Decoding the COO Role

Our latest signature report draws insights from original surveys and direct discussions with leading operations executives.

Why It Matters: The COO role is the least defined in the C-Suite, meaning it has potential for outsized impact if positioned right.

Navigating the Rapids of Internal CEO Succession: Tips for Boards, CEOs, and Candidates

Internal CEO succession involves much more than tagging a successor; here's how to navigate it, for all parties involved including the designated successor.

Why It Matters: An internal CEO promotion is challenging and emotional for everyone involved, making it imperative to approach it proactively.

Leadership Excellence: The Strategic Advantage for Health Plans in a Changing Market

Successful leaders must master these specific competencies to drive organizational performance today. 

Why It Matters: The leadership imperative for health plans has never been more pronounced, the key to competitive advantage.  

Board Transition and Acceleration: Challenges and Best Practices

We outline the key stages of board member transition as well as pitfalls and how to turn them into strengths and opportunities.  

Why It Matters: Strategic, proactive board member transitioning is vital to getting new members up to speed quickly and facilitating their sustained success. 

WittKieffer News

Welcome Jeff Sturman! 

Jeff has joined us as leader of our Information Technology and Digital Leadership Practice.

WittKieffer Gives Back 

Every September, members of our firm join to volunteer together in their local communities. It's our annual WittKieffer Gives Back initiative, part of our mission to improve the quality of life in the places we live and work. This year we supported more than 20 organizations from California to New England and abroad in the UK and France. 

Featured Placements 

• LMH Health Appoints Dr. Shelly Kortkamp as President & CEO 
• Frank Sortino Named COO of Baptist Health
• Derek Drake Appointed President of Mercy Hospital of Buffalo
• Brenda Shipp Named CEO of Marin Community Clinics
• Christine Nickerson Appointed Senior Associate General Counsel at Yale New Haven Health
• Benjamin Mansalis, MD, Appointed Chief Information and Digital Officer at Children’s Wisconsi
• Christina Mintner Named SVP and Associate COO for Ambulatory Care at UC Davis Health 

Speaking Engagements 

• Donna Padilla, Charlene Aguilar, Daniel Young, and Raj Ramachandran all presented career-focused sessions at the recent summit of the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives (NALHE).
• Senior partner Rachel Polhemus and board advisory leader Laura Orr presented two sessions at the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) annual trustee conference, on "Evaluating CEO Performance" and "Evolving the Healthcare Board". 
• Laura also presented on "The Power of Board Culture" at the Vizient Governance Academy. 
• Jeffrey Sturman, leader of our Information Technology and Digital Leadership Practice, represented us at the UST Health Summit, joining a session on: “From Call Centers to Care Pathways: AI that Moves Healthcare Forward.”
• Valerie Weber, MD, and Holly Nandan, FACHE, attended September's Women in Medicine event in Chicago, with Holly presenting on the value of mentors, allies, and sponsors in executive careers. 

Where we're headed this fall: CHIME Fall Forum; AAMC Annual Meeting; AMIA Annual Meeting; and the Virginia Hospitals & Healthcare Summit.  

Where we're presenting: LeadingAge Annual Conference. 

In the Media 

• AHA's Market Scan featured an excellent summary of our latest COO report. Becker's also featured and flagged the report for its readers. 

• Newsweek looked at the growth of the CMIO role and how it is paving the way for AI adoption, featuring insights from Principal Zach Durst and Consultant Wendy Kerschner. Our report on the current state of the CMIO was highlighted in Modern Healthcare.  

• How the CISO role is structured can determine its success; consultant Zach Durst outlined the options in Healthcare Innovation.  

• Senior partner Rachel Polhemus was one of the industry experts Modern Healthcare spoke with in its coverage of recent healthcare CEO turnover. MH also gleaned insights from senior partner Michelle Johnson as it reviewed how organizations are recruiting executives in a very competitive market.  

• Forbes included insights from Principal Mike Anderson, MD, in exploring how executives across industries can learn crisis-management techniques from hospitals.  

Insights from WittKieffer 

• CEO Transition: Overcoming Common Pitfalls
• Unleashing Interim & On-Demand Expertise
• The Healthcare CISO: A Review of Reporting Relationships
• Interim CFOs and Finance Leaders: A Strategic Lever for Value Creation
• Beyond the Bedside: Operational Excellence as a Core Competency for Physician Leadership
• Left Brain, Right Brain: CFO Transitions in PE-Backed Healthcare 

Podcasts 

• Impact and Innovation in Aging Services: CEO Stories & Strategies
• Leadership, Tailored and Authentic: Virtua Health CEO Dennis Pullin
• Dr. S. Rob Todd of Grady Health: Sustaining Excellence at a Safety Net System
• Leading as a Surgeon and Servant: Wellstar's Richard Freeman, MD 

Listen to more of our Impactful Leaders Podcasts.

Best wishes for the rest of 2025!

The WittKieffer Healthcare Team 

WittKieffer is the premier executive search and leadership advisory firm developing impactful leadership teams for organizations that improve quality of life. We work exclusively with organizations in healthcare, science, and education — the Quality of Life Ecosystem — and provide essential knowledge, analysis, and perspectives that produce effective leaders and inclusive cultures. Through our executive search, interim leadership, and leadership advisory solutions, we strengthen organizations that make the world better. WittKieffer is proud to be 100 percent employee-owned.