Wendy Zang always knew what she wanted to be when she grew up. She developed a passion for meeting different people, learning new things, and sharing their stories. Naturally, she fell in love with journalism when she was introduced to it in middle school. 

“It was an elective I took as a middle schooler,” Wendy said. “I started writing and, as soon as I saw my first byline, I just loved it”.

From there, her trajectory was set. She decided to pursue her bachelor’s in journalism at Ohio University, where she developed her skills in writing and editing. After graduating in 1996, she set off to make her mark in newspapers across the country. 

Throughout her career, she worked for notable publications such as Knight Ridder and McClatchy. Wendy found herself working primarily as an editor in Washington, D.C., where her keen eye for detail and strong leadership skills made her an invaluable resource for her team for nearly 20 years. 

As cuts rolled around each quarter, the instability of the news industry grew mentally and emotionally exhausting for her. Wendy eventually parted ways with the news business in 2014 and felt the urge to try something new. In her hunt for a new career path, executive search stood out.

“The idea of being in an industry that’s aimed at hiring people was very appealing to me,” Wendy said. “It was also an opportunity for overlap with the skills I had from journalism.”

Wendy secured her first executive search role at a small boutique firm. She quickly felt at ease conducting executive searches for senior leaders who needed the right combination of technical and leadership skills to drive progress at their organizations. She found many of the elements she loved about journalism, thriving at the opportunity to connect with new networks.

“[I love] being able to meet and talk to interesting people,” Wendy said. “You get to be a storyteller — getting to know someone, being able to tell their story in a cohesive way, and having new opportunities to learn.”

She gained experience placing senior leaders at both public and private organizations. She identified candidates for highly technical roles, touching industries such as higher education, nonprofits, health care, and beyond. She progressed in this role for almost six years until she received a message from a recruiter. A women-owned firm, Ksquared Search, was searching for someone new to join their team of executive marketing recruiters — and she decided to take the leap.

“It seemed like a meta moment to get recruited by a recruiter for another search firm,” Wendy said “I just fell in love with the mission of the company, the culture, and the quality of my colleagues.”

Wendy has now been with Ksquared Search for nearly three years. She taps into her journalistic roots, carving out her niche in Marketing, Communications and HR roles. She’s become known for her investigative approach, as she quickly discovers the nuances of each organization and identifies candidates that check every box. 

Wendy cherishes the collaborative atmosphere created by the firm. There is no competition between recruiters — rather Ksquared Search is a free marketplace of ideas, Team members build off of collective expertise to reach the best possible results for leading organizations. 

“When you get Ksquared on a search, you’re not just getting the one or two people you see on the update call,” Wendy said. “You’re getting the knowledge and experience of the whole team.”

Beyond that, she appreciates the caliber of work presented to her each day. As one of our executive marketing recruiters, she interacts with incredible leaders across companies in the Fortune 500 as well as private equity firms. More than that, she uncovers new generations of talent eager to make a difference.

“You’re helping them to land pivotal jobs,” Wendy said. “These roles can really help propel their careers to the next level.”

Wendy shares her fire for executive leadership with the rest of the Ksquared Search team. We integrate into your organization, striving to understand unmet needs and find ideal candidates to fill the gaps. Achieve your business goals with our executive marketing recruiters at your side. Contact Ksquared Search to start your executive search for Marketing and Communications leaders and beyond.