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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
“When recruiting chief executives for not-for-profit organizations,” writes Witt/Kieffer’s Julie Rosen, “I pose one key question for each candidate: Are you truly passionate and committed to the organization’s mission and its work?”
Mission alignment is critical, Rosen says. As a not-for-profit CEO, “you will be eating and breathing this work, 24/7.” Beyond this, however, Rosen believes there are several fundamental questions…
It’s lonely and tough at the top of the higher education administrative ladder. College and university presidents have more on their plates, and with greater consequences, than ever before. Many presidents are now turning to leadership coaches for support.
Witt/Kieffer recently conducted an online survey of more than 60 presidents on their experience with and thoughts about leadership coaching. More than half of these had experienced coaching at some point in their…
Witt/Kieffer senior partner Adriane Willig has conducted hundreds of searches for healthcare executives since joining the firm in 2008, meaning that she has conducted thousands of interviews. In a recent webinar, “How to Ace Your Next Executive Interview,” Willig joined other executive recruiting experts on a panel advising thousands of global executives on the topic. The online event was hosted by BlueSteps, the career support…