Hiring Your Next Leader

Overview: Livingston Community Health (LCH), a semi-rural Federally Qualified Healthcare Center was gearing-up to expand from 7 sites to 10, and their Director of Operations lacked the “strategic thinking” necessary to navigate this growth.


The Hire: The CEO wanted to hire an “industry vet” who understood the complexities of FQHC operations, had previously scaled an organization, could lead a transition to a new EMR, and aligned with LCH’s mission to serve an underrepresented community.

Process: With only one other local FQHC to recruit from, this became a state-wide search. We targeted markets with similar populations (low-income, Latinx), and developed a marketing campaign highlighting their mission, culture, and passionate leadership team.

Outcome: We met our commitment, presenting 5 experienced candidates over the course of 8-weeks. The CEO was “over the moon”. She ultimately hired a former CAO with strong ties to the Latinx community who helped another FQHC grow from 11 sites to 20+. Over the next 4-years, patient visits increased by over 50%!

Overview: Community Health Group (CHG), a Medicaid Health Plan with 400,000+ members, had an average executive tenure of 10+ years within the C-Suite. Then there was their Chief Medical Officer. This seat had been a “musical chair” over the last 5-years, their current leader made the decision to retire, and CHG needed to take a different approach to identifying a hire who would “stick”.


The Hire: Had to be a mission-first leader (a rarity for Health Plans), who understood the unique needs of Medicaid populations. This couldn’t be a pencil pusher, CHG was deeply embedded in the community, and needed a CMO who could build meaningful relationships with local Providers (FQHCs, Hospitals, etc.).

Process: We quickly worked through the other four local Medicaid plans, and expanded to a nation-wide search. We crafted a story that would speak to a candidate who felt suffocated in the for-profit space and valued impact so much that they’d be willing to uproot their family and relocate (likely for lower pay).


Outcome: Over the course of 7-weeks we presented 9 candidates. Finding a culture fit was exceptionally difficult as most either came from for-profits and didn’t align with CHG’s values, or they worked for national organizations that offered far more resources. One of these leaders checked-off all boxes: he was never shy about rolling-up his sleeves, had a decade of Medicaid experience, and built deep connections shockingly fast throughout the 4-rounds of interviews. CHG made the offer, and after wrestling with a more-lucrative counter, ultimately accepted!

Overview: Vista Del Mar (VDM) received federal approval for to launch a program offering residential care and a suite of services to immigrant children. They were behind schedule, and the goal was to launch the program “yesterday,” which required us to build-out the leadership team that would be responsible for hiring 40+ support staff.

The Hire: The Program Director would need to have a clear vision, as they’d be responsible for shaping the team and services. This meant the hire must have a track record both running a program of similar size and building one from scratch. They needed a keen sense when it came to hiring and had to be available to start quickly to meet the program launch date.

Process: Program Directors rarely relocate, so tapped-in to our local network of 80+ leaders in Child & Family Services. We quickly began outreach, prioritizing programs who offered residential services, and crafted a “story” with the candidates as the heroes who would ultimately build this program from the ground up.

Outcome: A stellar Program Director was hired in under 30-days, and the program provided care for their first child less than 90-days later!