Synergy’s Founder & Team
Kenneth R. Cohen, PhD
Founder/CEO of The Synergy Organization
Kenneth R. Cohen, PhD, is Founder/CEO of The Synergy Organization, the country’s first healthcare Evidence-Based Executive Search® and Executive Assessments firm. His firm helps progressive healthcare organizations make consistently accurate and cost-effective decisions in their Executive Search, Executive Selection, and Succession Planning practices. They accomplish this by integrating Dr. Cohen’s expertise as a Consulting Psychologist in succession planning model along with validated psychological testing, Baldrige Performance Excellence Program standards, and national Leadership Best Practices research studies. He also created the Synergy Screening System®; this simplifies the costly and challenging task of hiring consistently extraordinary senior executives, the first time.
In addition, Dr. Cohen is honored to serve as the Founding Sponsor of the Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award in close collaboration with the Baldrige Foundation. He serves as a Board Member for the Mid-Atlantic Alliance for Performance Excellence (MAAPE), the regional Baldrige program serving PA, NJ, DE and parts of MD. Over the last 32 years, he has published and presented extensively to national, state and regional healthcare organizations including ACHE Congress, American Hospital Association, ASHHRA, HFMA and the MHA. He earned his Masters and PhD as a Psychologist at Temple University. Succession planning is the key to develop leadership roles by including the responsibilities to meet strategic objectives while encouraging career growth.
Ken Hanover
President, Healthcare Solutions
The Synergy Organization (Synergy) has expanded its staff with the appointment of Ken Hanover as President, Healthcare Solutions. Ken’s role includes helping expand Synergy’s offerings and assisting our clients to better understand their organizational and leadership needs. His unique experience leading complex healthcare organizations, coupled with an understanding of the challenges those organizations face when hiring senior executives, will offer Synergy’s clients valuable insight.
Ken has over forty years of executive level experience in health system and hospital management and in the medical device industry. As a former repeat client of Synergy, he understands the benefits of utilizing evidence-based research and its application in searching, selecting and hiring key individuals for the successful operation of an organization. He focuses exclusively on succession planning process for achieving strategic goals and pioneering careers in the healthcare sector.
Prior to joining Synergy, Ken served as the Chief Executive Officer of Prezio Health, a private equity owned, surgical and endoscopic management, maintenance, and repair company serving over 1,000 hospitals and other healthcare institutions across the United States. He retired from his CEO role in February 2017 although he continues to serve as Vice Chairman of their Board of Directors.
Diane Stemler, MS, MT-ASCP
Vice President, Client Relationships
The Synergy Organization (Synergy) is pleased to announce that the organization has hired Diane Stemler to join its team of executive search consultants.
As part of the Synergy team, Diane will assist in the strategic recruitment of highly qualified leaders in the healthcare industry. As such, she will help our prestigious healthcare partners find leaders who will maximize organizational productivity and have a tremendous chemistry and “fit” within their organizations.
Diane comes to Synergy with a clinical background as a medical technologist and a proven history of customer service excellence—the combination of which will be of great benefit to our clients.
Diane has a master’s degree in secondary science from Arcadia University, and a bachelor’s degree in biology with a concentration in medical technology from Kutztown University.
Synergy’s commitment to World-Class Quality, Service and Performance Excellence was demonstrated during the 25th annual Baldrige Quest Conference Gala when Dr. Cohen presented a leadership recognition award to Dr. Harry S. Hertz.
Synergy Adheres to Baldrige Performance Excellence Standards
Dr. Cohen’s own demonstrated commitment to metrics, quality, and productivity and to providing world class service is evidenced by Synergy’s longstanding application of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program standards in all of Synergy’s internal and external business practices.
Presentation of one of the two Mid-Atlantic Alliance for Performance Excellence (MAAPE) Awards presented to The Synergy Organization. From left: Robert Bitner, Executive Director, MAAPE; Kenneth R. Cohen, PhD, Founder & CEO, The Synergy Organization; Harry S. Hertz, PhD, Director, Baldrige Performance Excellence Program.
Dr. Cohen has been recognized for leading several respected national research studies involving “Best Practices in Healthcare Leadership.” In addition, he has conducted numerous seminars on effective leadership, recruitment, selection, executive development, and retention strategies for respected healthcare organizations, including the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and the American Hospital Association’s (AHA’s) Center for Healthcare Governance, as well as state hospital associations and the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program.
He has also taught at both the graduate and undergraduate level and has written, been published in, or interviewed by professional journals and publications including: Board Room Press, Contemporary Long Term Care, Healthcare Executive, Healthcare Informatics, Hospitals and Health Networks, Nursing Homes, Trustee, and The Wall Street Journal.
Dr. Cohen graduated from Dickinson College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and earned both his Masters and Ph.D. as a Psychologist with Distinction honors at Temple University