of Oxford, in England.