The Soul of
the Search.
We don't wait for the future of people leadership to take shape. We help author it. Experience alone isn't enough — building culture in a purpose-driven company demands HR leaders with uncommon resolve, and a search partner who understands what's truly at stake.
— Why Us
Exclusively People & HR Leadership
We don't place generalists. We don't stray from our lane.
Built for the Impact Economy
B Corps - Social Enterprises - ESG Forward For Profits - Mission Driven Healthcare
Narrative-First Methodology
Every search starts with where the resume ends
Native Research, Always
Custom market intelligence built fresh for every engagement
— What Drives Us
People leadership in the impact economy is a
different game.
The HR leaders who thrive in purpose-driven companies aren't just technically excellent. They hold culture under pressure. They build belonging at scale without losing what made the organization special. They can articulate your employer brand to a candidate with three competing offers — and make yours feel like the only honest choice.
Finding those people requires a search partner who understands the intersection of people strategy, organizational values, and the realities of building companies that perform and matter. That's the only intersection we work in.
— Meet Our Founder
Dana Young
— Founder & Managing Partner
Dana's career sits at the rare intersection of executive search, people strategy, and mission-driven organizational leadership — and it's that intersection that makes Impact Narrative different from every other search firm in this space.
With over 15 years placing transformative leaders, Dana has mastered the art of finding the rare ones — the People Leaders who turn culture into a competitive advantage and values into a retention strategy.
His perspective was forged across the full arc of the impact economy. At TriNet, he worked inside the machinery of HR technology and people operations, advising high-growth companies on their most consequential people hires. Through executive search at ZurickDavis, he led searches for some of the most vital healthcare and social impact organizations in New England — from Silver Hill Hospital to Vinfen — placing C-suite leaders where the stakes were measured in human outcomes.
He has navigated the high-growth chaos of early-stage startups, advised New England's largest charitable organizations, and sat with leaders wrestling with the hard questions that live at the intersection of performance and purpose.
He founded Impact Narrative to serve the growing world of companies that refuse to treat those questions as a trade-off.
Career Arc
TriNet
HR Technology & People Operations
High-growth startup advisory - People Strategy - Early-stage HR leadership
ZurickDavis
Executive Search - Healthcare & Social Impact
Vinfen - Silver Hill Hospital - Aspire Health - Viability - New England’s largest charitable orgs
Now
Founder - Impact Narrative
HR & People Leadership Search - The Impact Economy - B Corps - Social Enterprise - Mission Driven Health
— Why It Matters
Six reasons companies in the impact economy choose us.
Most search firms treat HR like any other function. We built Impact Narrative specifically for the companies and People Leaders who know that culture is strategy — and that finding the right person to lead it requires something the standard playbook can't deliver.
01
We only do this one thing.
HR and People Leadership search for purpose-driven organizations. Not CFOs, not CMOs, not general executive placements. One function. One sector. Deep expertise that generalists can't replicate.
02
We start where the resume ends.
Our narrative-first methodology digs for defining moments, quiet convictions, and the real track record that predicts extraordinary impact. Credentials get you in the room. Conviction gets the hire right.
03
You own everything we build.
The market maps, the candidate intelligence, the competitive landscape — it all stays with you. No database lock-in. No proprietary black box. You get the full picture and keep it.
04
Fixed feed. Fully aligned incentives.
Percentage-of-salary fees create the wrong incentives. Our fixed-fee structure means our success is measured the same way yours is — by whether you got the right person, not the highest-paid one.
05
Native research, built fresh every time.
.We don't source from a database of recycled candidates. We build custom intelligence for every engagement — mapping the real landscape of available talent for your specific context.
06
We understand what’s at stake.
In the impact economy, the wrong People Leader doesn’t just cost you a hire — it costs you your culture. We operate with the urgency and precision that reality demands.
— What Clients Say
‘‘
Dana is easily the finest executive search professional I have ever worked with; I’ve worked with dozens over the years, so I don’t say this lightly — he’s the best I’ve ever known. As an executive director for manty years, I know how valuable someone with Dana’s rare skill set can be. Dana works with his client organizations as a true partner.
Executive Director
Non-profit Healthcare Organization
Ready To Begin
Your culture is your
competitive advantage.
Let’s find the People Leader who protects it, builds it, and takes it further than you imagined. No pitch. No pressure. Just and honest conversation about where you are and where you are headed.
Or reach Dana directly at dana.young@impactnarrative.co