Testimonials
Within roughly five weeks of engaging Michelle we made an offer on the position to an exceptional professional. Having worked with a dozen professional recruiting firms in my career I can confidently say that Whittaker Group and Michelle are tops.
Of particular note were her responsiveness to our needs as well as her commitment and flexibility. Her level of customer service, professionalism and thoroughness at every stage were exceptional.”
Bradley Casemore, MHSA, LMSW
Chief Operating Officer
Venture Behavioral Health
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“In working directly with Michele Whittaker, she worked very hard to research our organization, in advance, to try and find out about what type of personality would work best within the organization, and the exact requirements of the position being filled in order to ensure a good fit. I believe that the extra time taken by Michele on the front end
of the engagement was a crucial part of the success in helping to secure a candidate for this position.
Another key successful ingredient is Michele’s vast network of contacts within the industry. Michele really goes out of her way to get to know the key financial people in the industry and their accomplishments. By her getting to know the professionals in the industry well in advance, this allows her to meet the organization’s needs in a timely
manner. This is also critical in terms of identifying qualified candidates and presenting them with confidence while assuring that they are a good fit, or Michele would at least make me aware of critical factors that I might have to consider.
Finally, I was impressed with the integrity that Michele displayed in terms of working with me as a client. She never seemed to have any agenda except for my own best interest. Each candidate was presented with honesty and forthrightness. I learned through the process that Michele was not interested in acting as a “salesperson” but as a strategic business partner.
I will undoubtedly utilize the Whittaker Group again to complete my healthcare executive search needs.
Charles L. Johnson III
Regional Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer
SSM Health Care of Wisconsin
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“Michelle offers “top notch” service to both her clients and candidates. She becomes very attuned to your needs, and as a result, obtains the best candidates for your review. Due to her strong networking skills, she finds the most qualified people; and invests a great deal of time to identify and attract the top talent that are not actively on the job market.
Ms. Whittaker-McCracken has earned a reputation of not only consistently delivering on what she promises, but also doing so within a mutually agreed to time frame. I personally believe that she possesses extreme integrity in her business transactions. Frankly, this is a quality that I have found to be lacking when dealing with others in the recruitment field.”
Kathleen Maly
Vice President and Corporate Director Accounting
Oakwood Healthcare, Inc.
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“Michelle was very thorough in her service and communication. She was always prompt in providing me with status updates and offering guidance when I needed it. Michelle placed great emphasis on ensuring that my career objectives were aligned with that of Munson Medical Center.
Another point of mention is Michelle’s extensive network. She is very well known in healthcare circles and is often referred to as a great recruitment resource to contact because of her wide range of relationships.”
Heidi Gustine
Director Planning and Business Strategy
Munson Medical Center
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“I commend you, particularly, on the speed of the process and quality of the candidates submitted for review. In addition; it is necessary to comment all, little, niceties that were, in fact, major contributors to minimizing my administrative role in the process. I refer to the many reminder messages that left no doubt as to what I was to do next and when.
Interview schedules that cleared up the confusing notes written in my personal calendar and your communication with other management staff scheduled to interview the candidates at each step. As I contemplated the administrative details; i.e, forwarding resumes and schedules to the other Ingham participants, I was elated to discover that you had accomplished the task. I can’t stress enough the positive impact of not having to personally handle those details.”
Frank Kania
Director Patient Financial Services
Ingham Regional Medical Center
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“Throughout the past two decades, we have been in contact and worked together repeatedly. I have a high level of respect and trust for her expertise, and I utilize her firm for all of our outsourced recruiting services.
She demonstrates an unusually high level of ethics, accuracy, and professionalism. I have found her to be insightful in assessing what our true needs are from an organizational perspective as well as from a positional perspective. It is obvious that this is her passion because she demonstrates a high level of enthusiasm and went the “extra mile” consistently.
I would not hesitate to recommend your firm, The Whittaker Group, to any potential healthcare clients in the future.”
David L. Vis
Chief Financial Officer
IBA Health Plans
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“Michelle provided a series of highly qualified candidates, and assisted with the screening and interview processes. In addition, despite the fact that our requirements were revised several times throughout the process, Michelle was extremely flexible and worked with our changing needs. Because of Michelle’s work, we were able to find an extremely strong candidate who was an excellent fit for our position – someone who I do not believe we would have been able to identify on our own.
Finally, Michelle provided a high level of service throughout the search process, and worked to simplify what was required of our team. It was a pleasure to work with her, and I would highly recommend the Whittaker Group for future searches.”
Tami Deeb
Director, Strategy and Government Relations
DaVita VillageHealth
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“I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your help in recruiting for the Director of Reimbursement for Botsford General Hospital.
I am pleased with the candidate that you placed with us and I was very pleased with the professional and efficient way in which you conducted the search. I always felt that you kept me up to date on the progress of the search and that you understood the culture of Botsford and what qualities and abilities we were looking for in the candidates.
As a final thought I want you to know that I would use your firm again should the need arise.”
Dianna Ronan
Corporate Controller
Botsford Health Care Continuum
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“I have worked with Ms Whittaker and her firm for almost twenty years. During that time I have found both to be very effective. The search firm has been aggressive in its efforts and demonstrated real consistency. Their printed materials are always well thought out and to the point. They have shown a willingness to invest in their efforts through persistent direct mail activities. Use of technology has been evident in the regular electronic communications distributed to by the firm. While they have shown a dedication and expertise within health care they have continued to grow, expanding into new areas all the time. Their success has been evident through the ever-increasing reach into new geographic regions.
Michelle Whittaker is a perfect fit for her role. She brings a positive attitude and an upbeat approach to the work. She has shown real determination and has continued to grow the business through any difficult times. Michelle has been a part of the community through her volunteer activities. She is willing to take a leadership role and is dedicated to making a difference. I would highly recommend Michelle and her firm.”
Phil Hunsberger, CAO
St. John Health
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“I would like to personally thank you for your part in recruiting candidates for the position of Director of Finance. I was delighted with your expediency, thorouglmess in follow-up, and consummate professionalism throughout. In my opinion, you went the “extra mile” during the entire process, and I have come to depend on your judgment and expertise. I deeply appreciate the hard work and dedication that you demonstrated, as Oakwood Healthcare, Inc. is the better for it.
Michelle, I would not hesitate to recommend The Whittaker Group, LLC to any potential clients in the future your organization may have. I am certain they will come to value your services for any of their healthcare recruiting needs
Again, I appreciate the competence and quality of service provided us in the search for our Director of Finance. It was a pleasure working with you.”
Benjamin R. Carter
CFO and Executive Vice President
Oakwood Healthcare, Inc.
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“Michelle and her staff were professional and prompt in delivering well-qualified individuals for our review. The process was streamlined from identifying candidates to the employment of that chosen individual. All corporations have different hiring policies and procedures and the Whittaker Group made sure that they were following Bronson’s policies and procedures. The candidates were well screened and after the individual were chosen; Michelle worked with the Bronson Human Resource department to complete all the necessary paperwork of employment.
I would recommend the Whittaker Group to any busy executive trying to hire an employee quickly and efficiently. I would again retain the Whittaker Group for my next recruiting needs.”
Mary M. Meitz
Controller
Bronson Healthcare Group
