Furst Group Finds New CEO for TRU Community Care

October 24, 2017 – As the healthcare industry continues its transformation, talent management remains a high priority. The shortage of physicians and other clinicians is one matter. But healthcare organizations must also fill new and expanding leadership roles to carry out strategic initiatives in response to reform efforts, and whatever changes Republicans in Washington, D.C. may deliver. This has produced a high demand for top-notch leaders in the sector.

Just recently, executive search firm Furst Group recruited Michael McHale as the new president and CEO of TRU Community Care in Boulder, CO. Darla Schueth, the organization’s longtime CEO, resigned in the wake of employee complaints about being overworked and a toxic culture.

Mr. McHale has more than 17 years of management, marketing and customer service experience within the hospice and long-term care industry. He previously served as president and CEO of Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care. He was also recruited into that role by Furst Group in 2015.

The Role

The new CEO arrives at a critical juncture in the organization’s history. With over 40 years’ experience in the delivery of end-of-life care, TRU is continuing to grow its offerings, having recently launched TRU PACE, a program designed to help senior citizens remain in their communities as long as possible. As CEO, Mr. McHale will oversee operations at TRU Community Care, PACE and TRU Hospice of Northern Colorado. He takes over an organization that has struggled with financial woes and numerous staff cutbacks.


Furst Group Places Chief Nursing Informatics Officer at Covenant Health
Lisa Stephenson has joined Covenant Health as chief nursing informatics officer. The organization enlisted the services of Furst Group to fill this role. She will be working closely with patient care services and medical staff leadership to coordinate and initiate the transformation of care processes and outcomes within nursing and clinical ancillary services. Most recently, Ms. Stephenson served as clinical informatics director for Centura Health in Centennial (CO), a position which included responsibility for the implementation of the Epic EHR throughout 16 acute-care facilities and associated ambulatory.


Founded in 1976, TRU Community Care offers hospice services and grief support for those with advanced illness in and around Boulder County.

Headquartered in Chicago, Furst Group focuses exclusively on the healthcare and life sciences sector. The firm is led by co-founders Bob Clarke, CEO, and Sherrie Barch, president. The firm has completed senior-level search assignments throughout the sector, including at El Rio Community Health Center, Primary Care Progress, University Health System and Prevea Health.

Recently, Furst Group recruited Patricia Ahern as CEO of Care Dimensions. Her 30-plus years of healthcare leadership experience spans the continuum of care delivery services, including acute care hospitals and hospice and palliative care organizations. Most recently, she was CEO of the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care in Buffalo, NY.

Healthcare Recruiting

A number of healthcare organizations have turned to executive search firms to find new leaders in recent months. Here’s a sampling from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:

Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, TX enlisted Dallas-based executive search firm Southerland Partners to lead the search for its next CEO. Southerland Partners specializes in recruitment for complex integrated delivery systems, academic medical centers, children’s hospitals and payer organizations.

The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) has enlisted Chicago-based executive search firm CES Partners to lead a nationwide search to find its next CEO. CES Partners has been serving hospitals, health systems, senior services and other healthcare-related organizations since its founding in 2001. 

Following an extensive Canada-wide search, executive recruiting firm Four Corners Group placed Arden Krystal as president and CEO of Southlake Regional Health Centre in Ontario. Four Corners’ healthcare practice has a national Canadian scope and focuses predominantly on organizations providing healthcare.

Executive search firm Quick Leonard Kieffer recently placed Ann Marie Madden as chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services for Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, NC. Quick Leonard Kieffer specializes in placing executive-level employees across the healthcare industry.

Tenet Healthcare Corp., one of the largest for-profit hospital chains in the nation, announced that its chairman and CEO, Trevor Fetter, will be stepping down. The move comes amidst shareholder pressure stemming from Tenet’s recent poor performance. The organization enlisted Russell Reynolds Associates to find its next leader.

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

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