Company Presidents

Chris Franklin serves as president of LocumTenens.com, the industry’s most visited job board and full-service locum tenens agency. Under his leadership, the company – which provides innovative and strategic solutions to staffing challenges for thousands of healthcare facilities across the U.S. – has experienced exponential growth, currently serving 90 percent of the nation’s top hospital systems.

With 25 years of experience in the healthcare and technology staffing industry, Chris brings insight and wisdom from his progressive leadership roles directing multiple specialty-focused sales and operations divisions at LocumTenens.com. He prioritizes delivering a world-class customer experience, optimizing key operations areas and developing leaders to position the company for continued growth – and his passion for success has led LocumTenens.com to receive local and national recognition, including multiple “Best Places to Work” and “Best of Staffing” awards.

In addition, Chris makes corporate responsibility a key part of LocumTenens.com’s strategic business platform, prioritizing its impact globally and within the local community. LocumTenens.com serves dozens of local organizations through corporate funding and associate volunteerism and helps thousands of underserved patients in over 200 countries through its online platform MedicalMissions.org.

Chris has served on the board of directors of Predisan USA, Inc. and the National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations (NALTO). He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Richmond.

Tim Fischer serves as president of Jackson and Coker Locum Tenens, one of the nation’s largest healthcare staffing firms. To his position, he brings more than 30 years of staffing industry experience and a laser focus on the company’s mission of connecting healthcare providers and communities to transform lives.

Prior to joining Jackson and Coker in 2019, Tim was president of Medical Doctor Associates, part of Cross Country Healthcare. Other positions he has held include serving as president of the staffing division of RCG Global Services, in addition to president of Advecta.

With a passion for the role that effective leadership plays in driving the culture and profitability of an organization, Tim is known for his work in the areas of innovation, transformation and growth leadership, including establishing and managing top performing teams.

Beyond his day-to-day work, Tim provides leadership coaching for individuals, teams and organizations. He also has served on several boards, including the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia and the Culver-Stockton College Board of Trustees. Tim attended the United States Air Force Academy and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Culver-Stockton College.

Tony Stajduhar is president of Jackson Physician Search, which specializes in the permanent recruitment of physicians, physician leaders and advanced practice providers to locations across the U.S. In his role, he leads the company known for exceptional customer service, powered by proven recruitment strategy and search technology.

With more than 35 years of experience in healthcare strategy, Tony is a recognized industry leader and innovator in the field. He began his career with Jackson & Coker, soon becoming vice president of its northwest region. Tony then developed a regionally based Rocky Mountains physician recruitment firm into a national presence and worked with a large healthcare system to launch an in-house recruitment team that placed over 1,000 physicians annually.

In 2009, Tony returned to Jackson & Coker to restructure its permanent placement segment. Then, in 2016, he led the naming and branding transformation of this part of the business to become a new organization called Jackson Physician Search. During his tenure leading the company, it has become the fastest growing and most innovative, trusted firm focused on the permanent recruitment of physicians, physician leaders and advanced practice providers in the industry.

Tony is a sought-after speaker for healthcare industry groups, national medical associations and residency programs, and is gratified in helping young physicians find the right fit early in their careers.

Marisa Zaharoff, MSN, RN, is president of Avant Healthcare Professionals, the premier staffing provider of internationally experienced nurse and allied health professionals. Her deep commitment to the placement and success of healthcare professionals is seen in her work with clinicians and providers in helping meet and exceed their goals across multiple care environments.

To her position, Marisa brings more than two decades of experience. She is a registered nurse in the State of Illinois and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, where she worked in adult cardiothoracic and pediatric intensive care environments. Marisa also has served in healthcare staffing executive management and leadership roles in quality improvement, product management, performance outcomes and operations for AMR ProNurse, Medical Staffing Network and Cross Country Healthcare. She joined Avant in 2021.

At Avant, Marisa is focused on furthering the company’s mission and reach in helping healthcare professionals achieve their American dreams and partnering with clients to overcome staffing shortages and meet patient care objectives.

Marisa is a member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives, American Nursing Association and Sigma Theta Tau, and is a founding member of Chief, Miami, a membership network that connects and supports women executives. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Illinois and Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Bobbi Henson is president of Jackson Therapy Partners and Jackson Pharmacy Professionals. Jackson Therapy Partners provides highly skilled therapists and allied healthcare professionals for short and long-term contracts, contract-to-hire, direct hire and teletherapy needs – and Jackson Pharmacy Professionals is a full-service pharmacy staffing agency that connects highly skilled candidates to pharmacy settings nationwide. In her role, she shapes and guides the companies’ overarching strategies for recruitment, sales, business development and client services.

With more than 30 years of staffing experience, Bobbi’s progressive leadership style is the guiding force behind a dynamic culture that fosters leadership development, longevity and an inclusive, supportive and results-driven team environment. Prior to her current position, Bobbi was senior vice president of operations for Jackson Healthcare’s nurse, allied and healthcare staffing and technology brands. In this role, she spearheaded initiatives for shared service teams, including IT, finance and accounting, credentialing and compliance, marketing and housing.

Other leadership roles she has held include vice president of recruitment for Healthtrust, formerly Parallon Workforce Solutions, and vice president of operations for Nursefinders Travel, part of Nursefinders, Inc., providing sales and operational leadership for three travel brands: Nursefinders Travel, National Healthcare Staffing and Medfinders Travel.

Driven by a commitment to giving back, Bobbi serves on the board for the National Association of Travel Healthcare Organizations (NATHO) and volunteers for several nonprofit organizations, including One-Heart, Great Oaks Village and Second Harvest Food Bank.

Jeff Beckmann is president of LRS Healthcare, a leading provider of medical staffing that connects exceptional nurse, allied health and long-term care professionals to incredible facilities nationwide. Founded in 2006, LRS is committed to working with the best talent in the industry and making the healthcare staffing process as simple as possible for clinicians and clients.

With a background in finance and accounting and passion for technology and innovation, Jeff brings a unique viewpoint to his position with a focus on people, process improvement and results, and decision making that keeps employees, clinicians and customer experience at the core. Prior to becoming president of LRS, Jeff served as chief financial officer, leading the company through dramatic growth and establishing a structure that enabled it to rapidly scale during the surge of Covid-19. He also has been instrumental in implementing cutting-edge technology and launching LRS Connect, the company’s clinician-focused app.

Prior to LRS, Jeff held leadership positions in corporate and international finance for a publicly traded manufacturing company and various roles at KPMG.

During his tenure, LRS was named #1 on the Best Places to Work in Omaha list in the large business category, and in 2022, Jeff received a “40 under 40” honor from SIA. Jeff is a CPA with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a Master of Professional Accountancy degree from the University of South Dakota.

Melissa Fitzpatrick is president of Kirby Bates Associates, which specializes in healthcare and nurse executive search, interim leadership and executive advisory services. In her role, she provides strategic vision and direction for the organization and serves as the liaison to its parent company, Jackson Healthcare.

With more than 30 years of healthcare leadership experience, Melissa has held roles including vice president of critical care and cardiac services at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and senior associate chief operating officer and chief nurse executive at Duke University Medical Center. During her career, she also served as editor-in-chief of the Nursing Management Journal, chief healthcare strategist at the SAS Institute, and the first vice president and chief clinical officer at Hill-Rom.

In 2019, Melissa joined Kirby Bates Associates as chief operating officer, leading business operations, technology, sales and marketing. In 2020, she was named president of the company and soon after, also became president of Tyler & Company, affording both organizations new synergies and expanded opportunities to serve their clients. In 2021, the companies formally combined, operating under the Kirby Bates Associates brand.

Melissa was named as the first ever nurse to serve on the board of UNC Rex Healthcare in 2020. She earned her Bachelor’s in Nursing degree from Gwynedd-Mercy College and Master’s in Nursing degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Preston Smith serves as president of Premier Anesthesia, a national anesthesia management company. He brings more than 20 years of healthcare leadership experience to his position and board certification in healthcare management as a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).

He began his career as a healthcare attorney representing hospitals and medical practices, specializing in hospital law, medical malpractice defense, physician practices, dispute resolution and litigation. Preston also served as a senator in the Georgia General Assembly for four consecutive terms and was the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. As a result of his patient-centered advocacy and healthcare reforms, he was designated “Legislator of the Year” by a broad spectrum of healthcare organizations. In addition, he has been named among the “100 Most Influential Georgians” by Georgia Trend and ranked #1 nationally by the American Justice Partnership as a “National Hero” of the legal reform movement in the U.S.

Preston originally joined the Jackson Healthcare family of companies as president of Tyler & Company, a healthcare executive search firm. Prior to that, he was president of anesthesia for a national, multi-specialty professional medical service company, later holding the roles of chief revenue officer and chief compliance officer for its parent company. Preston holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Baylor University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Georgia.

Jonathan Ward serves as president of HWL, a company that comes to the market with deep expertise from leading healthcare GPOs and supply chain, workforce management software providers, healthcare delivery organizations, cutting-edge technology organizations and leading staffing agencies

With almost 30 years of healthcare staffing experience, more than five of which have been with HWL, Jonathan leads a team of industry experts that through a combination of proprietary, next-generation technology and customizable managed services delivers vendor-neutral contingent workforce solutions that lower costs, improve quality and increase fill rates for healthcare employers nationwide.

Prior to joining the company, Jonathan held a number of executive management positions at Cross Country Healthcare over a 23-year period, including president of its travel nurse and allied division, with responsibility for the development of its managed service solution. He also served as an assistant to the chairman of W. R. Grace & Company, a Fortune 100 company and the largest specialty chemicals organization in the world at the time. Jonathan holds an MBA from Rutgers University Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor’s in Political Science degree from Drew University.

Samantha Platzke serves as president of Care Logistics, an innovator of hub-and-spoke operational command centers used in hospitals across the country. As a healthcare executive with over 30 years of experience in revitalizing healthcare organizations, she is known for her breakthrough strategies that drive revenue growth, increase efficiencies and reduce costs for healthcare systems.

To her position, Samantha brings comprehensive knowledge of diversified healthcare operations from both a provider and payer perspective, with a deep understanding of healthcare reform and its impact on the traditional delivery business model. She joined Care Logistics in 2014 as chief financial officer and senior vice president of system performance, and in 2021 was promoted to president. Throughout her career, she has held progressive leadership positions in accounting, finance, IT and operations improvement and served as chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief transformation officer and senior vice president of operations and systems effectiveness for various organizations.

Samantha holds a Bachelor’s in Accounting degree from Adrian College and a Master’s in Health Care Administration degree from Tiffin University. She is a member of the ACHE and HFMA and serves on the finance committees of national and regional health systems.

Lisa Pierson serves as president of Parker Staffing, which specializes in temporary and direct hire services to businesses across North America. In her position, she oversees the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the organization, while ensuring its commitment to exceed client expectations. Parker Staffing’s strategy in working with its clients is to help ensure their businesses thrive by connecting people with their potential. Parker Staffing specialty services include administrative staffing, banking and mortgage, contact center, human resources and non-clinical staffing.

With more than 20 years of staffing industry experience, Lisa has a proven track record of success in leading and growing organizations to new heights. Her client-centric focus combined with her ability to build exceptional teams has established her reputation for delivering results.

Prior to joining Parker Staffing in 2020, Lisa was vice president of global programs for one of the leading managed service providers in the country. Her experience also includes 12 years as president for one of the largest privately held staffing firms in Southern California.

Lisa is a member of the board of directors for the Association of Washington Business, which serves as both the state’s chamber of commerce and manufacturing and technology association. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business degree with an emphasis in marketing from San Diego State University.

Randy Heiser serves as president of Sullivan Healthcare Consulting, a perioperative consulting and implementation management firm. To his position, he brings more than 35 years of experience as a hospital consultant and over 30 years specializing in perioperative consulting.

During his career, Randy has directed more than 1,200 surgery department operational improvement studies in programs ranging from small community hospitals and freestanding surgery centers, to some of the largest university hospitals in the U.S. Leveraging his expertise, he was instrumental in the design, development and implementation of the Surgery Benchmark Program that has been used by more than 280 hospitals. Randy’s experience also includes work on the design of several proprietary surgery scheduling information systems currently available in North America.

​Randy is a member of the Association of Operating Room Nurses, the Association of Anesthesia Clinical Directors and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). He also is a frequent speaker at national and regional events focused on surgery. Randy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics and a Master of Arts in Applied Economics from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Patrick Cashman is president of USAntibiotics, the sole licensed American manufacturer of amoxicillin-based Augmentin and Amoxil solid, oral beta-lactam antibiotics and authorized generics. Based in Tennessee, he leads the team of R&D, quality, manufacturing, regulatory affairs, supply chain and commercial professionals who operate from the company’s world-class, 394,000 square foot production facility that can produce and fulfill 100 percent of the nation’s demand for these essential, life-saving medications.

With three decades in the industry, Patrick has served in executive management positions in multinational pharmaceutical organizations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. With a focus on growth, quality and innovation, he is recognized for his knowledge and industry experience, commitment to operational excellence, delivery of exceptional client support and cultivation of high-performance teams. During his career – which includes senior leadership positions at Lundbeck, Pfizer and SmithKline Beecham – he established new subsidiaries in key markets, launched new pharmaceutical brands and led co-commercialization teams with partners around the world.

Patrick has received numerous awards, including international honors for profitability, sales growth, innovation and a new oncology business unit, while at Lundbeck Canada. His focus on patient centricity earned him the Eye for Pharma Lifetime Achievement Award. He also champions mental health awareness, having presented at the Champions of Mental Health Awards and to members of the Canadian Parliament. Patrick holds an MBA from Thunderbird School of International Business at Arizona State University and Bachelor of Science in Economics degree from the University of Wisconsin.

Shelli Pavone is president of Inlightened, a tech-enabled platform that connects client companies to a vetted network of healthcare professionals for on-demand consultation and expertise. In this position, she leads strategic direction for the organization with a focus on advancing and accelerating the pace of healthcare innovation by fostering collaboration, and generating and optimizing insights.

With more than 20 years of commercial experience in healthcare, Shelli is recognized as an innovator with deep expertise in navigating the unique challenges of complex and changing markets. She also is known for building high-performance teams, executing adaptive programs in highly competitive healthcare segments, and developing successful sales strategies from the ground up.

Prior to co-founding Inlightened in 2019, Shelli led sales and marketing at Avant-garde Health, a healthcare analytics company with solutions that guide hospitals to improve outcomes and lower costs. Other previous roles include leadership positions at Lumere (now part of GHX), which leverages clinical evidence to facilitate patient-focused, cost-effective decisions around pharmaceuticals and devices.

Shelli has been named to Forbes’ “The Next 1000” list of entrepreneurs. She holds a Bachelor of Psychology degree from The Ohio State University.