Bob Clarke
Chief Executive Officer

Bob Clarke, Co-founder and CEO of Furst Group, has more than 20 years of executive search experience. In 1984, Bob joined a regional executive search firm (The Furst Group), where he developed a national division focused on health care executive recruitment. He led the acquisition in 1991 of this specialized practice, now known simply as Furst Group.

At Furst Group, Bob has been responsible for recruiting more than 300 senior executives for top positions with hospital systems, health maintenance organizations, preferred provider organizations, medical groups, indemnity companies, end-of-life care providers, health care associations, and other medical delivery systems across the United States. Bob's work includes consulting with boards of directors of health care organizations to determine organizational readiness, manage senior staff transitions, develop succession plans, assess leadership teams, and implement leadership development programs. He has been responsible for building high-performance, high-growth teams at numerous organizations.

Bob is a frequent speaker on issues regarding effective leadership design, team selection and development, managed care and provider relationships, and the role of key leadership. He has led workshops and conducted presentations through organizations such as the Health Care Financial Management Association (HFMA), the America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), and Florida Hospices and Palliative Care, Inc., as well as various physician executive MBA programs.

He has authored studies on executive leadership issues for a variety of health care fields and regularly serves as an expert resource for health care publications. As one of the top 10 executive recruiters in health care according to The New Career Makers, Bob has been quoted in books and publications on the issues of leadership for the health care industry.

Bob has served on numerous boards and committees. In 2008, he was appointed to the board of the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa, which is part of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). He also serves on NHPCO's audit committee. He was recently involved with NHPCO's Executive Leadership Program, which assists in the leadership training and course offerings for hospice leaders. He is a past member of the Board of Directors for the Visiting Nurses Association and for the American Red Cross, Rock River Chapter. Bob holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.