Katherine Jacobs, Ph.D.
Founder and Principal of GDSI Leadership

Katherine is the founder of GDSI, a portfolio spin and expansion of her work as CEO of the executive search firm NPAG. GDSI meets the broader leadership support needs of organizations in a rapidly changing social sector.

A psychologist by training, Katherine designed, built, and led NPAG’s unique business model, team growth, and client success as Partner and CEO for nearly 20 years to challenge and reform a transactional status quo in the executive search sector that perpetuates systemic barriers, disproportionately extracts resources from nonprofit programs and services, and fails to prepare leaders for success. Her leadership introduced fully tailored, human-centered, and values-based approaches to recruiting new leaders who could transform and diversify philanthropic, nonprofit, academic, and public sectors to be more impactful for the communities they served.

Katherine launched GDSI to focus her work on stronger governance, strategic organizational design, tailored executive search, and agile interim leadership to evolving organizations, coalitions, and purpose-aligned partnerships serving communities nationally and globally. Over decades of deep leadership work in the sector, Katherine has observed organizations challenged in their most critical leadership transitions by threats to funding, internal misalignment, and the need for vision for how to harness the power of new business models and emergent technology. Through GDSI, Katherine has committed to bringing her skills as a psychologist and search professional with grounding in restorative and adaptive leadership approaches, to pioneer the integration of best practices in governance, change management, role and team design, interim supports, and executive recruitment for a thriving social sector.

In her personal time, Katherine is a proud mom to two talented teenagers and nurtures her love of music, nature, and animals from her 1840s farmhouse in Loudoun County, Virginia. A Fulbright scholar, avid traveler, and former U.S. State Department community member, she has lived and worked in five countries. She speaks conversational German and basic Russian and Greek. Katherine earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Rochester while training as a classical cellist at the Eastman School of Music and holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Georgetown University.

Tina Dokken
Executive Administrator

Tina provides wide-ranging support for GDSI’s clients and founder/principal with responsibility for project management, scheduling/logistics, client communications and collaboration, enhancing candidate experience, and development and delivery of client materials. She served in a similar capacity at NPAG supporting the CEO, Executive Office, and searches and consulting work led by Katherine Jacobs.

Tina has worked with mission-driven organizations in the nonprofit sector and the philanthropy field, including positions with National Center for Family Philanthropy, Council on Foundations, Bainum Family Foundation, and Art & Remembrance. She has extensive experience in high-level executive and governance support, project coordination, operations, member/client services, and outreach/development.

A graduate of the University of Virginia, Tina enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing games (especially board and New York Times), hiking and being outdoors, and watching sports and food shows.

Jehivian Hernandez
Search Associate

Jehivian Alexis Hernandez is an executive search and talent research consultant who partners with mission-driven organizations to identify and engage high-impact leadership. At GDSI, he leverages a deep-rooted background in advocacy and campaigns to navigate the unique talent needs of the progressive and nonprofit sectors.

Jehivian’s expertise is informed by his own experience on the front lines of social change. He has supported grassroots mobilization with Swing Left and Alianza for Progress and served as a Legislative Associate with Citizens’ Climate Lobby, where he engaged policy stakeholders to advance national advocacy efforts. This firsthand understanding of the nonprofit ecosystem, further refined through his search work with Perrett Laver (a global executive search firm), allows him to act as a true peer to the NGO leaders and values-led institutions he supports.

Originally from Puerto Rico and fully bilingual in English and Spanish, Jehivian brings a valuable cultural and linguistic lens to his research. This background is a distinct asset for organizations looking to build inclusive leadership teams and authentically engage with diverse communities.

Known for his rigorous approach to talent mapping and market research, Jehivian holds dual master’s degrees from University College London in Public Policy and Latin American Politics. This academic foundation provides a sophisticated analytical framework for understanding governance, equity-centered hiring, and the broader global advocacy landscape.