Transforming healthcare with the right people and expertise

Rachel Marano is the Senior Managing Partner, Healthcare for Highspring. Prior, Rachel was the President & Founder of Pivot Point Consulting and is a seasoned entrepreneur and healthcare IT executive and brings over 20 years of hands on experience with healthcare organizations to her role as managing partner.

Rachel has worked in all aspects of healthcare IT. She has worked with a range of healthcare organizations, both in-house and as a consultant, leading complex EHR implementations at clients including Stanford Healthcare, Advocate and Lancaster General Health.

After a successful career as a certified Cerner and Epic implementation consultant, she founded Pivot Point Consulting in 2011 as a consultant-led company with a relentless pursuit of excellence and uncompromising quality. Rachel grew the company until its acquisition by Vaco in 2016 and oversaw the integration of Pivot Point Consulting, as well as the acquisition of Greythorn, into Vaco.

Rachel was on the Greater Chicago Chapter HIMSS board for eight years having held the positions of President, Communications Chair and Member at Large, as well as the role of Program Chair of the Indiana HIMSS board. She has her Bachelors in computer science from the University of Iowa.

Zack Tisch, Highspring Partner, Portfolio Services, has spent 20 years advancing healthcare outcomes through people, process, and technology.  He leads healthcare industry services and builds solutions for some of the world’s leading healthcare and life sciences organizations. 

Nick Patel, MD, is a digital transformation leader with over two decades of experience at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and operational strategy. As a former Chief Digital Officer and healthcare executive, he has led large-scale digital health initiatives, integrating AI, virtual care, and automation to enhance patient outcomes and streamline operations. His expertise spans enterprise system implementations, IT strategy, and aligning technology investments with business goals to drive measurable impact. 

At Highspring, Dr. Patel advises organizations on technology transformation, leveraging his deep knowledge of IT operations, governance, and digital innovation to optimize efficiencies and improve scalability. He has held advisory roles with leading healthcare systems, technology firms, and investors, guiding them toward a digital-first future. Dr. Patel remains active in academic and industry leadership, regularly speaking on AI, telehealth, and health equity. In his spare time, he enjoys golfing, racing cars, mentoring young leaders, and traveling with his family. 

Greg, as the Risk & Regulatory Advisory Leader, serves clients in a multitude of industries, principally Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Utilities, Manufacturing and Industrial Products with their internal controls and internal audit needs.  In an effort to provide the optimal outcomes for our clients, Greg is focused on building high performing teams through best in class recruiting which translates to a differentiated experience.  He has over 18 years of Big 4 experience with PwC in both their audit and advisory practices as well as over 4 years in industry.  This allows Greg to bring unique perspectives as he has experience outside of traditional audit and advisory roles.  Greg is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees from La Salle University in Philadelphia.  Outside of serving clients, Greg enjoys attending his children’s sporting events and is an avid skier.   

Kate serves as a Managing Partner for Interim Leadership for Highspring. Kate is expanding the interim practice, helping clients with their interim talent needs cross functionally, in several industry sectors including Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Consumer, Private Equity and Technology. ​

​Prior to joining the team, Kate was a Managing Partner at Korn Ferry, leading the Private Equity & Life Sciences industry sectors for Interim Solutions. Korn Ferry acquired Patina Solutions in 2022, where she had been since 2015 when her company, The Pentad Group, was acquired. Kate is a Professional Services Executive with more than 28 years of experience in the industry. Her clients include both privately held start-ups, and multi-billion publicly traded companies. ​

Kate earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Bradley University and her Masters’ in Journalism from Columbia College. Kate lives in Boston, MA with her two children.​

Alesha Herbert serves as Managing Director of Highspring’s Executive Search Healthcare practice. Alesha is a recruiting and management professional boasting a proven track record of success and expertise in building profitable organizations for the past 25 years. She is an accomplished business leader with an entrepreneurial approach to drive significant shareholder value and organizational growth. Fifteen of those years were spent with a national recruiting firm, leading their Houston market as General Manager. ​

Alesha has a concentration in PE-backed healthcare services, specifically in the consolidation of physician practice management platforms. She has completed numerous C-suite searches in a variety of sectors including Men’s Health, Ophthalmology, Behavioral Health, Dental with recent work in newer sectors including Autism, ENT, Pain Management and Orthopedics. ​

In 2006, Alesha started her own firm, Sales Savvy, where she specialized in Executive Search of Sales & Marketing Executives. She has developed a wide network of highly qualified candidates that span a broad spectrum of experience. This knowledge and experience led Alesha to Vaco, FSP’s holding company, and launched its operational division in 2014. Vaco acquired FSP and Alesha joined as Partner in 2017.​

Alesha received her BA in Communications and Public Relations from Texas A&M University. She lives in Houston with her family.