Cejka Executive Search Names Managing Principal
December 19, 2016 – Cejka Executive Search has named MaryBeth Nicholas Cruz as executive vice president and managing principal. The hiring underscores the firm’s continued expansion into high-demand areas of healthcare executive search, including clinical integration.
For nearly two decades, Ms. Cruz served in leadership roles for Providence Health and Services, spearheading physician services and development at the system-level and designing and overseeing talent acquisition operations responsible for hiring healthcare leaders, physicians and other clinicians.
Her leadership experience from within a large, diversified medical system is expected to allow her to guide healthcare organizations on identifying the leadership talent, physician engagement structure and incentives to advance business objectives in an evolving healthcare organization structure.
Ms. Cruz is a member of the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) and the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters (ASPR). Since 2012, she has served on the Board of Trustees for Trillium Family Services, a not-for-profit organization, supporting the mental and behavioral health of children and teens in Oregon.
Healthcare Transformation
The addition of Ms. Cruz, as well as other search experts to the firm in recent months, comes in response to growing demand for healthcare executives in light of the healthcare industry’s transformation.
“MaryBeth is uniquely qualified to help hospitals and health systems define the organizational structure and leadership roles required for successful clinical integration of physicians and medical groups, which has become essential to meeting newer healthcare reform standards,” said Paul Esselman, Cejka Executive Search senior executive vice president and managing director.
The appointment of Ms. Cruz follows the recent addition of Mary D’Ignazio as EVP and managing principal. She leads a national practice within Cejka that partners with hospitals, health systems and health-related organizations on executive search engagements for senior level healthcare executives.
The firm also recently added four regional vice presidents to its physician search division. John Elffers brings a long background in healthcare business management and healthcare recruitment. Jill Hickey has a diverse background in recruitment, healthcare business operations and sales. Thomas Hoecker gives the firm decades of healthcare executive recruiting expertise. Lastly, David Pierce has deep experience in developing innovative sourcing strategies for private healthcare employers nationwide.
Earlier this year, Cejka named healthcare executive Joyce Tucker as an executive vice president responsible for senior level healthcare search services and recruiting consultation. During her more than 30 years as a healthcare executive, she has been responsible for healthcare administration and management, human resources, budgeting, purchasing, marketing, strategic planning and process improvements. Previously, she was VP of executive recruitment at life sciences recruiter The Chase Group. Earlier in her career, she gained search experience with B.E. Smith.
“We are in one of the most competitive and complex healthcare employment markets in decades,” said Cejka president John Gramer. “Both healthcare leaders and practicing clinicians have greater career choices than in the past. Healthcare reform has created additional opportunities for healthcare leaders to oversee care coordination, utilization management, employee health, and population health.”
Cejka Executive Search has provided recruiting services exclusively to the healthcare industry for more than 35 years. Its client roster includes a number of well-known institutions, including Georgetown University Hospital, Northwestern Memorial, Levine Cancer Institute, St John Providence Health System, Tenet, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine, Centene Corporation, Cape Fear Valley Health, and Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center.
At these organizations, the firm has conducted searches covering positions including chief medical information officer, chief compliance officer, chief of oncology, chief medical officer, chief of pediatrics, chief of neurology, chief nursing officer, CEO, CFO, COO, department chair, chief clinical officer, medical director, and chief strategy officer, among a host of others.
The firm is part of Cross Country Healthcare, a healthcare staffing services concern.
Contributed by Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media
