Donna M. Higgins, President

An expert in leadership and change management, Donna has a background in leadership that encompasses both major corporations and high performance start-ups. Her interests center around the impact a single individual can have on an organization. She is energized by the opportunity to work with clients in the search for high impact individuals.

Donna is a biopharmaceutical industry veteran and is well versed in the unique challenges that recruiting and retaining high impact individuals pose for executive search professionals. Her roles included management positions on the sales and marketing side of the business at Abbott Diagnostics and Immunex Corporation. Following this, Donna was a founder of a successful technology start-up, playing key roles in attracting investment and developing partnerships.

After seeing the company through its' early stages, Donna joined a top 20 search firm, as Vice President in charge of the biotech and pharmaceutical sector. She quickly developed a strong reputation for consistently exceeding client expectations and substantially grew the practice. In 1998, she started The Higgins Group, Inc.

Donna's interest in transformation extends to her work with several charities including AchieveAbility, Heifer International, and Smile Train - all of which take direct action to intervene and transform lives in practical and meaningful ways. Donna has a BA from Pennsylvania State University, an MBA from Drexel University.

Carol Cottone, Vice President and Partner

Carol Cottone has a background in the healthcare technology sector. Carol's recruitment skills were formed by first hand experience at developing innovative start ups and managing growth through ownership transitions. In 1983, Carol co-founded a start up focusing on the development of patient relationship management software solutions for healthcare professionals. Carol grew the company for 11 years before selling her share in 1994.

In 1998, Carol was recruited to bring her expertise to The Higgins Group where she specializes in identifying dynamic leaders with an obvious passion for "the science". Carol loves to spot the "rising academic stars" and enjoys the challenge of recruiting and retaining them to the pharmaceutical industry.

With a natural attention to detail, Carol assists at risk high school seniors in navigating the often overwhelming college admissions and financial assistance process. Carol is a cum laude graduate from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree.

Laura Brown, Vice President

Laura brings a passion for science and 10 years of executive search experience. She enjoys partnering with Life Science companies that are focused on improving the quality of life through innovation.

Prior to joining The Higgins Group, Laura started her search career with a top 5 search firm, later managing her own search firm focused on science leaders. She has conducted officer level and senior manager searches in Semiconductor/photonics, Life Sciences, and Industrial Manufacturing. Laura is well versed in the challenges that companies from nimble start ups to Global Fortune 500 organizations face to recruit high impact individuals. Her business experience allows her to distinguish strategic leaders from strong executors.

Laura started her career with the Dow Chemical Company in their Leadership Development program gaining experience in Manufacturing, Technical Sales and Strategic Marketing. She later managed a Global Sales team for a subsidiary of Dover Corp. Laura holds a Bachelors Degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University.

Kate Ward, Senior Search Consultant

Kate began her consulting career in Boston with Sapient Corporation and iCapital Wealth Management. Joining the Higgins Group in 2003, Kate's creativity and resourcefulness have been instrumental in consistently delivering outstanding results for our clients. Kate thrives on being the catalyst that connects the world's top R&D talent with exceptional leadership opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry. Kate holds a BA from Boston University.

Karen Koffler, Search Consultant

Karen has been The Higgins Group lead researcher since joining the firm in 2000. Karen brings ten years of research experience from Johns Hopkins and the Baltimore VA to her Higgins Group role. Her broad industry background in healthcare is extremely valuable to her biotechnology and pharmaceutical executive recruitment work, providing industry and skill insight as well as contacts. Karen holds a BS degree from Pennsylvania State University and a MA from the University of Maryland.

Lily Adler, Search Consultant

Lily joined The Higgins Group from Merck and Company where she was a recognized leader in Sales and Management. Her experience at Merck provides a deep understanding of the pharmaceutical industry. Lily has an intense curiosity and love of science and a passion for bridging the gap between the unique needs of the clients and the aspirations and expertise of the candidates. Her ability to listen deeply and engage individuals in exploration of their career goals provides the Higgins Group clients an exceptional base of top-notch candidates. Lily holds a BA degree from Emory University.

Wendi Pratt, Office Manager

Wendi joined The Higgins Group in June 2004. Prior to this, Wendi held a variety of sales, marketing and administrative positions in the insurance industry. Whether coordinating meetings, fielding questions, or helping candidates in other ways, Wendi's meticulous style and attention to detail is an invaluable asset to keeping everything on track at the Higgins Group. Wendi acts as a second and often central contact for all placement candidates. Wendi holds a BS in Business Logistics from Pennsylvania State University.