Diane Verzella, CPC, founder, owner, and CEO of Preferred Partner Search, brings manufacturing, operations leadership, and executive search experience to helping companies build strong teams and professionals advance their careers. Based in Clarksville, Ohio, her woman-owned national executive search firm specializes in engineering, manufacturing, operations, and leadership recruitment. Founded in 2022, the business reflects Diane’s commitment to applying practical industry knowledge, personal attention, and integrity to hiring decisions.
Before entering executive search, Diane spent more than 20 years in manufacturing and operations leadership. Her responsibilities included hiring, managing teams, owning profit-and-loss accountability, and addressing production problems. That background gives her firsthand knowledge of the technical demands and business challenges facing manufacturing employers, as well as the responsibility leaders carry when selecting people for their teams.
Diane subsequently developed more than a decade of executive search experience, including almost seven years as Director of Engineering & Manufacturing and Top Producer at a small boutique firm in Cincinnati, Ohio. Establishing Preferred Partner Search marked her transition into business ownership, bringing her operational perspective and recruiting experience together in a firm of her own. Her work connects the needs of employers with the experience, capabilities, and career goals of candidates.
Preferred Partner Search supports companies in chemicals, aerospace and defense, precision machining, industrial equipment, and private equity-backed manufacturing businesses. Diane recruits across executive leadership, engineering, manufacturing, operations, supply chain, quality, maintenance, environmental health and safety, and industrial and technical sales. Her searches range from confidential executive assignments to hard-to-fill technical positions, with attention to both professional qualifications and organizational fit.
Diane’s approach begins with understanding the business and the person, rather than relying solely on a résumé and job description. She considers leadership expectations, company culture, technical capabilities, and what each employer and candidate needs to succeed. By learning about clients’ challenges and growth strategies before presenting candidates, she seeks to act as an extension of their leadership teams. Honesty, accountability, responsiveness, and clear communication guide that process.
Her professional credentials include Certified Personnel Consultant, Six Sigma Green Belt, Transformational Leadership, and Total Quality Management certifications. She also studied business at the University of Phoenix, with undergraduate graduation listed in 2011. In October 2025, Preferred Partner Search’s recognition through NPAworldwide included Gold Achievement Status, Top 5 Producers, and global Recruiter of the Month recognition. Diane contributes to the recruiting profession as a Leader in NPAworldwide’s Engineering & Manufacturing practice group.
Alongside Preferred Partner Search, Diane is the owner and president of CSS Group, LLC, a shared-services company focused on payroll, benefits, and employer-of-record support. Across her businesses, her stated goal remains to bring industry understanding and personal attention to decisions that affect both organizations and individual careers. Her manufacturing background continues to shape how she evaluates hiring needs and builds lasting professional partnerships.
The Worldwide Women’s Association invites members to connect with Diane for professional networking and conversations about manufacturing, engineering, and executive recruitment.