Healthcare Practice
Since our inception, the Healthcare Practice has been a pillar of our firm, encompassing executive search throughout the different verticals in healthcare. Our team has conducted hundreds of executive search assignments at all levels for healthcare clients, including C-suite & Vice-President searches, physician/nursing executive searches, and board leadership searches. Buffkin / Baker’s proven, tailored approach and ability to identify existing and emerging leaders for our clients, allows us to deliver outstanding, diverse slates of candidates for each executive search assignment we conduct.
Our specialized teams within the Healthcare Practice conduct executive searches in three different verticals:
- Healthcare Delivery: Academic Medicine, Non-Profit & For-Profit Healthcare systems/hospitals, and Integrated Delivery Networks
- Healthcare Services: Multi-State/Multi-Site Nonacute Care Services, Homecare/Hospice, and Senior Care
- Healthcare Technology: SaaS, Tech-Enabled Services, AI, Revenue Cycle, and Digital Platforms
We are fortunate to have attracted dedicated, experienced teams serving each of these verticals based on their personal backgrounds/expertise. Our Healthcare Practice has a combined 150 years of healthcare search and operating experience, and many of our colleagues have served as healthcare leaders themselves prior to joining Buffkin / Baker.
Our Team in Healthcare
Craig Buffkin
Managing Partner
Craig Buffkin
Managing Partner
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.
- Email:craig@buffkinbaker.com
Managing Partner
Steve Marsh
Partner
Steve Marsh
Partner
Steve Marsh serves as a Partner in the Healthcare Practice, leading the firm’s efforts in serving integrated health systems, AAMC institutions, not-for-profit and for-profit hospitals, and medical groups with physician executive and healthcare executive searches. As a nationally recognized expert in clinical & healthcare executive search, Steve has conducted and overseen hundreds of assignments at every level for academic institutions and health systems nationwide. With nearly 30 years of experience in the industry, he spent the first two decades of his career in clinical search and is one of the original co-founders of one of the largest clinical recruiting search firms in the country. Steve then founded an executive search subsidiary, successfully building an executive search team and conducting executive searches for a wide array of recognized healthcare clients nationally. Steve has been cited in numerous national and regional media publications and serves as a keynote and guest speaker at nationwide health care conferences and forums on various topics related to healthcare recruiting process best practices, maintaining a positive workplace culture, diversity/inclusion, and contract negotiation. Steve lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife, Lynn, and is the proud father of four children. He enjoys golf, fly fishing, and traveling in pursuit of those activities.
- Email:steve@buffkinbaker.com
Partner
Megan Berlinger
Partner
Megan Berlinger
Partner
Megan Berlinger, MHA, serves as a Partner, leading our academic medicine searches with a focus on serving AAMC institutions and health systems. Her expertise is conducting administrative and physician executive searches, including Dean’s office positions, Virtual/Digital Health, Population Health, Public Health, and Department Chair and Division Chief positions.
A healthcare executive with 16 years of experience in school of medicine and health system administration, she worked for 14 years at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, serving in key administration roles including Heart & Vascular Service Line Administrator and Department Administrator. Prior to working at Wake Forest, Megan completed her Administrative Fellowship with Johns Hopkins Medicine. Megan holds both her Bachelor of Science in Public Health degree and Master of Healthcare Administration degree from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Megan is certified within executive coaching and a founding partner of Elevate Institute. Megan also serves as an adjunct professor in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health where she teaches courses and advises students within Health Policy and Management.
Megan has been involved nationally in administrative circles, serving as President for the board of the Association of Academic Surgical Administrators (AASA) and Editorial Advisor for the Cardiovascular Business Magazine. She also currently serves as Membership Director for TechPACT.
Megan resides in Winston Salem, NC with her husband and two daughters. She currently serves on the board for Westlawn School and served as Board Chair for the local YMCA. Megan enjoys spending time with her family, supporting her kids’ activities, and cheering the Carolina Tar Heels in any sporting event.
- Email:megan@buffkinbaker.com
Partner
Jen Coleman
Partner
Jen Coleman
Partner
Jen Coleman serves as a Partner of the firm and is engaged in executive and senior-level assignments. She is actively involved in the firm’s 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. .
- Email:jen@buffkinbaker.com
Partner
Jackson Ross
Partner
Jackson Ross
Partner
Jackson Ross serves as a Partner 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.
- Email:jackson@buffkinbaker.com
Partner
Ryan Baggett, CDR
Associate Partner
Ryan Baggett, CDR
Associate Partner
Ryan Baggett 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.
- Email:ryan@buffkinbaker.com
Associate Partner
David J. Ballard, M.D., F.A.C.P., M.S.P.H., Ph.D., M.B.A.
Chief Clinical Officer
David J. Ballard, M.D., F.A.C.P., M.S.P.H., Ph.D., M.B.A.
Chief Clinical Officer
David J. Ballard, M.D., F.A.C.P., M.S.P.H., Ph.D., M.B.A., serves as Chief Clinical Officer, supporting the healthcare delivery vertical of the firm’s Healthcare Practice.
As a global healthcare executive, Dr. Ballard brings proven expertise in improving healthcare value and organizational financial performance, while providing international thought leadership. Recognized by Becker’s four consecutive years as one of the top 50 experts leading the field of patient safety, he is the past president of the International Society for Quality in Healthcare, and received the distinguished alumnus awards from the University of North Carolina Schools of Medicine and Public Health in 2008 and 2019. Widely recognized as a global scholar in healthcare quality and value, his two books on healthcare quality leadership received Shingo awards for their contributions to operational excellence.
Dr. Ballard previously served as Chief Quality Officer of Baylor Scott & White Health, where the organization received both the Leapfrog Patient-Centered Care Award and the National Quality Forum Health Care Award under his leadership. Additionally, he has held leadership roles at Emory University, University of Virginia, and the Mayo Clinic. He has completed five degrees with honors in economics, public health, epidemiology, medicine, and business at the University of North Carolina, where he was a John Motley Morehead Scholar. He is a board-certified internist, completing his residency training in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Ballard continues to serve as Healthcare Policy Section Editor for the Mayo Clinic Proceedings and Associate Editor for the Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes. Additionally, he serves on the boards of several global health care companies, including as a director and audit committee member for Mentice (MNTC.ST), the world’s leading endovascular simulation performance solutions company. Dr. Ballard holds several leadership roles at the University of North Carolina, where he is Adjunct Professor of health policy and management, a member of the UNC Chancellor’s Global Leadership Council, and a member of the UNC Center for the Business of Health Leadership Advisory Board.
- Email:david@buffkinbaker.com
Chief Clinical Officer
Ashley Stephens, CDR
Senior Associate
Ashley Stephens, CDR
Senior Associate
Ashley Stephens began her career with Buffkin Baker in August of 2022. Her love for people, attention to detail, and passion for recruiting create the perfect skill set to serve our clients. She is an AIRS Certified Diversity and Inclusion Recruiter (CDR), utilizing learned AIRS search techniques to locate diverse candidate pools using a variety of resources.
Before diving into the field of Executive Recruiting, Ashley worked as the Director of Operations for the Kirkland, WA location of the national restaurant chain Chick-Fil-A, and as Director of Operations for Holloway Home Group, Keller Williams Realty. There, she used her skills to navigate day-to-day processes, serving her team and clients with excellence. Her experience in these roles has been an asset as she continually strives to provide quality, detailed service to candidates and clients.
Ashley is originally from Clearwater, Florida. She and her husband met in school at Florida State University (FSU), and they then relocated to Seattle, WA, but eventually made their way to the hills of Tennessee. An adventurer at heart, she loves to hike and is looking forward to seeing more Tennessee trails, as well as trails in the surrounding states. Her active lifestyle has also led to her love of football, wither her favorite team being Florida State University (Go Noles!).
- Email:ashley@buffkinbaker.com
Senior Associate
Britt Adams
Senior Associate
Britt Adams
Senior Associate
Britt Adams serves as a Senior Associate and joined the firm in 2017. She previously worked at Ethicon, a medical device sales company, where she executed clinical education and training regarding Ethicon’s key platforms including wound closure, endo-mechanical, energy, and biosurgery/hemostatic adjunct products. She leads Professional Development Training for new hire sales classes, members of the field sales organization, and divisional managers.
Britt was born in Georgia and raised in Knoxville, TN. She attended Middle Tennessee State University, graduating in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in Marketing and a minor in Business Administration. She now lives in Nashville and in her free time enjoys hiking, yoga, swimming, and spending free time with family and friends.
- Email:britt@buffkinbaker.com
Senior Associate
Ben Williams
Senior Associate
Ben Williams
Senior Associate
Ben Williams joined Buffkin/Baker in 2022. As a Sr. Associate, he works directly with our Partner-led teams and supports them in their daily search activities. He plays a vital role in conducting research and working with Partners to present a diverse slate of candidates to clients. He 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.
A Nashville native, Ben graduated from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a minor in Business Administration. He enjoys spending free time with his family, playing hockey/exercising, and attending Nashville Predators games.
- Email:ben@buffkinbaker.com
Senior Associate
LeadersFirst Career Portal
As a retained, specialty boutique search firm leader, each partner in the firm has expertise in their respective fields and each has over a decade of retained search experience. Combined, our partners have over 200 years combined executive search experience and 210 years of operating experience with our partners. Our job as search professionals is to recruit leaders in Healthcare, Higher Education, Private Equity, Digital Transformation, Technology, Media & Telecom, and Non-Profit.
Our Healthcare Clients
Talk to Our Team
Contact our partner-led team of executive search professionals. We are a boutique recruitment firm connecting leading organizations with trusted professional candidates who have the experience to lead your vision.