Quick Leonard Kieffer to Fill Two Key Roles for Centra Health in Virginia
February 3, 2021 – Quick Leonard Kieffer was recently enlisted by non-profit healthcare system Centra Health, based in Lynchburg, VA, to fill two key leadership roles, chief diversity officer and vice president of human resources. Jake Barto, managing partner, is involved in leading both assignments. He is joined on the CDO search by Jamie Cassedy, principal. Centra Health’s chief diversity officer is expected to promote a visible commitment of diversity and inclusion programs at all levels of the organization by providing leadership and strategic direction for the development of programs to support culturally and linguistically appropriate practices in patient services; employee processes of recruitment, evaluation, training/education and retention; and community engagement, said the search firm.
The chief diversity officer will be expected to lead and support efforts to ensure a hospital environment that is inclusive of all patients, said the search firm. The leader will develop, maintain, and monitor training and education systems across the enterprise to support the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate patient interactions and services. The CDO will also be charged with collaborating with operational, clinical and quality leaders to implement appropriate race, ethnicity and language (REaL) data collection to support the analysis of efforts to reduce health disparities.
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Key requirements for the role include five to 10 years’ experience in human resources, business, communications or a related field as well as three to five years of healthcare experience. A bachelor’s degree is required; a master’s degree is preferred. Candidates should have an awareness of current trends, concepts, and principles in cultural and linguistic competence in health care and knowledge of organizational change principles and concepts.
VP of Human Resources
The vice president of human resources reports to the chief human resource officer and works closely with senior leadership at Centra to meet the goals and objectives of the health system, said Quick Leonard Kieffer. The individual will be expected to direct the employee relations, recruiting, operations, learning and organizational development, employee health and employee communications functions of Centra human resources. He or she will be charged with developing and prioritizing strategies for improving organizational performance through excellent human resources practices in talent acquisition and planning, employee communication and engagement, change management, performance management, HRIS utilization and operational efficiency, while facilitating fairness and equal opportunity. As a key member of the leadership team, the VP must bring credibility, drive, enthusiasm and passion to the organization, and must support its mission and embody its core values.
The VP will be accountable for the planning, development, organization, implementation, direction and evaluation of multiple human resources functions and performance, with specific responsibilities that include employee and provider engagement, leading, educating and developing HR staff to achieve results, and identifying, interpreting and analyzing HR metrics to inform business decisions.
A bachelor’s degree in business management, human resources, or a related field is required as is a master’s degree in human resources or an MBA. Candidates should have at least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in human resources management. Experience working in a healthcare HR environment is preferred. Prospects must also have strategic policy, project and program management experience and demonstrated knowledge of organizational development activity. PHR or SPHR certification is preferred.
Centra Health is a regional non-profit healthcare that was created in 1987 through the merger of Lynchburg General Hospital and Virginia Baptist Hospital. In 2006, Southside Community Hospital in Farmville joined Centra as an affiliate, and in 2014, Bedford Memorial Hospital in Bedford became the system’s fourth hospital. With more than 8,500 employees, 400 employed providers and physicians, and a medical staff of nearly 800, Centra serves over 500,000 people across 8,000 square miles in central and southern Virginia, providing care in 70 locations.
Healthcare Recruiters
Founded in 1999, Quick Leonard Kieffer is a retained executive search firm with experience finding leaders for hospitals, health systems, academic medical centers, healthcare associations, life sciences companies, insurance companies and non-profits, among other clients. The firm is based in Chicago and has a track record of placing C-suite and other senior executives with leading, well-recognized healthcare organizations around the country.
Mr. Barto 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.
Mr. Cassedy guides day-to-day operations of search assignments to ensure that that they run smoothly and progress to their ultimate goal. He joined the search firm in 2014 and throughout his career has completed over 100 C-suite and senior-level healthcare executive searches in the areas of operations, finance, medical affairs, nursing, human resources, and other disciplines. His clients range from large academic medical centers and healthcare systems to community hospitals, medical groups, associations, and biopharma companies.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
