• Innovation: Taking courageous and bold actions for growth and sustainability.
• Communication: Exemplifying respect, collaboration, transparency, and honesty.
• Quality: Ensuring accountability and excellence.
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusiveness: Promoting fairness, valuing differences, considering all perspectives.
• Achievement: Achieving our mission, realizing the vision

The Opportunity

Position: Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director 

Location: Remote

Reporting Relationship: AORN Board of Directors

Website: https://www.aorn.org/

Purpose of the Position

The Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director (CEO/ED) of AORN is responsible for leading the organization in achieving its strategic goals, fostering innovation, and advancing the mission of promoting excellence in perioperative nursing practice. The CEO/ED will develop short and long-term strategies in support of objectives and will work with the Board of Directors and the AORN Executive and Leadership Teams to achieve these goals. Additionally, the CEO/ED will oversee AORN's subsidiaries, AORN Syntegrity and the AORN Foundation, ensuring alignment with the organization's overall mission and strategic objectives. 

The CEO/ED will champion a culture aligned with AORN’s Core Values of Innovation, Communication, Quality, Achievement, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion where employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential. A dynamic and visionary leader, the CEO/ED will build and strengthen relationships with related healthcare organizations and industry partners and serve as an outstanding ambassador and spokesperson for furthering the mission of AORN.

Below summarizes AORN highlights from 2023 that shed light on key priorities and areas of focus for the organization:

AORN, Inc.

AORN supports the practice of more than 200,000 perioperative registered nurses who work in every surgical specialty in the ambulatory and acute care settings across the country. In 2023 AORN updated six of 35 evidence-based Guidelines for Perioperative Practice, and dozens of education courses and resources to help nurses provide care before, during, and after the more than 50 million surgical procedures performed annually in the U.S. Our clinical and administrative staff serve on the committees and boards of approximately 30 professional associations to protect and improve safe perioperative practices. We collaborated with dozens of professional and regulatory organizations, industry leaders, and other healthcare partners to achieve the greatest impact on healthcare worker and patient safety.

Membership

AORN’s 43,000 members recognize the continued safe care of their surgical patients depends on their ability to stay current with evidence-based practice recommendations. AORN provides members complimentary access to hundreds of continuing education hours, as well as practice and career resources such as Prep for CNOR online course, clinical webinars, and guideline implementation tools. 

AORN Foundation 

The AORN Foundation is the nonprofit philanthropic arm of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, a 501c3 public charity established in 1991. Our mission is to empower perioperative nurses in advancing patient and workplace safety through education and research. Specifically, the AORN Foundation accomplishes this important work by raising more than $2M annually to fund education, research, and patient safety initiatives. This impactful work would not be possible without the ongoing and generous support of our Board of Trustees and our strategic and financial partnerships with individuals, chapters, foundations and corporations. 

AORN Syntegrity

AORN Syntegrity is an evidence-based EHR optimization tool designed to improve perioperative processes, streamline workflows, and ensure patient safety. It provides access to over 2,900 perioperative procedures referenced to CTP®, ICD-10-PCS, and SNOMED-CT®, maintained by field perioperative clinicians for accuracy. Additionally, it offers standardized nursing documentation to enhance efficiency through the perioperative nursing data set (PNDS), specialty content for tailored procedures, and hyperlinks to AORN eGuidelines+ for quick clinical support.

Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine and its digital communications connect with the ambulatory surgery community and offers OR leaders and outpatient decision-makers cutting-edge information and practical, in-the-field advice to meet their daily challenges. Articles on emerging trends and current solutions provide the knowledge and tools to deliver high-quality care in the outpatient environment. In 2024, the publication’s print and digital reach grew to an engaged audience of 105,000, with 23,000 audited print subscribers consisting of ambulatory leaders in 98.6% of all Medicare outpatient facilities.

Pfiedler Education

Pfiedler Education provides comprehensive support to nurses and allied health professionals through diverse web-based learning options, online programs, single and multi-day events, and seminars, designed to meet their continuing medical education needs. The accredited educational content is developed by clinical experts and customized to suit various specialties and disciplines, ensuring effective presentation formats. Over 320,000 nurses and allied health professionals have earned accredited continuing education credits, including 9,000 participants in both virtual and face-to-face events.

AORN Journal

Peer-reviewed, award-winning, and evidence-based, AORN Journal is available to members with more than 200 complimentary contact hours in articles featuring clinical best practices. In 2023, there were 535,000+ article downloads, 57,000+ podcasts listened to, and 100,000 CNE articles accessed by 10,000 unique users.

Initiatives and Advocacy

AORN focused efforts on initiatives related to Surgical Smoke Safety, Prevention of Retained Surgical Items, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. With these efforts, membership diversity grew to 29.6% and 25% of the national election ballot are nurses of color.

Key Responsibilities

Ideal candidates will bring a combination of sophisticated healthcare and nursing experience, expertise leading complex organizations, developing, and executing on strategy and vision in a changing environment, and driving engagement across diverse constituent groups (staff, industry members, board members, volunteers, business partners, government officials, etc.). The successful candidate will be a seasoned leader who is comfortable leading change, driving innovation, and building consensus through a lens of engagement and business savvy. We seek a high-energy/low-ego individual who seeks to create value through the success of others. Key areas of focus include:

1. Strategic Leadership:

• Develop and execute strategies to advance AORN's mission and vision in alignment with the evolving healthcare landscape.

• Provide visionary leadership to the executive team and staff, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence.

2. Financial Management:

• Oversee the financial health of the organization and its subsidiaries, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting.

• Identify and pursue opportunities for revenue growth, diversification, and sustainability.

3. Advocacy and External Relations:

• Serve as the primary spokesperson and advocate for AORN, representing the organization to external stakeholders, including government agencies, professional organizations, and the healthcare industry.

• Cultivate and maintain strategic partnerships and alliances to advance the interests of perioperative nurses and promote patient safety.

4. Membership Engagement:

• Enhance member engagement and retention by ensuring the development of innovative programs, services, and resources that meet the needs of perioperative nurses throughout their careers.

• Foster a sense of community and collaboration among AORN members, empowering them to contribute to the advancement of the profession.

5. Education and Professional Development:

• Ensure the development and delivery of high-quality educational programs, conferences, and resources that support the professional development and lifelong learning of perioperative nurses.

• Stay abreast of emerging trends and best practices in perioperative nursing practice, leveraging this knowledge to inform AORN's educational offerings.

6. Governance and Board Relations:

• Work closely with the Board of Directors to set strategic direction, establish policies, and monitor organizational performance.

• Facilitate effective communication and collaboration between the Board, the Executive and Leadership Teams, and staff.

7. Subsidiary Oversight:

• Provide strategic direction and oversight for AORN's subsidiaries, including AORN Syntegrity and the AORN Foundation, ensuring alignment with the organization's mission and goals.

• Collaborate with subsidiary leadership to develop and implement business plans, programs, and initiatives that support perioperative nursing practice and advance AORN's mission.

8. Human Capital / Workplace Culture and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI):

• Promote a high-performing, collaborative, and innovative culture; serve as an inspirational leader to the Executive and Leadership Team and staff, role modelling AORN’s Core Values. 

• Maintain a best-in-class work environment through total rewards and training and development programs resulting in strong employee engagement and retention. 

• Ensure integration of diversity, equity, and inclusion principles into all aspects of AORN’s operations, policies, and programs, ensuring that DEI considerations are woven into the fabric of everything we do. Key Competencies and Relevant Skills

Key Competencies and Relevant Skills 

• Organizational leadership of comparable scale and complexity.

• Experience in developing and implementing organizational strategic plans.

• Strong financial and business management skills and experience, with the ability to understand financial models and forecasts and their application for making critical business decisions.

• Credibility in nursing and a keen understanding and appreciation for issues facing the nursing profession in general, specifically the perioperative nursing discipline.

• Knowledge of and experience with association governance, fundraising, meeting planning, and publications.

• Knowledge of and experience working with Board of Directors and volunteer leaders to set and accomplish key initiatives and strategies. 

• Innovative leader; stays informed about the relevance of AI and digital technologies that impact the mission of the association.

• A well-established network of national and global nursing and healthcare leaders.

• A connection to or knowledge of the medical device and medical industry community.

• Exceptional communication skills, including verbal, written, presentation and listening skills.

• Inspiring leader with a passion and commitment for championing the mission and goals of AORN.

• Serves as a coalition builder; able to work with diverse interest groups, both internally (staff and volunteer leaders) and externally (strategic partners and industry groups).

• Serves as a visionary leader with outstanding strategic thinking and planning skills with demonstrated ability to build consensus and lead implementation of the strategic plans.

• Strong leadership and management skills, including experience leading a hybrid work environment.

• Outstanding decision-making and critical thinking skills.

• Exceptional interpersonal skills; able to relate to multiple constituents; strong membership and customer service focus.

• Executive presence and strong presentation skills for presenting to both small and large audiences.

• Ability to project a positive image as an ambassador for AORN. 

• Professional and personal integrity, with high ethical standards.

• Ability to demonstrate and hold others accountable for organizational values of: Innovation, Communication, Quality, Diversity, Equity and inclusion, and Achievement. 

Education

The ideal candidate will have an RN license, with a minimum of 10 years of executive and leadership experience in progressive, complex organizations is required. Master’s degree in Nursing, and/or an advanced degree (i.e. DNP or MBA) and be an active Certified Nurse-Operating Room (CNOR) is preferred. 

Compensation Range: $450,000-$550,000

Korn Ferry Contacts:

Lorraine Lavet

Senior Client Partner

T: 703-919-6540

E: Lorraine.Lavet@kornferry.com

Abbe Ulrich

Senior Client Partner

T: (713) 204-8644

E: Abbe.Ulrich@KornFerry.com

Julie Mozes

Senior Associate

T: (610) 996-2871

E: Julie.Mozes@KornFerry.com

Emily Lynch

Senior Project Coordinator

T: 703-873-3212

E: Emily.Reda@kornferry.com

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 Korn Ferry shall provide equal employment opportunity to all qualified candidates, and will refer candidates without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected basis.