Buffkin / Baker

About Us

Buffkin / Baker is a partner-led executive search firm specializing in Healthcare, Higher Education, Private Equity, Technology/Digital, Consumer, and Non-Profit sectors. Each partner, a leader in their field, brings over a decade of retained search experience, contributing to a collective total of more than 300 years in search and over 400 years in industry and operational expertise. The firm operates from multiple locations, including Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Charlotte, Chattanooga, Cleveland, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Simons Island, Tampa, Washington, DC, and Winston-Salem. Buffkin / Baker is a member of Panorama, a global community of over 400 leadership experts working together in 70+ office locations to promote a diverse perspective on leadership, embracing creative thinking, and sharing our expertise and experience to bring our clients the very best results.

Achievements

RECENT PLACEMENTS

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At Buffkin/Baker, its partners are experts in the verticals in which they specialize. This is one secret to their success in finding the right talent for clients’ organizations. The firm possess firsthand knowledge and understanding of the industries in which they work, and know what it takes to be successful in each of its domains. This understanding, partnered with their extensive network and proven process, allows the firm to effectively help clients with their important hiring decisions.

For them, success means not just finding a leader for our client companies but finding the right leader. The firm carefully evaluates clients’ company culture, specific organizational needs, and leadership talent to ensure they place an individual who is not only capable of excelling at the position, but who also is an ideal fit for that specific company culture and environment. At the end of the day, their 99% completion rate for their searches speaks for itself.

Buffkin / Baker

Solutions And Expertise

Buffkin / Baker is a retained, specialty boutique search firm composed of industry leaders. Each partner in the firm has been a leader in their respective fields and each has over a decade of retained search experience.

Combined, its partners have more than 300 years in search and over 400 years in industry and operational expertise.

Solutions
  • Assessment
  • Board Services
  • Executive Search
  • Succession Planning
Industries
Functions
  • Board/Governance
  • CEO/President
  • Data/Analytics
  • Finance/Accounting
  • GM/Operations
  • Information/Digital
  • Legal/Compliance
  • Marketing & Sales
  • Medical/Clinical

Buffkin / Baker

News Briefings

Buffkin / Baker Recruits Chief Information Security Officer for Oklahoma State University

Partner-led executive search firm Buffkin / Baker has helped to recruit Marjorie McLagan as chief information security officer (CISO) of Oklahoma State University. Martin M. Baker and Chelsie Whitelock led the assignment. “Cybersecurity is foundational to everything we do at Oklahoma State University,” said Jason Ramsey, chief operating officer. “As we advance research, serve students and support Extension programs in all 77 counties,

Buffkin / Baker Assists Florida Atlantic University with Provost Search

Partner-led executive search firm Buffkin / Baker has assisted in the recruitment of Ken Dawson-Scully, as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs of Florida Atlantic University. “I am excited to welcome Ken back to Florida Atlantic,” said Florida Atlantic president Adam Hasner. “When I became president, I committed to conducting a national search for a

Buffkin / Baker Appoints Partner

Partner-led executive search firm Buffkin / Baker has named Jim May as partner in its technology/digital practice area, and executive corporate functional practice areas. “Jim’s expertise in human resources, finance, technology, and operations will strengthen our service to clients and enhance results”, said Tom Wilson, partner and practice leader. “We are delighted to name Jim as a partner in

Top 10 Executive Search M&A Deals for 2025

M&A activity in the human capital sector is holding up well despite a choppy macro backdrop, with deal interest staying steady even as founders weigh risk more carefully. In Hunt Scanlon Media’s latest polling, a majority of executive search firm owners signaled they would consider a transaction, underscoring how succession planning, scale pressures, and shifting

Buffkin / Baker

Press Releases

Buffkin / Baker Names Jim May Partner

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – January 13th, 2026 – Buffkin / Baker, a partner-led executive search firm, is pleased to announce the promotion of Jim May to partner in the firm’s technology/digital practice area, and executive corporate functional practice areas. Jim joined Buffkin / Baker in February 2025 as part of the Buffkin / Baker acquisition of Gallagher’s U.S. Executive Search Practice, which

Clover Health Hires Ivor Mulligan as Senior Director of Total Rewards

Clover Health, a healthcare company that provides Medicare Advantage plans using technology-driven care coordination, has appointed Ivor Mulligan as Senior Director of Total Rewards. Clover Health partnered with Buffkin / Baker on the executive search. In his role as Sr. Director of TR, Ivor will support Clover Health by developing and implementing a comprehensive compensation

America’s Car-Mart Appoints New Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Colonial Finance

America’s Car-Mart, one of the largest publicly held automotive retailers in the United States, has appointed Jonathan Collins as Chief Financial Officer and Marie Persichetti as Senior Vice President of Colonial Auto Finance. America’s Car-Mart partnered with Buffkin / Baker’s consumer practice leader David Alexander and Evan Wescott on the executive search. Collins, the new CFO, joins America’s Car-Mart after a 13-year

Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters Hires Jason Mueller as Vice President of Facilities & Support Services

Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, a full-service children’s hospital providing services to nearly 425,000 local children in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, has appointed Jason Mueller as Vice President of Facilities and Support Services. CHKD partnered with Buffkin / Baker on the executive search. In his role as VP of Facilities and Support Services, Jason

Kansas State University names James Wiser as Dean of K-State Libraries

Kansas State University has named James Wiser as Dean of K-State Libraries, effective August 17, 2025. K-State partnered with Buffkin / Baker on the search. As Dean of K-State Libraries, Wiser will provide strategic leadership and vision to support the university’s strategic initiatives and intellectual core. He will work closely with the president, provost, deans, and other senior

Buffkin / Baker

Multimedia

Videos

Women in Leadership
Women in Private Equity
Bufkin / Baker and Panorama
Bufkin / Baker and the History of Our Firm
Buffkin / Baker and Why We Keep Going
Bufkin / Baker and the Traits of Our Firm
Buffkin / Baker and the Vision for the Future
Buffkin / Baker: Empathy in the Workplace

Insights:

Good Governance, Succession, and Why External Validation Matters—Even for Internal Candidates
Private Equity Compensation Trends for 2026: Precision, Performance, and Pay for Value Creation
Relationship‑Driven Executive Search in the Age of AI: Insights from Partner Tom Wilson
Introducing our New Series: The Modern CHRO
Challenge: PE Investment in Founder-Led Healthcare Businesses
“Junior” Executives—Executive Search at the Director Level
Remote Work vs On-Site Work. Which is the right direction?
The Critical Role of HR Leadership During Private Equity Transitions
Enhancing Business Outcomes: The CHRO & CFO Alliance
Start Ups & Unicorns
Interim HR Consulting: A New Strategy for Agile Leadership
What is Talent Acquisition?
What is Total Rewards?
Expand Your Network Today for Tomorrow’s Opportunities
Creating A Relationship With A Retained Executive Search Firm
Strengthening Your Hiring Process: Why Building Company Brand Matters
Partnering with an Executive Search Firm to Recruit Higher Education Leaders
Recruiting And The Love Language
Rising Importance Of Chief Data Officer In Tomorrow’s Successful Enterprises
The Impact of a Down Market on Executive Placements
Finding a Signal, In a World Full of Noise
Leveraging The Chief Data Officer In Healthcare Organizations
2020 Trends for Higher Education Institutions
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