To honor his parents and their inspiration, we named the firm Avoca Search. Avoca was the name of Brian’s childhood home in Derry, N. Ireland. His parents, Brendan and Philomena McCartie, were a family practice physician and a nurse.
Brian and Melissa had the positive example of a successful husband and wife team from Brian’s parents. They worked together for the Canadian Public Health service delivering medical care to fishing villages along the east coast of Canada in the 1950s. Brian’s parents practiced the full scope of healthcare, delivering babies and even pulling teeth.
In the early 1960s, they returned to their home country of Ireland and Brendan set up practice in Derry. He was the only Catholic physician in partnership with a Protestant physician in the Derry/Londonderry area. This was a unique situation during a volatile time in N. Ireland. Despite the political situation, the partners developed a successful practice and delivered care their way.
Brian grew up watching his father deliver healthcare with a medical bag making house calls. It was this upbringing that inspired Brian to work in healthcare and focus on physicians.
After Brian’s father passed in 2008, he went back to Ireland to clean out the family home. Melissa asked that he bring back only one thing, the old wooden sign “Avoca” that marked the lane to their home at the top of the hill overlooking the River Foyle.
When considering names for their healthcare search firm, Melissa suggested Avoca and Brian agreed without hesitation.
Connecting Healthcare Leaders with Precision and Insight
With over 20 years in the healthcare industry, Brian has developed a reputation for his wide range of contacts and connections. His career has focused on physician alignment, operations, and integration which offers healthcare organizations a complete solution to maximize their fee-for-service business and begin the process of shifting to risk-based payment, including: technology platform selection, operational support for strategy development, and consulting services. Brian has an exceptional understanding of the healthcare industry.
Prior to founding Avoca Search, Brian was a Vice President and Practice Partner, Ambulatory Care for The Advisory Board. Prior to that he served in leadership positions for Cejka Search and Culbert Healthcare Solutions.
Originally from Derry, Ireland, Brian started his career with the consulting arm of the Northern Ireland Health and Personal Social Services. He is an avid swimmer, cyclist, golfer and enjoys cross-fit.
Melissa has built a successful 30-year career in healthcare executive search and consulting with large national executive search firms, a boutique firm and her own firm, Candela Consulting for 10 years before co-founding Avoca Search. Throughout her career she has managed clients and held leadership positions. She brings a foundation in Emotional Intelligence and Appreciate Inquiry to lead Avoca’s executive search team of consultants.
Melissa has bachelor’s degrees in journalism and psychology from SIU. She helped found a successful children’s nonprofit over 20 years ago and has served on numerous school and community boards. She enjoys visiting her sons in college, reading, internet research, hiking, and traveling in the U.S. and internationally. Once a competitive golfer, she hopes to get back to playing again in 2023.
Jennifer brings over two decades of executive search experience and industry understanding to her assignments for healthcare, higher education, and not-for-profit clients. Her work focuses on identifying leaders in operations, human resources, diversity and inclusion, and patient care. She brings a strong devotion to the complete range of executive search services from start to finish, including locating top candidates in community-based, academic, and clinical settings, candidate identification and outreach, interviewing and assessing candidates, referencing and due diligence, offer negotiation, and follow-up throughout the search process. Additionally, she brings a clear understanding of complex organizations committed to improving the quality of life in the communities they serve and has a keen sense of the qualities required for effective leadership in mission-driven organizations and their unique cultures.
Jennifer holds an M.B.A from the University of Maryland University College and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver. Prior to her career in executive search, Jennifer was involved in international education running study abroad programs professionally and personally she has hosted foreign exchange students as well as studying and living abroad herself.
Todd brings over 20 years of experience in executive search, recruitment, and talent placement to Avoca Search. As Principal, Todd is responsible for engaging with client stakeholders to lead the full life-cycle recruitment of today’s healthcare leaders. He has established a career in executive recruitment serving clients in integrated delivery networks, health systems, hospitals, medical groups, and academic medical centers. Todd has placed top level operational, financial, and clinical leaders nationwide in both metropolitan and rural healthcare markets. His industry knowledge combined with his high-touch customer service approach has consistently resulted in qualified candidate slate presentations and successful placements.
Prior to joining Avoca Search, Todd served as Senior Vice President, Managing Consultant at Cejka Search where he led the financial and business operations for the executive search division, and provided strategic management of complex executive search recruitments. Taking a collaborative approach with both internal search team members and client stakeholders, Todd plans and facilitates the implementation of recruitment processes, providing guidance and counsel to both clients and candidates throughout. He collaborates closely with clients from the first steps of the search engagement to identify organizational needs and priorities, developing highly personalized recruitment strategies designed to ensure that only the most highly qualified candidates are presented.
Prior to joining Cejka Search, Todd served as a senior healthcare recruiter and senior market manager/area vice president for two nationally recognized nursing and allied staffing services providers.
With an expansive background in executive search, Kim brings 25 combined years’ experience with Heidrick & Struggles, Inc., Boyden, Inc. and Grant Cooper & Associates focusing exclusively in healthcare. Her responsibilities include research, candidate identification, screening and presentation.
Kim applied her research and healthcare experience to Eagle Hospital Physicians, a national hospitalist management company serving as Business Development Manager selling management and consulting services to hospitals and healthcare systems nationwide. Kim’s time at Mercy Healthcare secured her passion for healthcare. Kim’s history working in healthcare and expertise in executive search brought her full circle to Avoca Search serving the needs of our clients. In Kim’s free time, she enjoys spending time with her granddaughter in Birmingham. She is excited to welcome another granddaughter in March 2023 and a grandson in May 2023.
Susanne has over 25 years of professional experience most recently with Becker Professional Education whose vision is to “to empower people around the world to advance their careers…” She held a variety of roles from Account Management to Operations and has a passion for assisting others in achieving their career goals. She leads retained Director-level searches and assists in all levels of positions for Interim and retained roles.
Susanne holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from The University of Dayton and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Keller Graduate School of Management. She brings a unique corporate background that lends strength to all levels of search. In her free time, she enjoys reading, binging True-Crime and hanging out with her husband and three sons and sweet goldendoodle Layla.
Carrie joined Avoca with 25 years of management experience with Enterprise Rent-a-Car. Her responsibilities have included team and department management, recruiting and talent acquisition, training and development, human resources, project leadership, and vendor management. Her commitment to building relationships and adaptability earned her credibility with her peers, which led her to a variety of opportunities and vast business knowledge. She is responsible for developing research strategies and creating candidate lists as well as other projects for Avoca.
Carrie also holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a certificate of excellence in writing from the University of Missouri in St. Louis. Carrie enjoys any free time with her husband and three kids. She likes traveling, planning dream trips, hiking, planning dream hikes, and also snuggling her two cats and doing puzzles.
With over 25 years of experience at a leading healthcare search firm, Eileen has developed a deep understanding of the physician and APP marketplace and the needs of her clients, ranging from small single-specialty groups and community hospitals to academic medical centers and large multihospital integrated delivery systems. Eileen is passionate about driving change and innovation, enabling her clients to achieve their strategic goals by finding and placing the best talent for their organizations.
Eileen holds a bachelor’s degree from Saint Louis University. Her son and daughter are her focus in her free time, but her passions include fitness and wellness, reading, volunteering and traveling.
With a passion for connecting healthcare organizations with top-tier talent, Selena Dickherber is a seasoned physician recruiter dedicated to ensuring the best fit for both candidates and clients. With over six years of experience in the healthcare recruitment industry, Selena possesses a comprehensive understanding of the unique challenges and demands of physician recruitment.
As a retained recruiter, Selena takes a personalized approach to each search, working closely with clients to understand their specific needs, culture and goals. She identifies, engages and recruits exceptional physician candidates who not only meet the qualifications but also align with the client’s mission and values.
Selena holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. Outside of work, you will find Selena cheering for her three daughters. Whether it’s on the volleyball court, softball field or at a dance competition, she is their biggest supporter. Her family is her greatest joy!
Cullin has supported our research, marketing, and business development since the inception of Avoca Search in 2018. Recently graduating Magna Cum Laude in Corporate Communications with a minor in Professional Selling from SEMO, Cullin continues to work on key projects for Avoca. He enjoys working out, the outdoors, fashion, and music festivals.
The “Key Placements” section highlights notable executive-level and leadership positions successfully filled by Avoca Search, including roles in healthcare and strategy across various institutions such as Temple University Hospital, Jefferson, and many more.
We initially focus on a handpicked group of candidates that best fit our paraments and attempt to reach them multiple times before we extend our reach. Whether the search is national, regional or local will be determined with our client contact.
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