Executive Search in Houston, Texas

John specializes in developing and implementing innovative business models, marketing strategies and business development/sales improvement projects, while taking advantage of licensing, alliance and partnership opportunities to help his clients achieve their goals.

John has spent the past 25 years as an external and internal consultant, holding senior positions as the head of strategy groups at Hitachi Consulting, Discovery Communications, Sony Corporation and Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. He was the President & CEO of the Association of Management Consulting Firms (AMCF) before starting Furth & Associates. In 2015 John became Vistage’s Chair for Brooklyn, a role which allows him to draw on his experience and extensive network to coach and advise CEOs and business owners of NYC-based small and medium-sized companies.

He has spoken at the Harvard Club of New York City, the Waseda Marketing Forum in Tokyo, the National Press Club in Washington D.C., IBM’s Global Innovation Outlook, National Public Radio and in front of various trade groups and has been extensively quoted in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, American Banker, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Industry Standard, etc. John is a regular columnist with New York Daily News and blogs often on topics relating to management, leadership and strategy.

John received his MBA in Finance from the Stern School of Business at NYU and has a B.A. from Harvard College.

Carol is fluent in the principles of business and leadership, grounded in 25 years of experience. She was a member of senior leadership teams in two public companies, then founded and managed a multi-million-dollar services firm, and now serves as an advisor and coach to senior executives, leadership teams, and organizations. Clients count on Carol for her business knowledge, intellectual honesty, creative thought partnership, and bias toward action.

Carol focuses on working with leaders to execute strategic change. She and her team bring organizational development, change management, planning, and team building experience to organizations. Her clients include the C-suite, managing partners, division leaders, functional heads, and rising stars across all functional areas. Industries served include management consulting, telecommunications, healthcare, technology, transportation, education, food service and distribution, manufacturing, venture-backed start-ups, not-for-profit, recycling, and financial services. Clients include United Healthcare, Hewlett Packard, Sysco, Bell Helicopter, Tenet Healthcare, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, Waste Management, Alcatel-Lucent, Silver Ventures, CYMI, and Bar-S Foods.

Carol received an MBA from Texas A&M University and a BS from the University of Texas. She has completed numerous post-graduate leadership, facilitation, and coaching certifications.

Jim has recently completed a 44 year career in Sales and Marketing with ABB Inc., and now joins our staff of advisors at Magellan International. Jim specializes in mentoring young sales/relationship management professionals who have gone on to successful and lucrative careers in their respective industries. He brings a wealth of real-world experience and insight to enable clients to reach their fullest potential in their chosen career paths.

He began his career with the Westinghouse Power Marketing organization. Initial assignments involved Account Management for sales of equipment, software and services to energy companies, including major operational projects for the power management.

Later ABB Inc purchased the power operations of Westinghouse, and Jim had several assignments in Houston working with major energy companies the past 30 years. Most recently, Jim led the marketing team to win the contract to provide the Smart Grid system operating the Houston metro area. His specialty was to craft long-term Alliance agreements with key clients to enable advanced technology deployment more quickly, beyond that possible in conventional competitive bid-award cycles. In 2016 Jim won the “Speed and Innovation” award for ABB Inc in North America, based on his work leading the marketing team of a Homeland Security project for CenterPoint Energy in the area of grid resilience technology.

Jim received his B.S. in Industrial/General Engineering at Iowa State University. In his free time, Jim volunteers for the Fort Bend Family Promise. He is also an avid cyclist and participates in a number of charity rides including the Tour Gruen, LBJ 30 and others.

Over the last 30 years Mike has designed and led professional development to over 55,000 professionals in 450 organizations including the top 20 consulting, accounting and law firms and investment banks, 6 of the top engineering firms, most of the major energy firms and 41 of the Fortune 100. He specializes in strategic problem solving, business development and leadership.

Originally a professional violinist and pianist, Mike’s expertise and research focuses on how professionals achieve breakthrough results and create high performance cultures; combining the psychology of individual performance with the science of organizational change. His clients have achieved over $51b of additional profitability in part from Mike and his team’s involvement. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Coaching at Harvard Medical School and on the teaching faculty at Cambridge University’s Executive Education

Mark practiced as an auditor with Price Waterhouse early in his career, and then progressed through a series of leadership positions in the firm’s internal recruiting group before joining a boutique retained executive search firm in 1999. He founded Olsen Day in 2011. Originally from upstate New York, Mark graduated cum laude from Notre Dame in 1981, where he overlapped two years with Joe Montana, and zero years with Rudy. He has served on the boards of directors of SouthWest Electronic Energy and SouthWest Electronic Energy Medical Research Institute. He currently serves on the boards of directors of the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce and A Child’s Hope.

Jacob is an Executive Recruiter with expertise in medical and high tech industries. At Magellan, he is responsible for: talent assessment and acquisition, client-candidate liaison, data analysis and management, project management, and business development.

Prior to Magellan, Jacob worked as a Digital Asset Analyst at a tech startup.

Jacob holds a B.S. in Biology with a concentration in Physiology from the University of Houston – Clear Lake and is a current MBA candidate at the University of Houston – Clear Lake. Jacob enjoys hiking and kayaking and competitive gaming with his colleagues.

Blake is a Managing Recruiter with expertise in urban agriculture and supply chain. At Magellan, he is responsible for managing retained search projects for global clients. His project management activities include: building search strategies, conducting independent research, multi-channel candidate sourcing, and managing Executive and Partner level candidates through the hiring process.

Prior to Magellan, Blake worked at JSH Hydroponics where he helped with product cultivation, distribution, and supply chain logistics.

Blake holds a B.A. in Martime Studies from Texas A&M University. In his free time, he enjoys onewheeling and hiking. Blake is also in charge of Magellan’s quarterly gaming tournament.

Susie A. Uschkrat is a seasoned professional currently serving as the Vice President of Business Development at Magellan International, a position she has held since January 2024. In this role, Susan is instrumental in building strategic partnerships with clients, redefining the landscape of retained search, and emphasizing the longevity of professional matches over mere recruitment. Her approach is deeply rooted in nurturing our client’s talent acquisition and empowering our candidate’s careers.

Before her current role, Susan gained extensive experience at BMC Software, where she spent a total of 15 years. Her most recent position at BMC Software was as an Enterprise Account Manager, based in Houston, Texas. In this role, she played a crucial part in driving business development and facilitating the transformation of businesses into Autonomous Digital Enterprises.

Susan has also demonstrated her expertise in sales business development, particularly in workload automation, during her tenure at BMC Software.

Susan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications with a major in advertising and a minor in Marketing from the University of Houston. She also served as an elected official of the Student Government Association at the University of Houston. Outside of her professional endeavors, Susan has been actively involved in volunteering for various causes, including Fort Bend Family Promise

JoAnn Thomas is a seasoned Career Strategist with a specialized focus on empowering individuals to achieve their dreams by discovering the career they have always wanted or taking the leap in entrepreneurial aspirations. She leverages a distinguished career encompassing roles as Vice President of People, HR Director, and Broker Associate to guide clients through successful career transformations. With a deep-rooted understanding of corporate environments and market dynamics, she excels in assisting individuals in navigating the transition from job to career or job to business ownership. Additionally, her experience as a residential real estate business owner provides invaluable insights into the challenges and opportunities of self-employment.

JoAnn is passionate about helping others reach their career goals and dreams.

Mickayla Soanes brings a sharp analytical mindset and strong strategic instincts to Magellan’s retained search and career counseling practices. Since joining Magellan, she has played a key role in expanding the firm’s commercial reach, leveraging data insights to enhance client targeting, candidate evaluation, and new product development.

As a Business Analyst, Mickayla has led high-impact projects that shaped Magellan’s go-to-market strategy, including the launch of the AI-powered Career Compass and Retention Edge offerings. Her work has deepened the firm’s reach into the Advanced Analytics and CleanTech sectors, while also helping optimize how senior-level candidates are evaluated and positioned for long-term success. Previously, as a Recruiting Associate, she supported searches across energy, high-tech, cleantech, and consulting sectors, earning praise for her precision in sourcing and candidate evaluation. She also co-develops thought leadership and manages the firm’s LinkedIn content strategy in collaboration with the CEO. Mickayla earned her B.S. in Maritime Business Administration with a minor in Economics from Texas A&M University at Galveston. She brings a rare mix of intellectual curiosity, client empathy, and execution focus to every project—and is fast becoming a trusted resource for clients navigating senior hiring and retention decisions.