Firm adds to roster to better guide healthcare organizations through post-pandemic transformation
To keep pace with consistent client growth, the national healthcare strategic communications firm Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock has added 11 new staff members in the first four months of the year, according to President and CEO David Jarrard.
Growth occurred across all three client advisory practices and the firm’s professional services team. Headlining the new talent are Jason Poteet, vice president of business development and Abby McNeil, vice president in the firm’s National and Academic Health System practice.
Poteet joins Jarrard Inc. with more than two decades of experience in performance improvement, revenue cycle and revenue growth strategy. Previously, he served as a client solutions leader within the healthcare provider vertical of the global technology companies Wipro and NTT Data.
McNeil is a seasoned marketing and communications expert with an extensive track record helping healthcare brands engage employees and grow market share. Immediately prior to joining the firm, she oversaw corporate communication and public affairs for CHRISTUS Health, including leading their COVID-19 response.
“These are highly-experienced, strong additions to our team,” Jarrard said. “Jason’s background helping healthcare clients identify new avenues of opportunity and strategic growth dovetail perfectly with the goals for our firm as we ourselves evolve and grow. Abby’s track record in helping provider organizations navigate the historically difficult imperatives of the past two years demonstrates her creativity, nimbleness and shared commitment to our mission to make healthcare better.”
In addition to Poteet and McNeil, the number and breadth of the new hires reflects an increasing demand for long-term strategic planning and communications engagements among health services companies, hospitals and health systems.
“While most of the operational challenges borne out of the pandemic have receded, a new wave of pressure is creating uncertainty for healthcare provider organizations,” Jarrard said.
Those pressures include the end of COVID-19 relief funds, the shortage of healthcare workers and recruiting challenges, increasingly tense negotiations between payers and providers and rising costs as part of the inflation seen across the US economy.
“All of these challenges are linked, yet each one has a distinct set of features that must be addressed,” added Jarrard. “Solving for the future is very much a matter of ensuring each leg of the stool is in place operationally, and then communicating about each element of change in a way that bolsters support for the organization both internally and externally.”
Jarrard Inc.’s new team members add to the firm’s ability to be extraordinarily responsive to client needs and the rapidly shifting healthcare landscape, while also helping broaden the depth of specialist expertise available to provider clients. Additional new hires are:
Meg Crowley, senior managing advisor, Regional Practice. Crowley was most recently assistant director of communications at Duke University, where she gained a reputation for developing compelling content for diverse needs and audiences. Crowley also spent time in media relations for a public policy think tank.
Angela MacDonald, senior managing advisor, National and Academic Health Systems Practice. MacDonald is an expert in organizational integration, with a career that spans higher education, law and Catholic healthcare. Prior to joining Jarrard Inc., MacDonald served in multiple roles within the Mission Integration Department of CHRISTUS Health.
Liz Nix, senior managing advisor, National and Academic Health Systems Practice. Nix joined Jarrard Inc. from Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she served in multiple roles, most recently as a learning and development leader, but also including facilities planning and management.
Alison Panella, senior managing advisor, National and Academic Health Systems Practice. Panella focuses on internal engagement, strategy development and operational support. She achieved these skills in part during her eight years at Interactive Forums, Inc. a strategic marketing and research firm.
Hannah Boggs, senior advisor, National and Academic Health Systems Practice. Boggs brings years of experience in program management, talent acquisition, internal communications and internal assessments across healthcare and corporate entities. She came to Jarrard from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, where she was a program coordinator in the Department of Medical Social Sciences.
Nina Buckhalter, senior advisor, Health Services Practice. Prior to joining Jarrard Inc., Buckhalter served as a content strategist for a marketing agency serving nonprofit organizations. There, she developed effective social media and content strategies to position clients as thought leaders as they addressed core barriers to healthcare.
Katie Collins, advisor, National and Academic Health Systems Practice. Collins most recently served in various roles at Performance Health, a sports medicine and rehab company. As a member of the marketing team there, Collins spearheaded data analysis projects and provided project management and change management strategies for internal team members.
Emily Magnifico, project manager, Growth Services Team. An experienced marketer, Magnifico has an extensive background in building and optimizing project management practices. Most recently, she served as project manager for marketing and branding agency Anchour.
Luke Levenson, copywriter, Growth Services Team. Levenson brings a reporter’s eye to the nuanced writing necessary for healthcare marketing and strategic communications. He joined Jarrard from Premier Productions, where he served as a media buyer. Prior to that, he was a publicist for a major music label and freelance journalist.
