May 20 2019
New Guidebook: Recruiting Exceptional Nonprofit Leaders

By Julie Rosen, Leader, Not-for-Profit Practice

What makes a not-for-profit organization great? Its mission, of course, as well as dedicated staff, volunteers, board members and various stakeholders. What may be most important, however, is exceptional leadership. It is leadership that can be the difference between an organization thriving or merely surviving.

What defines an exceptional nonprofit CEO or executive director? Several key attributes come to mind: creative, credible and communicative. He/she must have the…



May 07 2019
Transitioning a Search to a Search Firm

By Melissa Fincher

It is fairly common for an institution to undertake a leadership recruitment on its own, and later in the process to seek the services of an executive search firm. It may be that the search committee wants to take a fresh approach, to reach out to a broader segment of candidates or enlist the expertise of experienced search consultants.

As a former university talent acquisition and organizational development consultant and current executive recruiter, I have experienced this transition…



Apr 08 2019
The 4 Qualities of ‘Next-Level’ Healthcare CFOs

“Hospitals and health systems have no shortage of excellent CFOs who, from a technical and operational standpoint, do their jobs well,” writes Witt/Kieffer’s John McFarland. “However, those CFOs who exhibit ‘next-level’ leadership qualities are the most successful in leading their organizations through the changing healthcare landscape.”

What defines “next-level” can be subjective, McFarland says. He outlines four capabilities a successful healthcare CFO must be able to accomplish in a recent article for HFMA’s CFO Forum:



Apr 03 2019
Women’s Leadership in Academic Medicine: Insignificant Gains?

As a former researcher and administrator in academic medicine, Witt/Kieffer’s Joyce De Leo joined the executive search profession to fuel her passion to mentor women to apply for and succeed in leadership roles. In a recent article published by HigherEd Jobs, De Leo examines the progress of women’s leadership in academic medicine in relation to the ELAM program, which was developed to increase the number and influence of women leaders…



Mar 20 2019
Matthew Might, PhD: A Story of Opportunity-Driven Leadership

As the inaugural director of the Hugh Kaul Precision Medicine Institute at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Matthew Might has the opportunity to truly make a difference in a dynamic new field. Seizing opportunities is nothing new to Dr. Might, who is also a senior lecturer of biomedical informatics with Harvard Medical School and was formerly a strategist with President Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative. Dr. Might is a pioneer in addressing rare genetic disorders, inspired by his son,…



Mar 15 2019
The Elusive (and Expanding) Role of the Provost

By Concetta M. Stewart, Ph.D.

With higher education undergoing significant transformation, institutions are looking for a new kind of leader in the provost. Today’s provost is often asked to take on responsibilities that go well beyond academic stewardship to include areas as expansive and diverse as enrollment and admissions, student affairs and student services, compliance, finance, fundraising, marketing, and even information technology.

That provosts play an increasingly central role would not be debated…



Mar 12 2019
Leaving the Ladder: Rethinking the Healthcare Executive Career Path

By Rachel Polhemus and Jason Petros

Mergers and acquisitions have influenced nearly every aspect of the healthcare industry in recent years, including the career opportunities available to rising executives. Hospital and health system consolidation has resulted in fewer CEO positions, more centralized decision-making, and often frustration among top leaders about their roles and responsibilities. For many executives, the rapid increase of matrixed mega-systems has upended the traditional path of advancement. Moving slowly but steadily up the ladder has gone…



Mar 04 2019
Women’s History Month 2019: #BalanceforBetter

 

Since 1987, the month of March has been designated Women’s History Month in the U.S., with International Women’s Day on March 8th as the focal point of the observance. Throughout the month, Witt/Kieffer will be celebrating women’s leadership in the workplace by highlighting our commitment to female leadership as well as sharing related thought leadership.

Throughout Witt/Kieffer’s 50-year history, female…



Feb 23 2019
Presidential Recruitment in Higher Ed: Advancement’s Role

A chief advancement officer in higher education tends to be very well connected on campus, and certainly off campus as well with important alumni, donors, and community leaders. Because the advancement executive has relationships with such important constituents, he/she becomes an important figure in the recruitment of a new president. In the interview below, Witt/Kieffer’s Mercedes Vance and Suzanne Teer shed light on the advancement officer’s role as a new president is selected…



Feb 14 2019
Doreen Samelson: Becoming the Leader You Were Meant to Be

With more than two decades of experience in healthcare, Doreen Samelson, EdD, MSCP, is skilled in leading change, championing patient access to care and developing high-quality clinical programs. Much of her career was spent at Kaiser Permanente, where she managed a team of more than 100 psychologists, therapists and support staff as the Director of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Services. Since 2017, she has served as Senior Vice President for Clinical Excellence for Easterseals Bay Area, based in…



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