James K. Elsey
President – Board Member
Medical industry management professional with a notable record of success expanding service quality and business profitability in a variety of commercial ventures. An astute and insightful champion of vanquishing paradigms, raising standards, opening opportunities, and embracing innovation. Prudent, pragmatic, and aggressive governing fiscal matters. Motivated and resourceful designing and advancing near-term improvements and acquiring and perfecting the resources and assets necessary for ensuring a prosperous future.
The Person Depended On for Productive Resolution of Consequential Situations
A talented, skilled, and effective leader of subordinates and peers adept at gaining acceptance of visionary concepts and dedication to meeting challenging goals. Clear, concise, and impactful communication in written and verbal form captivating small groups and large audiences. An able, confident, and respected team captain with an empathetic yet insistent manner that propels associates to deliver results that exceed expectations.
Innovative leader and highly accomplished change agent with extensive experience identifying and creating purposeful improvements that garner impactful results. Institutes change through relationship building within corporate, public, and government arenas to accomplish common goals. Persuasive communicator building consensus through strategic collaboration, public speaking, and finding consensus in pursuing desired results.
Continually develop, mentor, and coach the next generation.
Charleston, SC
404.735.0839
jimelsey@mac.com
Strategic Leadership
Lead innovative improvement projects, policies, and events for organizations, boards, and the government that garner growth and resolution.
Change Management
Utilize an overall vision to disclose opportunities that create and advance programs.
Political Relationships / Govt Affairs
Engage with municipal and industry leaders in building collaborative partnerships utilizing boards, panels, and associations to influence change.
Coaching / Mentoring
Seize every opportunity to coach, mentor, and develop the next generation.
Self-Motivated
Purposely driven to collaborate, create, and enhance situations using a rich mix of experience and expertise.
Achievements
Work History
Preeminent umbrella oversight organization with the mission to ensure safe and available quality care.
Vice Chairman – Board of Directors
Served in all leadership roles and on all significant committees including eleven years as vice chairman.
- Converted the nature of business meetings from lengthy, detailed reporting of routine activities to informed examination of critical subjects by assigning division chiefs responsibility for research and action-step recommendations in specific areas of interest.
- Guided establishment of the society’s initial Washington-based office that drove design and acceptance of a realistic national health policy.
- Overhauled the means of communicating with members by redesigning the website, replacing hard-copy vehicles with social media tools, and installing online meeting software, which helped expand participation by international fellows by reducing travel time and expenses.
- Transformed a failing organization into the ACS’s leading chapter by replacing management, changing program content to better suit younger and practicing members, starting a state-government-focused political action committee, and absorbing a competing association.
- Championed a new basis for physician compensation by collaborating with policy experts in switching payment paradigms from fee-for-service to remuneration based on outcomes and value delivered.
- Extended involvement with the educational program to 66 countries by introducing modular lessons tailored to individual student interests and replacing much of the in-person instruction with online classes.
- Positioned the organization on a sound financial footing by restructuring the funding mechanism and gaining membership’s agreement to dues increase which kept the institution solvent.
- Steered resolution of deleterious surgical-care issues leading to improved surgical residents’ skills, increased availability of care in rural areas, and greater ACS involvement with firearm-casualty prevention.
The South’s oldest medical school and the state’s only integrated academic health system providing education, research, and patient care.
Professor of Surgery
Lecture and mentor in the medical school and surgical residency program.
Multi-disciplinary private surgical practice.
General / Vascular Surgeon
Provided elective and emergent care to the surrounding community as one of three surgeons in the group.
- Extended market share in vascular surgery by taking a subject-matter fellowship.
- Drove the hospital’s introduction of robotic surgery by collaborating with the supplier in developing techniques appropriate for several types of surgeries and assisting in the rollout, teaching, and accreditation of the technology.
- Fostered expansion of the practice to the status of area’s largest by extending availability of emergent surgical care to the local hospital and surrounding community and gaining a personal reputation as the go-to provider based on expertise, outcomes, and availability.
- Safeguarded the accessibility of surgery during the early COVID period by establishing management guidelines and safe practices exercising authority afforded by membership on the American College of Surgeons COVID Task Force.
- Developed a recognized brand for the company by creating an internal and state-wide education and career-path program for students and residents, lecturing at numerous medical schools, and authoring several scholarly papers and textbooks.
- Reignited the hospital’s fundraising efforts by establishing a community outreach apparatus through creation of an annual appreciation gala for donors including awards, community acknowledgment, and participation by nationally recognized speakers.
- Strengthened programs promoting breast-cancer awareness, mobile mammography, and outpatient inclusion by increasing the hospital and medical staffs’ ability to impact state political activity through application of highly refined and tested political and organizational skills.
County Commissioner
Political post with responsibility for managing the county’s affairs.
- Expanded the business base beyond the community’s one dominant industry, launched property reevaluations as a vehicle for revenue increases, hired the first professional municipal manager, and uncovered and ended an illegal licensing scam.
Vascular & General Surgeon
- As a medical professional; a) brought expansive, quality surgical care to a previously poorly underserved area, b) devised new techniques and incorporated different drugs for treating difficult clinical problems, c) increased the size and quality of the company’s physician cadre, and d) helped raise the local hospital’s rating to a Level 3 trauma system.
- As a citizen of the community; started an after-school mentoring and skills program to offset regional educational inequalities and inaugurated and promoted a child-abuse prevention society and shelter.
Army Reserve National Guard | Fort Sam Houston, TX
Chief of 177 MASH
- Oversaw the vascular service at Brooke Army Medical Center and trained assigned physicians during two weeks of annual active duty. Authored an accelerated resident operative autonomy program that became the model for armed services surgical training.
Education & Professional Development
Doctor of Medicine, Medical College of Georgia (Honor Graduate)
Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, University of Georgia (Magna Cum Laude)
General Surgery Residency / Vascular Surgery Fellowship, Emory School of Medicine
Endovascular Surgery Fellowship, Mercer University School of Medicine
Board Certified (current); General / Vascular / Endovascular Surgery
Georgia Medical Unrestricted