MEET OUR CONSULTANTS
Brian McCartie
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 McCartie
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 Bauer
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.
Kim Ratier
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 Doran
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 O’Neill
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.