Quick Leonard Kieffer Finds Chief Nurse for Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital
September 20, 2017 – As the life sciences sector continues to expand and reshape itself, vanguard organizations in the field are looking to bolster their leadership ranks. In demand: multi-skilled executives, physician leaders and nurses who can effect change on many levels. Of the four major C-suite roles in the typical hospital, the chief nursing officer (CNO) has traditionally been the most difficult to secure, according to recruiters.
Executive search firm Quick Leonard Kieffer recently placed Ann Marie Madden as CNO and vice president of patient care services for Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, NC. The firm’s managing partner Courtney Lada, partner Jake Barto and principal Mike Quick led the search.
Proven CNO
Before joining Cone Memorial, Ms. Madden served as CNO for Inova Fairfax Medical Campus in Falls Church, VA. In that capacity, she provided clinical, administrative, and strategic guidance and support to the 1,000-bed, acute care, level I trauma center. She had responsibility for more than 2,800 nurses and 400 clinical and operating/ procedural technicians. During her tenure, Ms. Madden implemented a senior nursing leadership structure and developed financial and quality tracking tools.
Ms. Madden previously worked for 24 years at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. Among the roles she held: assistant vice president of nursing operations; chief nurse executive for the MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute; director of grants, contracts, and education; senior nursing director for critical care and neurosciences; and clinical supervisor and clinical nurse specialist in critical care/ PACU.
She has also served as a department head at Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center, and as a clinical nurse specialist at St. Luke’s/ Roosevelt Hospital and Beth Israel Medical Center, all in New York City. She began her career as a staff nurse in the cardiothoracic and medical-surgical ICU units at Montefiore.
Cone Memorial is the flagship of the Cone Health system, and is the largest, most comprehensive medical center within its five-county region. It is a 536-bed tertiary-care teaching hospital and referral center with a level II trauma center and centers of excellence in orthopedics, neurosciences, stroke, and heart and vascular care.
In her new role, Ms. Madden plans, integrates, controls and evaluates the human, material and fiscal resources required to provide patient care in multiple settings, according to Quick Leonard Kieffer. She defines and supports professional practice, providing leadership in the establishment of standards, goals and direction for nursing, and facilitating the development of leadership and management expertise, as well as collaboration between nursing and other departments and the medical staff.
The Recruiters
Quick Leonard Kieffer specializes in placing executive-level employees across the healthcare industry. The firm was established in 1999 by Roger Quick and Michael C. Kieffer. Although the healthcare sector is among the most rapidly growing employment fields, the firm said, the industry is in the midst of a turbulent transformation. This makes the need for proven and experienced boards and executive teams with vision and broadening skills more important than ever.
Ms. Lada leads teams through the entire search process, from business development to offer negotiation, with a focus on communication and collaboration, analysis and strategy. She has completed more than 100 executive-level searches and mainly serves clients in the healthcare space. These include hospitals, health systems, medical groups, health plans and insurance providers, and associations. Ms. Lada’s work spans the spectrum of administrative functions. These range from chief executives and board members to senior leaders in compliance, finance, fundraising and foundations, human resources, information technology, legal affairs, marketing, medical affairs, nursing, pharmacy, population health, quality, strategy and business development, and an assortment of operational and clinical departments.
Mr. Barto, who joined Quick Leonard Kieffer last year, has executed numerous senior-level search assignments, helping healthcare systems recruit chief executive officers as well as operational, financial, and clinical leaders. Among his clients: Trinity Health, Sanford Health, McLaren Health Care, and national and state associations, including ACHE and the Alabama Hospital Association. His career in executive search began with Miller Resource Group in the Chicago suburbs, where he specialized in medical device, pharmaceutical and healthcare assignments.
Mike Quick works alongside the firm’s partners, principals and associates in conducting a variety of senior-level healthcare searches for community hospitals, medical groups and large health systems. He has a strong familiarity with the facets and dynamics that comprise the healthcare market.
Finding CNO Talent
CNOs have a variety of duties, depending on the particular facility where they work. But most importantly, the position calls for supervising nurses and nurse managers. CNOs also oversee design and implementation of patient-care delivery, and serve as leaders in their facility’s efforts to maintain outcome levels. They are some of the most sought after and highly visible leaders in the hospital and healthcare environment.
An expanding number of search firms have been working with healthcare organizations to find chief nursing officers in recent months. Here’s a look at a sampling taken from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:
Executive search firm Witt/Kieffer has recently been charged with finding new CNOs for Mount Nittany Health and St. Mary Medical Center, both in Pennsylvania. Associate Randy Dietrich and senior partner Adriane Willig are leading the searches. Witt/Kieffer has been a talent advisor to healthcare enterprises for more than 45 years.
B.E. Smith has been retained by St. Lawrence Health System to lead its search for a new chief nursing officer. Serving as a mentor for clinical leaders, the incoming CNO will be a servant leader and create a culture of accountability and transparency. The executive will be responsible for all nursing department functions, providing support to advance quality of care and the patient experience.
Tyler & Company was recently retained by Nobilis Health Corporation to lead its search for new CNOs for First Surgical and Hermann Drive Surgical Hospitals. Assistant vice president Kyle Wiederhold is leading the searches. The selected candidates will provide oversight for nursing administration and other assigned departments and be responsible for defining and maintaining the standards of nursing for the hospital.
FaithSearch Partners placed Elsie Graves as CNO of Central Texas Medical Center. Senior vice presidents Jim Boyle and Ivan Bartolome led the assignment. Ms. Graves most recently served as CNO at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital – Westover Hills in San Antonio.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Will Schatz, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
