Furst Group Recruits CEO for Center for Hospice Care

November 16, 2023 – Executive recruitment firm Furst Group, which serves the healthcare and insurance industries, recently assisted in the recruitment of John Mastrojohn as the president and CEO of the Center for Hospice Care. He also will take on the role of president and CEO of the Hospice Foundation, Global Partners in Care and Milton Adult Day Services. The non-profit’s board and administrative team conducted a national search with the help of Furst Group to find a new leader. “John brings a solid background of success and experience to our organization, and we look forward to his leadership and insight,” said Kurt Janowsky, board chairman.
Mr. Mastrojohn most recently was the executive vice president and chief operating officer at Hospice of the Western Reserve in Cleveland, OH. He also served as chief operating officer for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and was the founding director of Palliative Care & Hospice Services for Summa Health System.
“I am excited to be joining the team at Center for Hospice Care and to be part of an organization that has a longstanding reputation for excellence,” Mr. Mastrojohn said.
Center for Hospice Care is a premier community-based, non-profit organization that improves the quality of living through hospice, home health, grief counseling, and community education. It was established in 1980 and it headquartered in Mishawaka, IN. The non-profit serves the counties of Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, LaGrange, La Porte, Marshall, Porter, St. Joseph and Starke. It has offices in South Bend, Elkhart, Plymouth and La Porte.
Furst Group, headquartered in Rockford, IL, partners with many of the premier healthcare organizations in the world, from providers and payers to life-science companies and private equity/venture capital firms. While Furst Group’s roots are in managed care, the firm continues to be one of the nation’s leading executive search partners to health systems, hospitals, academic medical centers, post-acute, and hospice and palliative care facilities. Its work with insurers stretches back to the HMO era, yet the firm also teams with life science, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies.
Furst Group also has offices in Phoenix, AZ; Radnor, PA; San Francisco; Brentwood, TN; Chicago; Irving, TX; Minneapolis, MN; Seattle; St. Louis; and Washington, D.C.
Recent Search Work
Furst Group also recently assisted in the recruitment of Ernesto Lopez as the new president of the Denver Hospice. Mr. Lopez is an accomplished healthcare executive with over 20 years of healthcare leadership experience. Most recently he served as president and chief executive officer at Hospice of Washington County in Maryland, a community based non-profit hospice and palliative care organization. Prior to that, he served in the same capacity for a large non-profit, faith-based hospice provider that is part of the AdventHealth System, and is considered the largest Medicare provider in the country. Mr. Lopez’s healthcare experience also includes serving as chief nursing officer and chief operating officer for two different community-based hospitals within the AdventHealth Network of Central Florida.
Furst Group Recruits Chief Nursing Officer for Corewell Health East
Furst Group recently assisted in the recruitment of Kelli Sadler as the new chief nursing officer for Corewell Health East in Grand Rapids, MI. “Kelli is an exceptional nursing leader who brings a wealth of experience with her,” said Ben Schwartz, president of Health East. “We are excited to bring her talents to Michigan to lead our exceptional team of nurses. Kelli works closely with her team and is proud of their accomplishments, including three Magnet designations and multiple contributions to nursing practice. She is also passionate about getting involved in the community.”
Earlier this year, Furst Group placed Richard Greene as CFO for Clever Care Health Plan in Huntington Beach, CA. Mr. Greene brings extensive knowledge and experience as a financial healthcare executive. He previously served as chief operating officer/chief financial officer at AppleCare Medical Management (a subsidiary of Optum) and provided financial leadership from 1996 to 2010 as CFO at Arcadian Management Services, Syntiro HealthCare Services, and PacifiCare Health Systems.
“From day one at Clever Care, our mission has been clear: make culturally-sensitive healthcare the norm,” said Myong Lee, co-founder and CEO at Clever Care Health Plan. “Our continual growth reaffirms the need for Medicare beneficiaries to have healthcare plans that uniquely meet their cultural needs. We are thrilled to have Richard join the executive leadership team and are excited for what the future holds.”
Related: Furst Group Recruits CEO for American Diabetes Association
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor; Lily Fauver, Senior Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media