Sterling Martin Associates Recruits Executive Director for Obesity Medicine Association
August 25, 2020 – Sterling Martin Associates, an executive search firm which specializes in recruiting talent for associations and other non-profit organizations, has placed Katrina Crist as the new executive director of the Obesity Medicine Association (OMA) in Denver, CO.
“After an extensive nationwide search, the board of trustees enthusiastically selected Ms. Crist because of her proven experience in growing membership associations in an ever-changing external environment,” said Craig Primack, president of OMA. “One thing this pandemic has shown us is that people with obesity are a higher risk for severe COVID infection.”
“Treating obesity comprehensively as a disease is more important now than ever,” Dr. Primack said. “Ms. Crist has been successful with helping organizations leverage strategic opportunities for long-term, sustainable impact. We are confident that her breadth and depth of expertise will build on the momentum OMA has already achieved and lead us to greater visibility and influence.”
Ms. Crist was most recently CEO for the Association for Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology (APIC) and brings more than 23 years’ experience as an executive director and chief executive officer within the medical association sector. In addition to her nine years at APIC, where she helped to increase revenue by 30 percent, she has twice served as executive director for the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) and held the same role for the JDRF Center for Islet Transplantation out of Harvard Medical School in Boston. Ms. Crist’s second tenure at ASTS saw the membership double and revenue growth in excess of $9 million.
Ms. Crist joins OMA at a moment when it is imperative to offer resources to healthcare providers treating patients with obesity, said Sterling Martin Associates. In the years to come, she, along with the OMA board of trustees, staff and membership are expected to move the organization forward with an emphasis on education and advocacy for obesity treatment.
“Helping medical associations grow and thrive has been the source of the greatest opportunities and successes in my career,” Ms. Crist said. “I’m honored to be entrusted with that same responsibility as OMA sits on the forefront of obesity medicine and strives to overcome obesity for patients and society. This organization does tremendously important work. I’m excited to be a part of it and I look forward to helping further that impact.”
The Obesity Medicine Association provides resources, education and community to physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other healthcare professionals in the field of obesity medicine. OMA is the largest clinical obesity organization in the U.S., with more than 3,000 physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other healthcare professionals dedicated to preventing, treating and reversing the disease of obesity.
“Sterling Martin Associates is thankful for the opportunity to work with OMA on this national search and match Crist with this distinguished executive role,” the search firm said.
Non-Profit Specialists
Sterling Martin Associates, established in 2006, focuses on finding leaders for associations and non-profit organizations. The firm has been engaged by over 150 clients throughout the U.S. Its staff consists of professionals located in Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Orange County, CA. Eighty-five percent of the firm’s searches are for roles at the CEO/executive director level with the balance being for senior staff.
David Martin, managing partner and CEO, guides the firm’s overarching business strategy while maintaining a lead role on multiple national projects each year. For nearly 30 years, he has led complex executive search projects throughout the U.S. Mr. Martin started his executive search career in 1989 after spending eight years in the corporate world. He has held senior-level positions with such global search firms as Korn Ferry and has launched new offices in Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Irvine, CA.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
