Karen has over thirty years of diverse healthcare administration and consulting experience and has held top-level nursing and hospital administration positions in the US and abroad.
Karen assumed the Chief Executive role at Kirby Bates in 2003. She wanted to combine her experience and expertise in nursing and hospital administration with her experience in healthcare consulting to shape exceptional healthcare leadership teams and ultimately improve patient care.
Karen was previously the Senior Vice President for Patient Services at Boston University Medical Center, and Associate Director of Nursing at the University of California, San Francisco. In 1990, she entered the international healthcare arena as the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer at Healthcare International, LTD, an international tertiary care hospital and hotel complex near Glasgow, Scotland that she helped to design, equip, staff, commission and then manage. She began her consulting career in 1995 as a Senior Consultant, and then a Director, at Harvard Medical International, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, where she provided consulting services in India, Abu Dhabi, Spain and various other international locations.
Karen has published papers on topics important to nursing administrators, including variable budgeting, operating room productivity and alternative patient care systems. She is particularly skilled in organizational evaluation and re-design, program planning, variable budgeting and staffing, and facility design. She quickly evaluates an organization and/or department and develops cost-effective recommendations for improving structure, roles and outcomes.
Karen has a strong professional network. She has been a member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) for over 30 years, is a Past President and current member of the Organization of Nurse Leaders of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire (ONL), a current board member of the Pennsylvania Organization of Nurse Leaders (PONL) and a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). Karen is also on the board and active in On Nursing Excellence, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)3 organization devoted to expand the effectiveness, efficiency, wellbeing and recognition of the healthcare workforce and she is a member of the API Advisory Board.
Karen received her Bachelor's Degree in Nursing from the University of Michigan, her Master's Degree in Administration from the University of California, San Francisco, and she completed a Johnson and Johnson Nursing Executive Fellowship at the Wharton School in Philadelphia, PA. Karen is also board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as Nurse Executive Advanced (NEA-BC).
Melissa A. Fitzpatrick, MSN, RN, FAAN
Melissa has over thirty years of healthcare leadership experience and has held a variety of roles including Vice President of Critical Care and Cardiac Services at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Senior Associate Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nurse Executive at Duke University Medical Center. Melissa also served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Nursing Management Journal and then as the Chief Healthcare Strategist at the SAS Institute. From 2007 until 2015, Melissa served as the first ever Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at Hill-Rom. She joined the KBA team in 2019 as Chief Operating Officer and is responsible for leading the business operations, technology and marketing teams.
To each of her roles Melissa has brought decades of clinical and executive experience and domain expertise, thought leadership and strategic guidance to her teams as they work together to improve patient care delivery and caregiver safety and satisfaction. Melissa has served as a mentor and role model to thousands of nurses around the globe and as a consultant to hundreds of healthcare leaders and teams as they strive to improve clinical and operational outcomes and to reduce preventable adverse events.
Melissa is a nationally and internationally recognized consultant, speaker and author on clinical and leadership issues in healthcare, with many peer reviewed publications and book chapters to her credit. She is a highly sought-after motivational speaker who has delivered hundreds of national keynote addresses to a variety of nursing and healthcare audiences. Melissa is a past National President of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and the Foundation for Critical Care. She was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 1997 and was the Distinguished Alumna at the University of Pennsylvania in 2010. Melissa was featured on the cover of the February 2012 issue of Nurse Leader with an extensive interview as an AONE Leader to Watch. She received the 2017 Distinguished Alumna Award from Gwynedd Mercy University. Melissa is actively engaged as an officer, task force leader and member of many national nursing and healthcare organizations and Boards and serves our industry at the highest level with integrity and passion.
Melissa earned her Bachelor's degree in Nursing from Gwynedd-Mercy College and her Master's Degree in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania.
M. Jane Fitzsimmons, MSN, RN
With more than thirty years of diverse healthcare leadership experience, Jane has expertise in executive search, leadership, and consulting. Prior to joining Kirby Bates in 2007, Jane held senior executive search positions with regional and international search firms. She has successfully managed executive and senior leadership searches for a broad range of healthcare organizations and systems across the country.
Jane has served in executive level positions as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer in Massachusetts and Michigan. In these roles, Jane led the revitalization and turnaround of operations and patient care services. As the Vice President for Patient Care Policy for the Massachusetts Hospital Association, she worked directly with cabinet-level policy makers and provided leadership on state and federal policy. She has also established coalitions among health industry leaders and initiated action on critical healthcare legislative, regulatory and programmatic issues. Jane has consulted with healthcare organizations on leadership infrastructure, resource management, patient care services redesign, and achieving financial and quality imperatives.
Professionally active, Jane has served on a number of committees and boards for community, healthcare and professional organizations. She has presented at state and regional forums on a number of topics and has published in leading journals and publications. Jane is actively involved in the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE); the Organizations of Nurse Leaders MA, RI & NH, and the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration.
Jane received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Rhode Island and her Master of Science in Nursing from Boston University. She completed a post-graduate program in Health Policy at Harvard University and received certification in Health Care Mediation through Boston University School of Public Health. Jane is currently an Adjunct Faculty member at Emmanuel College School of Nursing and teaches Organizational Development in Healthcare in the graduate program.
Peggy Loughery, MSN, RN
Peggy has over fifteen years of diverse management and education experience in teaching, not-for-profit, and for-profit hospitals. Prior to joining Kirby Bates Associates, she held positions as nurse manager, nurse educator, and nursing supervisor. During her tenure as Nurse Manager, her unit was awarded Unit of the Year from Nursing Spectrum. Peggy also served as the Director of Staffing at the Medical College of Pennsylvania where she actively participated on the contract negotiation team and led the organization through a Nursing strike. In addition, Peggy has served as an interim manager and consultant in the areas of quality, staffing and scheduling. She has presented on clinical topics such as restraint reduction as well as patient focused care.
Since joining KBA in 2005, Peggy has conducted more than 200 leadership searches at organizations across the country. She has exceptional expertise in research and candidate development and has outstanding interpersonal skills. Peggy forms strong working relationships with clients and candidates and effectively meets client timelines by ensuring an efficient search process. Peggy also has a very broad and diverse professional network.
Peggy is a graduate of Hahnemann University/Drexel School of Nursing and completed her Bachelor's degree with honors at LaSalle University, Philadelphia, PA. She received her Master of Science in Nursing from Drexel University in 2018. Peggy is actively engaged in professional and community activities. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Organization of Nurse Leaders (PONL) as well as the Southeastern Pennsylvania Organization of Nurse Leaders (SEPONL).
Judy Hayes, MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Judy Hayes, MSN, RN, NEA-BC joined Kirby Bates in 2017 as Vice President of Executive Search and Interim Leadership. With 35 years of nursing leadership experience, Judy Hayes matches KBA clients with culturally complementary candidates.
Prior to joining Kirby Bates, Judy served as Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital, a Partners Healthcare member. Before that, she was Director of Professional Practice Quality and Staff Development; Director of Utilization and Care Management; and held other leadership roles at hospitals throughout the region.
During her tenure, Judy developed special expertise in creating new systems and roles for facilitating the nursing department's adoption of new technology, as well as new clinical roles. She also earned national recognition for patient satisfaction and quality results.
Judy earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Saint Anselm College and was awarded a Master of Science in Nursing from Salem State University. She is board certified in Nursing Executive Administration by the ANCC and is a member of ONL for Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont, and AONE. Judy also serves as a member of the editorial board for Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing.
Livonne Engebrecht, BA
Livonne Engebrecht has served as a Search Associate at Kirby Bates Associates (KBA) since 2015. She brings 20 years of healthcare executive recruiting experience, having worked in two other specialty search firms before joining KBA. As a talent acquisition specialist, Livonne partners with nursing leaders to learn about their career trajectory and future goals, as they explore the next step in their career. She has excellent communication skills and attention to detail, ensuring an efficient and enjoyable process for every candidate.
Livonne strives to fully comprehend the unique needs of clients and candidates in order to meet the goals of the individuals and the organizations that KBA serves. She is passionate about her role as a member of the KBA team where she works with nursing leaders to identify candidates who meet the leadership needs of hospitals and healthcare organizations. She admires and respects executive nursing leaders for their expertise, education and dedication to delivering excellent patient care.
Livonne received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. She grew up on Long Island NY, has lived in Westchester County NY, Sonoma County CA, Portland, OR and currently resides in Helena, MT. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her beautiful granddaughter.
Erinn Riley
Erinn Riley is an experienced healthcare talent acquisition specialist, having worked in the areas of nursing, therapy, pharmacy, behavioral health and medical device recruitment.
Erinn initially joined Kirby Bates Associates as a Search Associate in 2011, returning in 2015 after a brief hiatus to explore the hiring and onboarding process through in-house corporate recruiting. Erinn's broad experience in healthcare search helps to bring fresh strategies to her candidate development methodology.
Prior to her current tenure with Kirby Bates Associates, Erinn was the Talent Acquisition Manager for a medical device company, where she managed a sales recruitment team, as well as online recruitment, candidate development and onboarding. Previously, Erinn was a Recruitment Consultant for a recruitment process outsourcing firm.
Earlier in her career, Erinn was a Department Leader, recruiting temporary and permanent healthcare professionals in Nursing, Therapy, Pharmacy and Behavioral Health, building out a geographic area in the state of Pennsylvania. Erinn began her career working as a recruiter specializing in the placement of Nursing professionals for Army Medical Centers in Hawaii and San Diego.
Erinn received her associate's degree in business from Delaware County Community College in Media, PA. In her personal time, Erinn enjoys spending time with her husband and four children.
Shari Berenson
Shari Berenson joined Kirby Bates Associates as Operations Manager of Search Services in January of 2017. Her work for KBA is focused on ensuring operational efficiencies among the Retained Search team and coordinating logistics between clients and candidates during the interview phase.
Prior to joining KBA, Shari served as the Senior Executive Assistant to the Chief Product Officer for Progress Software, NC, supporting a global team. Shari's career combines healthcare administrative and executive search experience that spans over 15 years. She served as Executive Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer and the Vice President of Operations at Lahey Beverly Hospital, and as Executive Assistant for two Boston‐based executive search firms: CT Partners and RM Nephew and Associates. In the latter positions, she supported senior partners in C‐Suite and Board recruitment.
Doris A. Sinkevich, MS, RN, CENP
Doris has over thirty years of nursing and healthcare leadership experience in acute care, behavioral health, and long term acute care settings including public and private hospitals, for-profit organizations and private industry. She has held senior nursing leader leadership positions at multiple hospitals along with serving as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nurse at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton, Westwood-Pembroke Health System and Walden Behavioral Care, all in Massachusetts. In addition, she has served as an interim Chief Nursing Officer and Healthcare Consultant in numerous hospitals throughout New England.
In 2015, Doris assumed the role of Executive Vice President, Interim Services at Kirby Bates Associates. She leads the service line that provides expert executive and service line interim leaders at times when organizations are in need of transitional leadership. With considerable experience in C-Suite positons and as having served as an interim executive, Doris brings a unique perspective in leading the highly effective KBA interim leadership program.
Doris has demonstrated proficiency in many settings that have required significant change. Her greatest skills are often demonstrated in situations requiring turnaround and restructuring to achieve exemplary outcomes. She quickly establishes positive working relationships within environments and through this is able to develop highly functioning results-oriented teams. She has fostered transformation in several organizations resulting in highly reliable performance, consistently achieving high value, quality improvement and cost efficiency.
Doris has been a long standing member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) along with being a Past President, Board member, current member, and committee member of the Organization of Nurse Leaders of MA, RI, NH, CT, and VT (ONL). She has frequently served as a preceptor for nursing administration master's degree students along with being a faculty member for review courses for the ANCC certification process. In addition, she is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. She has received recognition awards from a number of community groups including hospice and community life centers in reflection of her commitment to broaden the agenda of hospitals beyond the hospital walls.
Doris received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing and her Master's Degree in Nursing Administration from Boston University School of Nursing. She holds distinction in being in the inaugural group of nurse executives who received national certification as Certified in Executive Nursing Practice (CENP) through the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE).
Colleen A. Chapp, MHA, MSN, RN, CENP, FACHE
Colleen is an accomplished healthcare executive with over thirty years of diverse and progressive clinical and operational leadership experience. Colleen has served as Chief Nursing Officer, Vice President of Patient Care Services, Regional Services Consultant, Senior Vice President for a national Interim Leadership Services Firm, and an Executive Healthcare Advisor. She provided Interim CEO and CNO executive services in Oregon, Nebraska, and Ohio. As Vice President, Interim Leadership Services with Kirby Bates Associates, Colleen will build on her foundation as an Interim Leader in healthcare organizations and ten years as a Leadership Advisor and Senior Vice President for an Interim Leadership Services Firm.
Colleen has operational leadership experience in acute care, continuum of care service lines, and professional services settings. Previous roles encompassed multi-campus medical centers, community hospitals, critical access hospitals in public, not-for-profit and for-profit health systems. Colleen has demonstrated success in performance and organizational improvement, professional relationship building, business development and growth, clinical-financial communication with positive results, and leadership development. She is recognized for creating collaborative environments, leading teams through change and transition, engaging interdisciplinary teams to effectively achieve organizational goals, working with Boards and Executive Teams on integration of community and regional resources, along with aligning strategic initiatives and community assessments resulting in plans for action.
Colleen has an expansive professional network. She is Certified in Executive Nursing Practice through the American Organization of Nurse Executives. She is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, and has been a long-standing member in AONE and ACHE. Colleen is Certified as an Organization Transition Management Consultant. She is also a member of the Healthcare Finance Management association and Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Society. Colleen was the first recipient of the Nebraska Rural Health Association President's Award.
Colleen received her Diploma in Nursing from Bryan Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, her Bachelor's Degree in Nursing and Master's Degree in Nursing Leadership from Seattle Pacific University, and a Master's Degree in Healthcare Administration from Chapman College. Colleen is a student in the Doctor of Strategic Leadership program at Regent University.
Dee Dana, MBA, BSN, RN
Dee joined Kirby Bates Associates in October of 2018 as Director of Talent Acquisition, Interim Services. Her focus is candidate recruitment and development with the goal of matching exceptional interim candidates with client organizations in need of executive nursing leadership. She is returning to Kirby Bates, having previously worked for Bates and Associates earlier in her career. At Bates and Associates, Dee had primary responsibility for candidate recruitment along with other aspects of leadership placements.
Dee has extensive nursing experience in a wide variety of clinical settings as well as private industry interim engagements, including a national pilot program with Hewlett-Packard. After receiving her MBA in Health and Medical Services Administration, she joined the Medical Information Services Department at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia as Project Coordinator. While there, she was a key contributor to several major initiatives, including the implementation of the electronic medical record, registration and financial systems interfaces, and the opening of Temple University Children's Medical Center.
Dee received her bachelor's degree in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania, and her MBA from Widener University. She lives outside of Philadelphia, PA.
Jacquie Acheson, AAS
Jacquie joined Kirby Bates Associates in March 2016 as Operations Manager, Interim Services. Her role ensures that operational details of every interim engagement are efficiently managed to streamline activities for interim leaders, while meeting all onboarding requirements to the client's satisfaction. Her expertise in organization, execution and attention to detail is exceptional and supports the expanding KBA interim service line.
With over thirty years of work experience, Jacquie has gained a strong background and many successes in administrative support roles in hospitals in MA as well as customer service and operational support in the financial and sales industries.
Prior to joining Kirby Bates, Jacquie served in Executive and Senior Administrative support roles at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton and Walden Behavioral Care in Massachusetts. She has served in other administrative support and sales positions at several Fortune 500 companies, along with being a founding partner in 1985 of a successful insurance inspection company.
Jacquie received her Associate of Applied Science in Office Administration from Katharine Gibbs College, Boston, MA 2006.
Ellen Berenson, BA, AS
Ellen joined Kirby Bates Associates as Administrative Manager, Interim Services, in January 2019. Ellen facilitates the operational stages for interim engagements from business development through completion of the engagement. In this key role, Ellen ensures execution of all details resulting in high client satisfaction.
Ellen brings to KBA a wealth of Executive Search experience from past tenures as a Project Manager at RM Nephew and Associates, a Research Associate at Korn/Ferry International, and an Executive Assistant and Project Manager at Spencer Stuart. Ellen's retained search experience includes searches in Healthcare, Board, C-Suite, Technology, Finance, and Education. Prior to entering the Executive Search field in 2003, Ellen was an Office Manager for an investor relations firm.
Ellen began her career as an Operations Facilitator at American Express Business Travel Customer Service, where she managed corporate training, technology, statistical analysis and reporting for a large call center. Promoted to Area Team Leader, Ellen managed a portfolio of client travel offices in some of New England's largest corporations, including Bain & Company, McKinsey & Company, Textron and Motorola.
Ellen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Writing, Literature and Publishing, summa cum laude, from Emerson College and an Associate of Science degree in Travel/Tourism Management from Johnson & Wales University. Ellen is an avid photographer and editor of the Stony Brook Camera Club's award-winning newsletter, Reflections. She lives outside of Boston and enjoys spending time with her rescue pup, Boone.
Pamela DeCampli, MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Pam has thirty years of broad management experience in university teaching hospitals, private not-for-profit hospitals, and for-profit community hospitals. She has held senior nursing leadership positions at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. She was the Vice President for Patient Care Services at Graduate Hospital and the Chief Operating Officer at Medical College of Pennsylvania. Both of these organizations were part of Tenet Healthcare in Philadelphia. She is currently the Chief Transition Officer at Kirby Bates Associates, LLC where she leads healthcare management executive coaching services as well as leadership succession planning initiatives.
Pam has served on the Nurse Advisory Council of the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania and was an Adjunct Assistant Professor at MCP Hahnemann University for over six years. She has also been a Clinical Instructor at Thomas Jefferson University and the University of Pennsylvania, and a Clinical Associate at the Villanova University College of Nursing. Pam currently serves on the Board of Directors for the School of Nursing at Villanova University and is an active Board of Director for the Good Shepherd Rehabilitative Network.
Pam is a Past President of the Pennsylvania Nurses Association (PNA), Philadelphia County District, and has served on multiple PNA committees and boards. She served as Secretary and President to the Board of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Organization of Nurse Leaders and was a Board Director for the Pennsylvania Organization of Nurse Leaders as well as the local American College of Healthcare Executives Chapter serving as the Co-chair for the Career Development Committee for four years. She is a member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives, Pennsylvania Organization of Nurse Leaders and the Association of Perioperative Nurses.
Pam received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN and her Master of Science in Nursing Administration from Villanova University in Villanova, PA. She is certified through the American Nurses Credential Committee as a Nurse Executive – Advanced.
Pam is particularly skilled in assessing organizations and developing practical approaches for enhancing both the quality and operational performance of services provided. She is a skilled professional certified coach and is frequently engaged to mentor and coach healthcare leaders. She has also given multiple presentations on managed care, pricing strategies, quality measurement, leadership, and other related topics.
Lorrie Favret Anderson
A knowledgeable sales and marketing healthcare industry professional, Lorrie has broad experience in business development, sales management, new product launches, and start-up business leadership. She began her career in the pharmaceutical sales industry with Lederle Laboratories and Wyeth in 1993. Lorrie distinguished herself as a reputable leader and effective sales professional with her ability to build trust and promote strong, long-lasting customer relationships by partnering with them and understanding their needs. Lorrie has worked with personnel from a wide variety of healthcare organizations including community hospitals, academic medical centers, and independent physician offices and managed care organizations.
Lorrie's start-up experience began in 2007 as Director of Business Development with Vestagen Protective Technologies, delivering advanced performance textile technologies to the medical market, focused on reducing hospital acquired infections. She then served as Director of Marketing for Agile Health, a start-up digital patient engagement organization offering a suite of trusted behavioral change programs using interactive text messaging.
Lorrie earned a BA in Political Science with French and History minors from the University of Alabama where she lettered in Waterskiing and served in the legislative and executive branches of Student Government. Lorrie is an avid runner, likes to travel and is a devoted school and church volunteer. She and her family live in Central Florida.
Jennifer Insua, BS
Over the past fifteen years, Jennifer has held various positions in hospital administration and healthcare human resources. Jennifer joined Kirby Bates Associates in September 2007. She is responsible for the operation of all office and human resource functions and financial management.
Prior to joining Kirby Bates, Jennifer served as a Human Resources Recruiting Assistant at Tenet Healthcare's Philadelphia Regional Corporate office. She also served as the Administrative Assistant to the Chief Nursing Officer and the Vice President of Clinical Services at Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia, and the Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer at Elkins Park Hospital in Elkins Park, PA.
Jennifer received her Associate Degree in Science from Camden County College, Blackwood, NJ and her Bachelor of Science from Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA.
Nikhol Perez, MBA
Nikhol Perez has a decade of experience in coordinating accounting operations, preparing and analyzing financial statements and improving business processes. She joined Kirby Bates as Finance Manager in 2018.
Prior to joining Kirby Bates, Nikhol served as a Senior Accountant in various industries broadening her experiences. The foundation of Nikhol's success is her ability to align business strategy with established financial accounting principles. She strives to help companies increase profitability, achieve corporate goals and make informed business decisions.
Having recently earned a master's degree in business administration from University of Central Florida, Nikhol is well-equipped with the latest analytical tools, business techniques, problem-solving abilities and decision-making skills. Though she has highly desired accountant traits, she does not consider herself a typical accountant. She believes her strengths lie in her flexibility and ability to build relationships.
Betsy Fitzpatrick
Betsy joined Kirby Bates in 2014 after serving for five years as a Research Specialist for an executive search firm serving children's hospitals nationally. Her responsibilities include: electronic marketing; formatting and revision of candidate resumes; researching organizations and resources; database and mailing list maintenance; and assistance with coordination and travel of candidates and staff.
Prior to beginning her career in search, Betsy spent 14 years at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine as an Analyst and Manager in Administration and Finance. She attended the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business from 1989 – 1994.
Tracy Weintraub, MSN, RN
Tracy Weintraub is a successful nurse executive with over 25 years of leadership experience in a variety of roles. She currently serves as Vice President, Leadership Liaison for Interim Services at Kirby Bates Associates, working with clients and Interim Leaders focused in the California markets. Throughout her career, Tracy has worked in Northern California, Southern California and the Central Valley of California.
Tracy earned both her BSN and MSN degrees from the University of Rhode Island. After graduate school Tracy served as a Clinical Nurse Specialist at the UCLA Medical Center and was on faculty at both the University of Southern California Department of Nursing and the UCLA School of Nursing. She has lived and worked in California ever since.
Tracy has held executive leadership positions at the Greater Los Angeles Veteran’s Administration Medical Center and Torrance Memorial Medical Center and served as Chief Nursing Officer at Los Robles Medical Center. Tracy also served as an acute care surveyor for The Joint Commission.
Other roles include various interim executive leadership roles on behalf of BE Smith and Leadership Advisor for Interim Services with BE Smith.
Professionally active, Tracy maintains her extensive network as a longstanding member of Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society, the Association of California Nurse Leaders and the American Organization of Nurse Leaders. In 2013, the University of Rhode Island College of Nursing honored Tracy with the Dean’s Distinguished Achievement Award.
Tracy currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband Philip and adorable pup Sully. They have two adult sons, Hank and Charlie.
Tamara Miller
Tamara Miller serves as Director of Sales for Kirby Bates Associates. Tamara’s focus is on client engagement, including establishing and expanding client relationships and strengthening Kirby Bates’ contributions to client organizations through strong communication.
A native of New Albany, Indiana, Tamara earned a BSN from Indiana University in 1997. She served as a Cardiovascular ICU/ CCU/ PCU nurse for 11 years, working in various settings such as hospital, home care and research. As a bedside nurse, Tamara was provided various opportunities of employment that included agency, travel and management.
During her bedside career, Tamara developed several medical device patents, taking them from an idea to a product and presenting to Fortune 500 companies such as 3M, Medtronic, Roche, Baxter, Mediflex. Through these experiences, Tamara developed a passion for process improvement, business and workforce development.
In 2007, Tamara left the hospital floor to begin her career in nurse recruitment and retention as the Branch Director for Favorite Healthcare in Indianapolis and later as National Director of Workforce Development for Favorite Managed Services. In 2012, Tamara served as Vice President of Client Solutions for RN & Allied Specialties, bringing mission-critical consulting services to healthcare organizations struggling to meet their staffing needs. In 2017, she served as the Regional Manager for Morgan Hunter Healthcare, providing IT consultants to support EHR optimizations, go-lives, and analysis across 7 states.
As the owner of Aramat Consulting, a healthcare consulting firm focused on enhancing processes in ambulance services, nurse recruiting, and healthcare IT, Tamara has a strong commitment to leading healthcare workforce development initiatives and understands the critical importance of the workforce to delivering quality care.
Ken Wolff
Ken is an experienced computer and IT professional with over 25 years of industry knowledge. He began his career at Bell Atlantic working with Sun Microsystems, IBM Servers, and Macintosh systems. Ken quickly progressed and immersed himself into networking and systems integrations for some of the largest printing companies in Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey.
Ken’s knowledge of electronic pre-press and systems integrations propelled his career further into the developing field of internet technologies. His advanced computer networking skills, strong leadership, and drive led him to open Spectrum Computer Technologies, a company focused on providing small to mid-sized businesses computer and networking support. His company grew through exceptional customer service and a unique understanding of how the virtual workspace was expanding through all industries. Before joining Kirby Bates full time, Ken functioned as their primary IT support through Spectrum Computer Technologies.
Originally from St. Louis, MO, Ken relocated to South Jersey where he met his wife of 30 years. They recently moved to Richmond, VA and look forward to exploring the area with their collie, Coby.
How the Retained Search Process Can Add Value for Healthcare Organizations
August 7, 2019
Choosing the most effective approach to recruit talented executive healthcare leaders who will redesign care delivery is one of the most critical contributions of the human resource team. Where does the human resource team begin?
With uncertain reimbursement and neverending financial challenges, healthcare professionals must walk a tightrope—balancing the need to cut expenses while also ensuring excellent patient care. Equally important, however, is the fact that the decisions healthcare professionals make to fill leadership positions will shape the competitive and financial future of the organization.
The talent gap in healthcare is widening with each passing year. Further complicating the shortage is the growing need forhealthcare leaders equipped with the necessary experience to assume top executive roles quickly. This is where a healthcare recruiting firm can assist. But how do you select the right search partner and what method is the best match for your organization’s unique challenges and economic constraints?
Choosing the Type of Support: Contingent or Retained Search
Once the decision is made to engage an executive healthcare search firm, healthcare professionals must decide on the type of search support to use. The two main categories are retained and contingency recruitment firms. Misconceptions about the differences between the contingency and retained search process can result in an organization making the wrong choice that costs more in terms of time, internal resource consumption, quality of candidates, and the overall success of the executive search process.
Difference in Methodology
One of the biggest determining factors for hiring a contingent search firm vs. a retained search firm is the perceived return-on-investment. A common perception is that a contingency search is a “free” approach to recruitment. This cost advantage only applies if the contingency searchfails and no fee is paid. If a candidate is placed, a fee similar to that of a retained search is applied. While the final fees are similar, the depth and scope of the search process and the number and fit of the candidates presented may vary greatly.
The Retained Search Process
Retained search firms conduct initial work that set the process for success. By performing in depth interviews with the hiring executive, all stakeholders to understand the organization’s unique culture, challenges and strategic direction. This information is the foundation for identifying the core competencies, leadership style and cultural fit that will ensure success in your unique environment. Furthermore, establishing consensus among stakeholders for the criteria for success is critical to selecting the strongest panel of candidates.
Once the search begins, the retained search consultant becomes an extension of the client in the marketplace. The critical difference with the retained sourcing approach is that it is designed to attract a panel of the most competent leaders from a broad geographic area. Based on the information obtained during the initial site visit, the retained search firm is able to develop a unique and tailored search strategy to reach qualified candidates, screening out candidates who do not meet the client’s expectations.
The candidate development process of retained search firms is extensive. In-depth screening and interviews are conducted to ensure the candidate is a high potential fit for the opportunity. Prior to presenting candidates, retained search firms review resumes, perform extensive phone screening, conduct one‐on‐one interviews, verify credentials, and complete reference checks to lift this burden off of the human resources department. The retained search team also assesses candidates’ career goals, values and personal aspirations to assure a lasting fit. The best retained search firms have inclusive processes in place to facilitate a diverse panel of candidates.
Retained search firms provide consistent and comprehensive information about each candidate to the client that facilitates “apples to apples” comparisons among candidates. The retained consultant also supports the internal selection process, to ensure alignment of expectations among stakeholders. If warranted, the search consultant may even be involved as an objective observer during the internal interviews. The retained search approach minimizes the organization’s internal staff’s time and assures decision-makers interview only candidates who meet or exceed the established requirements.
Frequently the best candidates are passive candidates who are happy in their current role and not actively seeking a new position. Search executives know how to reach these high performing individuals and align their career interests with the organization’s strategic direction.
The Contingency Search Process
Contingency search is a very different process and is likely to surface only those candidates who are actively seeking a new position or are in the local market familiar with the organization in question. These typically include those who meet the minimum qualifications versus seeking the best of the best. Given the economic incentive and competitive nature of contingency search, the firm’s objective is to forward resumes to the client, as many as possible. Due to the payment structure, contingency firms often market available candidates to multiple clients—moving from one assignment to the next fairly quickly. This approach doesn’t allow for the customized, in-depth analysis that is required to fill executive-level and increasingly challenging service line leadership positions with quality talent.
Choosing a Search Partner
In making the decision to engage a search firm, healthcare organizations must carefully consider their internal resources, the scope of the research involved, the candidate development required, and the importance of critical competencies and cultural fit to organizational success. Starting a search with one approach and switching to another when it fails prolongs the search process—wasting valuable resources (specifically, time and money). Organizations who attempt to test the waters with contingent search and switch to retained search firm if not successful find that the marginal cost savings was not worth the additional time and resources drained in the prolonged process and the resultant confusion in the market.
In selecting a search partner, organizations should carefully evaluate the services provided by the search firm, including their research process, the depth of sourcing, their candidate development approach, their knowledge of the market, and the firm’s prior success on similar searches. It is reasonable to ask a search firm to provide examples of past successes.
What to Look for in an Executive Search Firm
For positions that are mission-critical, healthcare organizations are best served by selecting a search firm that embodies four key characteristics:
1. Understands the current organizational needs of the client and the strategic direction of the organization
2. Demonstrates an objective and inclusive search process that is most likely to include a diverse panel of the most qualified candidates
3. Possesses strong communication and relationship skills to work effectively with both the human resource staff and the executive decision-makers
4. Acts as an extension of the client in the marketplace and reflects favorably on the organization
Value-Added Executive Search Services
Success in the current climate of transparency, healthcare redesign, pay for performance, and value‐based purchasing requires special emphasis on leveraging an organization’s most valuable resource—human capital. Developing a strategy that utilizes the best and most effective combination of internal staff resources and external consulting support is critical to the success of the healthcare organization as a whole. Remarkable talent is a rare commodity. Selecting the optimal search partner and best process is crucial to the advancement of your healthcare organization and your team’s ability to provide exceptional patient care and leadership excellence.
Building the Best Healthcare Leadership Team
Kirby Bates Associates, LLC drives healthcare organizations to achieve high quality, cost-effective patient care with our comprehensive portfolio of proven leadership services. As successful COOs and CNOs, our effective approaches achieve sustainable solutions for our clients’ greatest leadership challenges.
Want to learn even more about our executive search services? For deeper insights into our extensive retained search process,contact the Kirby Bates Associatesteam of experts today!
