Aug 06 2018
How the CFO Influences a Presidential Search and Transition in Higher Ed A Conversation with Zachary A. Smith, PhD

Other than an institution’s president, there may be no more important position in academia today than the chief financial officer or VP of finance. As the academy considers its future, the CFO is central to its most important discussions—especially around financial planning, budgeting, capital planning, and more. The CFO, therefore, plays a critical role in the hiring of a new president. In the interview below, Witt/Kieffer senior partner Zachary Smith considers the direct and indirect involvement…



Jul 26 2018
Dr. Latha Sivaprasad: Making Leadership a Lifetime Priority

Dr. Latha Sivaprasad has always had an interest in leadership. Even before high school, college and medical school, she took an interest in working with others to find creative solutions to problems. Today, as Chief Medical Officer of Rhode Island Hospital/Hasbro Children’s Hospital – and as a practicing internist, associate professor in the Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School, board member of the Rhode Island Medical Women’s Association (RIMWA), and in other roles – she seeks to make a…



Jul 23 2018
Presidential Recruitment in Higher Ed: Advancement’s Role A conversation with Mercedes Vance and Suzanne Teer

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…



Jul 03 2018
For Physician Leaders, Keeping a Strong, Healthy Clinical Staff Is Job One

A lot is being asked of physician leaders in today’s hospitals, health systems, and medical groups. On the growing list of administrative roles that physician leaders play, recruiting, mentoring and retaining an engaged and dynamic clinical staff is at or near the top.

The ability of physicians to expertly oversee other physicians is a topic that Witt/Kieffer consultant Carl Fitch encounters almost daily. In recruiting up-and-coming executives for…



Jun 20 2018
Bringing Your Best as a New Board Member

Bringing Your Best as a New Board Member

Earlier this year, the Parkinson’s Foundation announced the appointment of Jena Abernathy to its board of directors. Abernathy is senior partner and managing partner/chair of Board Services for Witt/Kieffer, and has a personal connection to the Parkinson’s mission. In the interview below, she shares thoughts about joining the Parkinson’s board and offers advice on how current and future not-for-profit…



Jun 01 2018
Witt/Kieffer Days of Service: A Focus on Children

 

Each spring, Witt/Kieffer employees participate in Days of Service during which they take time out of their lives and work schedules to volunteer at charitable organizations in their communities. This is one way that our search consultants and staff strive to live by our mission to support organizations that “improve the quality of life.” This year’s Days of Service, coordinated by employees across the…



May 31 2018
Toward a New Brand of Faculty Practice Leadership

new brand of leadership

Movement in healthcare and academic medicine toward improved quality and new cost structures, organizational consolidation and alignment, and clinical integration have resulted in an evolution of faculty practice plan leadership. In this Q&A, Beth Frye, MD, Witt/Kieffer Chief of Operations & Of Counsel, looks at the expanding responsibilities for group practice leaders and the resulting challenges in recruiting these physician administrators. “The leader must be…



May 25 2018
For Healthcare CFOs, M&A Activity Spells Change and Opportunity

The role of healthcare CFO is shifting and expanding with the growth and increased complexity of major nonprofit and investor-owned systems. One critical change is that the CFO in hospitals, health systems, and related organizations is much more of an essential right hand and strategic partner to the CEO.

In a recent feature article for Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), titled “Meet Your New Boss,” writer Jim Romeo looks at the integral role of healthcare CFO as…



May 18 2018
Life Sciences Leadership: Get Creative in Recruiting Your Next CEO

By Jennifer Chase

For growing life sciences firms, it is critical to have a CEO with the skills and vision to match a particular phase of the firm’s evolution. A CEO that pioneers the science and vision behind a drug, diagnostic or device might not be the right person to orchestrate later clinical stages, major financing, regulatory approval and continued market expansion. Indeed, there are certain CEO archetypes for growing life…



May 11 2018
Recruiting Presidents for HBCUs

 

Historically black colleges and universities are fundamental to U.S. higher education. The more than 100 HBCUs were pioneering institutions in their states and regions and have been bastions of opportunity. Recognizing their significance, the federal government has recently increased funding for these schools.

Presidential searches for HBCUs are competitive affairs among candidates who grasp the historical and cultural gravity of the role as well as the academic prestige. Witt/Kieffer senior partner Oliver B. Tomlin, III has led…



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