About Us

Founded in San Francisco in 1991, Kathy Macdonald Associates, Inc. (KMA) was the first retained administrative search firm on the West Coast.

KMA sets itself apart by specializing in placing only the top executive assistants and administrative management professionals in a company. Since our inception 30 years ago, the majority of our client engagements have resulted directly from client and candidate referrals – a testament to the quality of our work. We are grateful for the confidence our clients and candidates have in our services and continue to work hard to earn and keep their trust in us.

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Value-Added Approach to Retained Search

Companies have long been aware of the necessity and value of conducting a retained search when the need arises to hire an executive in the C-suite. We, at Kathy Macdonald Associates, believe that the human resource supporting and facilitating the critical role of that top executive requires the same professional search approach. Perhaps even more so – since every executive’s work style and communication style is unique; finding the highest caliber assistant and chief of staff who “matches” and complements an executive’s style is vital to the long-term performance and effectiveness of the executive and therefore to the success of the company.

Kathy Macdonald – Founder, Managing Director

Kathy Macdonald had the vision for providing a superior level of service to chief executives needing an experienced, business savvy executive assistant. Her first-hand managerial experience started early in her professional career at the international management consulting firm, Booz, Allen & Hamilton. She started as an assistant to a partner of the firm and quickly grew into the role of office manager of the San Francisco office. Responsible for hiring and supervising a support staff of thirty, Kathy built critical interviewing skills that enabled her to understand the subtle differences between one candidate’s abilities, temperament, and the next.

Kathy later served as administrative manager at the international executive search firm of Spencer Stuart, where she gained knowledge of executive search methodologies. It was this exposure to the highest professional level of executive recruiting that inspired Kathy to begin her own retained search firm, specializing in her unique expertise: executive assistants. Kathy has a B.A. in International Affairs from the University of Colorado.

On a personal level, Kathy was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, and attended the well-known private school, Punahou.  Kathy’s father was a successful entrepreneur and from an early age, Kathy was filling in for her father’s Executive Secretary when she took a vacation. She learned the organizational skills and attention to detail that are paramount in the role of supporting an executive. She learned early in life the value and importance of having a strong work ethic and creating high-quality work.

Kathy has been a lifelong animal lover and has a passion for animal welfare and wildlife conservation. When Kathy is not working to help clients, she serves as co-chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board for WildAid, a global wildlife conservation organization. Kathy enjoys swimming, body surfing, hiking, traveling, hosting dinner parties for friends (and their dogs).  Kathy’s current dog-child is Finnegan, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel.