CEO

Managing Partner

Craig Buffkin

Craig Buffkin, the firm’s founder, serves as the Managing Partner, and as Head of the Private Equity and Transformation Practices, where he is actively involved with client engagements and business development. He has completed search work at the board, executive and senior level both nationally and internationally for a wide range of private, public, venture-backed, and private equity-back companies.

Before founding The Buffkin Group, which would later become Buffkin/Baker, Craig was a director in a national technology search firm with five offices and over 75 consultants. Before entering the search profession, he spent over 5 years as a turnaround specialist and over 10 years in marketing services. His last turnaround became a roll-up of seven healthcare companies with an eventual sale to a large public healthcare entity.

Craig holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He and his wife Heather reside in Nashville, TN with their three children, Caroline, Charlie, and Francie. He is an avid golfer and fisherman.

Partner & Practice Leader

Susan O’Hare

Susan O’Hare serves as a Partner and Healthcare Practice Leader at Buffkin / Baker. With over 30 years of leadership experience in the healthcare industry, her robust insights and knowledge of the inner workings of healthcare organizations has made her a recognized expert in the industry. Susan focuses on national networking and building trusted client relationships through service delivery and insightful consulting.

Susan focuses her consulting at the board and executive level on matters related to leadership search, compensation, and to provide strategic direction on issues relating to organizational structure at the executive level. Susan is known as a trusted advisor with a vested interest in cultivating relationships through her accessibility, timeliness, and client-centric approach.

Prior to joining the consulting profession, Susan held healthcare executive leadership positions for more than a decade, including the role of Senior Vice President of Specialty Hospitals at Erlanger Health System, where she had total responsibility for strategic direction, program development, and operations for revenues of over $350 million and 1200 FTEs. For 8 years of that time, she was the CEO of Erlanger Children’s Hospital.  She served on multiple boards in Chattanooga, including Chairing the Community Foundation of Chattanooga board.

Before joining the team at Erlanger Health System, Susan had a progressive nursing leadership career in several hospitals and physician offices with clinical expertise in pediatric hematology/oncology.

Susan holds a BS in Secondary Education/Mathematics from Tennessee Technological University and an MSN in Nursing in Child Health from the University of Texas at Arlington. She is a Registered Nurse in Tennessee. She holds a current certification as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in Primary Care. She is a member of the Chattanooga Downtown Rotary Club, AONE, The American College of Healthcare Executives, and Sigma Theta Tau. Susan resides in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Partner

Jami Herzberg

Jami Herzberg is a Partner with Buffkin / Baker, specializing in Human Resources & Compensation Consulting. Jami has over 30 years of human resources consulting and operational leadership experience and is a trusted advisor to client organizations in the areas of executive search, human resource strategic management, engagement strategies, and leadership development.

Prior to joining Buffkin / Baker (formerly Gallagher Executive Search), Jami spent eight years with Atrium Health, one of the largest integrated, not-for-profit healthcare systems in the US. Atrium Health was named to Forbes Magazine’s list of “Americas Best Employers,” and was named by Fortune as one of the “20 Best Workplaces in Health Care.”

As a Vice President, Human Resources, she led the Workforce Relations Team and supported system-wide engagement strategies and initiatives, partnering with leaders to achieve performance metrics. In addition, Mrs. Herzberg had oversight into the system-wide administration of the annual teammate engagement survey.

Prior to Atrium Health, Jami spent 18 years at Integrated HealthCare Strategies (Integrated), a national healthcare human resource consulting firm, providing multiple aspects of human capital consulting to client organizations nationally, to include Executive Search consulting services and engagement strategy projects. Integrated was acquired by Gallagher in 2015.

Jami obtained a bachelor’s degree in business from Wichita State University and received a master’s degree in health care administration from the University of Kansas. She has obtained her Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR) certification from the HR Certification Institute, is certified as a senior professional within Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP) and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. She serves as a Board member, Executive Committee member and former Chair of the Mission Services Committee for Goodwill Industries of Southern Piedmont.

Partner

Brad Veal

Brad Veal is a Partner at Buffkin / Baker, where he works closely with clients to guide them through the entire recruitment process. He serves either as the lead consultant or as part of a collaborative team, offering consultative support and tailored solutions.

With over 25 years of experience in the healthcare executive search industry, Brad brings a wealth of industry-specific knowledge. He played a pivotal role in the development and rapid growth of a top five healthcare leadership solutions firm, where he served as executive vice president of Executive Search. As part of the company’s executive leadership team, he contributed to operational assessments, growth initiatives, market analysis, and strategic planning.

Brad possesses extensive CEO search leadership experience, ranging from critical access hospitals to large health systems. He has also developed interim services and overseen interim engagements. His recent projects include placements for CIOs, CFOs, CEOs, COOs, CHROs, and executive directors.

With a deep understanding of both client and candidate needs, Brad has conducted hundreds of healthcare searches, from executive suites to vice-presidents and directors, as well as interim placement services. He has partnered with a diverse array of healthcare organizations, from critical-access facilities to tertiary care environments.

Based in Kansas City, Brad holds a Master of Business Administration from MidAmerica Nazarene University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Managing Partner

Martin Baker

Martin has been in the executive search profession for 25 years and is based in our Winston-Salem, NC office. Martin is a Managing Partner of Buffkin / Baker and is the Head of the Higher Education Practice.

He previously worked in the Atlanta office of Korn Ferry, where he developed search strategy and executed searches for numerous senior level appointments. He began his career working in London, England as a Research Associate with Saxton Bampfylde, an executive search and management assessment firm.

Martin has conducted searches for the positions of Chancellor/President, Provost, CFO, CIO, Vice President, Dean, Director, and Professor, having worked on over 375 searches throughout his career. Martin has recently represented a number of AAU institutions, land-grant universities, faith-based institutions, liberal arts colleges, and regional universities, where he has led searches spanning most functions and academic disciplines.

Martin currently serves on the Parents’ Council at Wake Forest University and on the Board of Directors of Old Town Club. He previously served on the Board of Directors of SciWorks (The Science Center and Environmental Park of Forsyth County in Winston-Salem), both the Alumni Council and the regional selection committee for the Presidential Scholarship at Wake Forest, and the Development Committee for the Children’s Museum of Winston-Salem. He recently served on the Athletics Advisory Council at Wake Forest.

Martin earned his bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University.

Partner

Ann Yates

Ann Yates serves as a Partner in the Higher Education Practice. With a career spanning over two decades, she brings a commitment to quality client service and engagement, and an understanding of higher education and leadership.

Ann’s executive search career includes prior experience at two national executive search firms, most recently at ZRG Partners and before that at Witt/Kieffer where she served as a Senior Partner. She is well-versed in every area of academic leadership, enabling her to serve her clients broadly and across multiple functional areas. She has completed more than 300 executive-level searches throughout her career, including engagements for Presidents, Provosts, Deans, and Vice Presidents at leading public and private colleges and universities.

As a strategic partner, clients repeatedly rely on her expert counsel and aptitude for identifying talented, diverse, and dedicated leaders in mission-driven organizations. In particular, she brings a strong reputation for advancing women and candidates with diverse backgrounds.

Ann is a recognized thought leader, having contributed articles to the Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Education. Additionally, she has been an invited presenter at ACE Women’s Network and AACSB’s ICAM conference. She received her master’s degree in industrial psychology from the University of New Haven and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Bethany College.

Ann resides in Virginia with her husband and two sons.

Partner

Ken Carrick

Ken has managed numerous search engagements throughout his almost 40 years as a search consultant while cultivating a diverse roster of clients in the education, retail, nonprofit, manufacturing, healthcare, and government sectors. Ken was a student-athlete and graduated summa cum laude with a BA degree in accounting and business administration from Catawba College and earned an MBA from Wake Forest University.

Ken began his career as an accountant with Duke Energy and later worked for a national insurance company before entering the executive search profession. Prior to joining Buffkin / Baker, he served as president of a national retained search firm with dual headquarters in New York and Charlotte.

Ken currently serves on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and Museum where he holds the position of Treasurer and is a member of the Executive Committee. He recently completed a seven-year term as a director on the Mecklenburg County ABC Board where he chaired the Audit Committee and served as a member of the North Carolina Association of ABC Boards’ legislative committee. He previously served two terms as a member of the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC)’s Council of the Americas board. Ken has been the President of the Catawba College Alumni Board, and on the boards of the Greenwood Genetic Center Foundation, Greater Carolina’s Chapter of the American Red Cross, and Covenant Day School.

He has also been involved with numerous volunteer service groups, including in the special needs community, and youth sports associations in the Charlotte area. He and his wife have three grown children.

Partner & Practice Leader

Jackson Ross

Jackson Ross, PRC, serves as a Partner and Practice Leader for the firm where he is actively engaged in searches for our Healthcare, Private Equity, and Digital Transformation Practices. He is a passionate results-driven leader with over 20 years of experience building brand awareness across the healthcare and digital continuum. Innovative strategy and loyal customer servitude have generated a history of exceeding client expectations and market share growth through roles in sales management, business development, corporate accounts, and general management. Jackson’s broad experience in both mature and entrepreneurial environments provides him with a strong foundation to drive enterprise growth, quality, and culture for Buffkin / Baker.

Jackson has extensive expertise in establishing relationships that result in customer-focused outcomes and increasing organizational efficiency. In 2014, he launched and operated the IT business unit for Vaso Healthcare, a Healthcare IT firm focused on the Diagnostic Imaging modalities, cyber security, and Radiology workflow. As General Manager, Jackson was responsible for all aspects of business operation. Prior to his time with Vaso Healthcare, he spent 12 years in corporate accounts and management-related positions with Siemens Healthcare, including the business development of corporate relationships for the GPO and IDN community. Jackson has received multiple awards and industry recognition for his ability to architect client solutions that meet and exceed the business and the financial needs of his customers.

Most recently, Jackson served on the leadership team for United Imaging Healthcare and was responsible for launching the US operations of Shanghai-based United Imaging Healthcare. In his role of Vice President of Strategic and Corporate Accounts, Jackson was instrumental in supporting the staffing, finance, information security, and commercial development for United Imaging’s nationwide business.

Jackson holds a bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing from the University of Mississippi. As a native Nashvillian, Jackson enjoys time at home with his wife and two boys, and most any outdoor-related activity.

Partner & Practice Leader

Jen Coleman

Jen Coleman serves as a Partner of the firm and the Nonprofit Practice Leader. She is actively involved in the firm’s Nonprofit, Healthcare, Private Equity, and Digital Transformation Practices. With over 15 years of experience, Jen has expertise in working with public and private companies, and private equity backed companies to attract executive leaders in a competitive market. She brings her consulting to work directly with clients to understand their needs and goals in filling critical gaps in leadership and delivering successful outcomes.

Prior to her career in executive search, Jen was employed in Treasury Management with Fifth Third Bank where she was responsible for client presentations, analysis, and training of treasury products. Before moving into Treasury Management, Jen spent three years in Institutional Sales for Fifth Third Securities and also managed corporate seminars and customer relations, organized trade shows, and developed new marketing materials for the subsidiary.

Jen graduated with honors from Wittenberg University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. She also holds an Advanced Certificate in Executive Search and Leadership Consulting from Cornell University, School of ILR. Originally from Ohio, Jen moved to Nashville in April of 2006. She is a 7-time marathoner and member of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. She played collegiate volleyball and has continued her passion for the sport as a club volleyball coach. Jen resides in Nashville with her husband Brian and daughters.

Associate Partner

Ryan Baggett

Ryan Baggett, CDR, has been in engaged in executive search, recruitment, and business development for over 20 years and is based out of our Nashville office. Ryan is an Associate Partner within the firm, where he is a key member in Healthcare, Private Equity, Digital Transformation, Academic Medicine, Entertainment, and TMT practices. In addition, he is an AIRS Certified Diversity and Inclusion Recruiter (CDR), utilizing search techniques that enable him to locate diverse candidate pools using a variety of resources, including the internet.

He takes a highly professional and consultative approach with his clients and candidates, relating to clients and candidates as partners and maintaining communication with them long after he’s made a placement. He provides candid advice, market guidance, and consistent feedback throughout the recruiting and hiring process.

Ryan has conducted hundreds of searches in his career for the positions of CEO, COO, CFO, CIO, CTO, CMO, CAO, President, GM, and other senior-level roles nationally and internationally for a wide range of private, public, venture-backed, and private equity-backed companies.

Before joining Buffkin/Baker, Ryan was a national recruitment executive for Maxim Healthcare. Responsible for the full-cycle recruitment efforts, management of 100 healthcare professionals, payroll, compliance, and HR strategy. Before entering the recruitment and search industry, he worked in business development and management roles for Troon Golf. In addition, he planned and facilitated NCAA championships and PGA-sanctioned events.

Ryan earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi, where he was a member of the Ole Miss football team.

Associate Partner / Practice Operations

Chelsie Whitelock

Chelsie Whitelock, CDR, serves as an Associate Partner where she is a key member of the Higher Education Practice and Academic Medicine in the Healthcare Practice. Chelsie, bringing 16 years of experience in Higher Education, joined the firm from Vanderbilt University, where she had several roles, including overseeing the Chancellor’s Faculty Fellows Program, managing the administrative staff of the Faculty Senate Office, and leading the recruitment of staff within Academic Affairs.​ Additionally, she is an AIRS Certified Diversity and Inclusion Recruiter (CDR). Utilizing the AIRS search techniques enables our recruiters to locate diverse candidate pools using a variety of resources, including the internet.​

Prior to Vanderbilt, Chelsie was the Faculty Recruitment Manager in the Haas School of Business at the University of California Berkeley. In this role, she was responsible for the recruitment process for all faculty hires within the Haas School of Business, overseeing the full lifecycle recruitment process and onboarding of new faculty members.

Chelsie graduated from Robert Morris University with a degree in Business Administration and Management. She relocated to Nashville in the summer of 2013 with her husband, Andrew, and their son, Finnegan.

Principal

Evan Wescott

Evan Wescott serves as a Principal and member of the Consumer Practice where he works with clients across a variety of industries nationally.

Evan brings a passion for making human connections. As a recruiter, his goal is to build those connections with both clients and candidates. By partnering with consultants, coworkers, and clients, he identifies candidates’ career strengths and interests, matching them with clients’ business and leadership opportunities. Ultimately he strives to help organizations attract and sustain the right leaders in the right roles.

Evan earned a BA degree in theology and mathematics from Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He moved to Nashville in 2019, where he married his wife Elizabeth. He enjoys a variety of interests including Ultimate Frisbee, reading, board games, and canning.

Senior Associate

Brandon Ferguson

Brandon Ferguson is a Senior Associate who collaborates with others to design and implement targeted searches for positions within client organizations across the nation. His expertise spans various aspects of the executive search field, including the development of marketing strategies, candidate sourcing and interviewing, building national networking relationships, and providing support to both candidates and clients.

With extensive retained search experience across diverse industries such as financial services, accounting, nonprofit, and healthcare, Brandon is a seasoned recruiter with eight years of experience specifically in the healthcare sector. The initial five years of his career were dedicated to business development and human resources. He later applied his skills to fulfilling executive and director-level positions through partnerships with large-scale healthcare systems and other industries.

Due to the COVID pandemic, he transitioned to consulting for various industries as an independent contractor. In 2011, the North American Journal of Psychology recognized his research in human behavior. Brandon excels at and enjoys meeting new people, fostering relationships, solving problems, and contributing to the overall growth of his organization.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Southeast Missouri State University and a Master of Arts in School Counseling from Lindenwood University.

Senior Associate, CDR

Emily Perkins

Emily Perkins is a Senior Associate and a seasoned recruitment consultant with nearly 20 years of experience. She is passionate about facilitating sound, mutually beneficial placements for candidates and clients, leveraging her comprehensive understanding of the recruiting process and a client-centered approach.

She previously held the position of Director of Executive Recruitment at the American Medical Group Association (AMGA), where she collaborated with healthcare organizations to recruit C-level executives, physician leaders, senior management, and faculty in academic medicine. Additionally, she served as a Senior Recruiter at Cejka Search, focusing specifically on executive healthcare search and placement.

Emily is dedicated to supporting the needs and goals of both clients and candidates throughout the recruitment process. She utilizes her extensive network of healthcare professionals and her profound knowledge of the healthcare industry to identify the right leaders for the right positions. Emily earned a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.