WittKieffer and NAHSE Partner to Foster Black Healthcare Leadership
February 11, 2022 – Executive search firm WittKieffer has entered into a strategic partnership with the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE) to further advance and develop black healthcare leadership. The organizations have a longstanding relationship, with Oak Brook, IL-based WittKieffer sponsoring and supporting NAHSE events and activities throughout the years. The current agreement is an opportunity to formalize the working partnership, the partners said. As part of the collaboration, NAHSE and WittKieffer will team to provide career-related thought leadership for NAHSE members, special sessions at NAHSE’s annual educational conference and other key events, career counseling for members and coordinated research on topics of importance to black healthcare leaders.
“WittKieffer has long respected NAHSE and its mission of fostering black leadership in healthcare and improving the care provided to underserved communities,” said Paul Bohne, managing partner and leader of WittKieffer’s healthcare practice. “Thanks in large part to NAHSE, black executives have made tremendous strides in healthcare leadership. However, there is much progress yet to be made. We believe that our intentional, collaborative support of NAHSE will further open doors for black leaders and continue to diversify the healthcare C-suite and managerial ranks.”
Lisa Mallory, NAHSE’s executive director, said she was excited by the alliance. “The two organizations’ histories are intertwined, and this will be an opportunity for us to write a new chapter together,” she said. “The black executives who are our members seek meaningful ways to develop their careers, and one way we can do this directly is by giving them access to the insight of top-notch executive search consultants like those at WittKieffer. NAHSE looks forward to exploring new ways in which we can work with WittKieffer for mutual benefit.”
Advancing Diversity
Both organizations go back more than 50 years in the healthcare industry. NAHSE is a non-profit association of black healthcare executives founded in 1968 for the purpose of promoting the advancement and development of black healthcare leaders and elevating the quality of healthcare services rendered to minority and underserved communities. NAHSE’s purpose is to ensure greater participation of minority groups in the health field. Founded in 1969, WittKieffer is a leading executive search firm in healthcare. A key part of its mission, the partners said, is to support organizations that improve the quality of life and foster health equity, and to join with like-minded organizations in advancing diversity in healthcare leadership.
The National Association of Health Services Executives, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit association of black healthcare executives founded in 1968 for the purpose of promoting the advancement and development of black healthcare leaders, and elevating the quality of healthcare services rendered to minority and underserved communities. NAHSE’s purpose is to ensure greater participation of minority groups in the health field. Its basic objective is to develop and maintain a strong viable national body to more effectively have input in the national healthcare delivery system. It has provided a vehicle for blacks to effectively participate in the design, direction and delivery of quality healthcare to all people.
Related: WittKieffer Assists UConn in Landing New Chief Diversity Officer
WittKieffer assists hospitals, health systems, academic medical centers, medical schools, and physician groups; biotech, pharmaceutical, diagnostics and medical device companies; colleges and universities, and not-for-profit community service and cultural organizations with senior administrative recruiting assignments. With more than 100 search professionals nationwide, its consultants recruit CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CNOs, physician executives and other leaders.
Adding Diversity Services
Last month, WittKieffer launched a diversity, equity and inclusion suite of services and named Philip Burton as the practice’s leader. “The introduction of these services further advances WittKieffer’s commitment to placing and developing qualified, diverse executive leaders in the industries in which the company serves and helping clients to create and maintain leadership cultures that are inclusive and equitable,” the search firm said.
The new DEI services enhance WittKieffer’s leadership solutions, supporting clients in their efforts to transform their organizations and their communities. These new services include organizational implicit bias training and multicultural coaching. Organizational implicit bias training facilitates exploration of individual biases that may affect decision making, judgments and interpersonal interactions, and equips participants with behavioral strategies to identify and mitigate the harmful impact of bias on behavior. Multicultural coaching is designed for executives and emphasizes the awareness of and respect for differences among individuals. The content of these services was developed in partnership with a team of highly trained business psychologists at the St. Louis-based firm CMA Global. WittKieffer plans to expand its DEI offerings in the coming months.
Related: WittKieffer Seeking Chief Diversity Officer for Brandeis University
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
