In Helen’s role as a Regional Vice President of Recruiting at Jackson Physician Search, she connects clients with top physician candidates nationwide. The new reality of the healthcare evolution makes finding the right candidate even more important. She makes a significant contribution by matching exceptional physicians and their families to communities and organizations with needs.

Assuming the position of Regional Vice President of Recruiting for JPS’s Western Division in October 2020, Helen enjoys the opportunity to nurture talent and simultaneously spearhead recruitment efforts while providing guidance to a growing team of 16 physician recruiters.

Helen is a recognized thought leader and speaker at regional and national healthcare events. She speaks on physician recruitment, including strategic sourcing and candidate acquisition, interviewing, and incentives and contracts, as well as retention, retirement and succession planning, rural recruitment challenges, and overcoming the physician shortage.

Helen is proud to have been recognized as two-time Recruiter of the Year (2013 and 2020) and multiple-time Recruiter of the Quarter. In 2019, she was humbled to be nominated by her colleagues as the employee who most embodies our company’s core values of Others First, Wisdom, and Growth. Additionally, her recent career achievement award in 2023 underscores her ongoing commitment to excellence.

Tara’s career in healthcare began over 15 years ago as a physician liaison and quickly expanded to include physician recruitment, strategic planning, and business development. Working for hospitals and health systems throughout the Midwest and Mid-South, her job focused on finding and hiring the best physicians, then working with them to develop and implement business strategies to expand the amount of exceptional care they provided for their patients.

Today, as Regional Vice President of Recruiting for Jackson Physician Search’s Midwest Division, she specializes in helping providers advance their professional careers. Utilizing her background as an in-house physician recruiter and healthcare administration experience, she is passionate about recruiting the best candidates that provide a long-term fit for each provider, hospital, and community Jackson Physician Search serves.

Tara is a sought-after thought leader who frequently speaks on topics from evolving industry trends to physician compensation to optimizing the recruitment cycle. Throughout her career, she has amassed a number of impressive professional accolades, including: Recruiting Vice President of the Year Award Recipient, Industry Analysts “40 Under 40” Award Recipient (2023), Graduate of Jackson Healthcare’s corporate leadership university and St. Louis-based Leadership Chesterfield and Vision Leadership St. Charles County

With over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, Tonya has a relentless passion for connecting physicians and advanced practice providers with health systems, hospitals, and medical groups. Prior to joining Jackson Physician Search in 2020, Tonya served as a physician recruiter for a major integrated delivery system. This experience offers her a unique vantage point, allowing her to identify the best candidates for the role and providing valuable market insights to her clients, ensuring strategic decisions that drive results. As Regional Vice President of Recruiting, Tonya leads a team of expert recruiters in our Dallas, Texas office. She excels in understanding the distinct needs of each client and delivering customized recruitment strategies.

Tonya earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communications with a minor in Marketing from Texas A&M University.

Neal Waters brings more than 18 years of experience in retained physician search to his role as Regional Vice President of Recruiting for Jackson Physician Search.

He completed his undergraduate studies and played football at Auburn University, where Neal earned his Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. Neal loves physician recruitment and has an extreme passion for bringing healthcare to communities that need it while improving career opportunities and quality of life for physicians.