— President / Founder

Donna Gaines is the President and Founder of Gaines International. She brings a passion and expertise to the design fields that span over 25 years of executive search. As she states, “I love working with designers, builders, and developers—people with vision who welcome challenge and who delight in finding solutions to problems. Across the board, whether I’m working with engineers, architects, interior designers or project managers, I draw my energy from my clients’ creativity and imagination.”

Donna began her second career as a search specialist 25 years ago after 10 years working as a professional model. Recruited to join a Chicago-based search firm, Donna knew immediately that the search industry was where she wanted to invest her talents. During that time, she reorganized and revitalized the firm's Houston office and established a booming general search practice in Atlanta. With that success and experience as a foundation, she moved on to launch her own company - Gaines & Associates International.

In 1984, Donna relocated the Gaines Headquarters to Chicago following a decade that included the Gulf War, an economic downturn and overbuilding that slowed the design and construction industries. The impact was felt at Gaines. Donna comments, “This was an opportunity for us to reengineer the company to meet prevailing demands. We wanted to be near the action and that meant a move to Chicago.” After arriving in Chicago, Donna completed an intensive entrepreneur program at the University of Illinois School of Business and established Gaines as the trusted name in the industry.

Donna continues: "We've been tremendously successful in the markets we serve and we’re experts in the fields in which we concentrate. We’ve moved into ancillary areas where there are even more opportunities for the candidates we recruit - for example restaurant design and construction, and advertising companies that represent engineering, building and architectural firms. It's an exciting environment where I work with creative individuals and industries -- something I’ve strived for, achieved and now enjoy daily.”

Donna Gaines frequently writes and gives presentations that focus on strategic hiring and management practices within the executive search and design fields. She sits on the advisory boards for the Professional Services Management Journal and Ai, a planning and design firm with locations in Washington DC, Richmond, VA and San Francisco. She is a member of AIA, IIDA and Women in Planning and Development.