Peggy Loughery, MSN, RN, serves as Senior Vice President, Executive Search at Kirby Bates Associates, where she has led executive and senior leadership searches for healthcare organizations nationwide for two decades. Since joining the firm, she has completed hundreds of executive searches, partnering with hospitals, health systems, academic medical centers, and investor-backed care delivery organizations to recruit transformative leaders aligned with organizational strategy, culture, and long-term organizational performance.
Known for her consultative approach, strong communication skills, and extensive national network, Peggy is a trusted advisor to both healthcare executives and leadership candidates navigating increasingly complex healthcare environments.
Peggy was appointed Senior Vice President of Executive Search in 2025 and is recognized for her ability to align high-performing leaders with organizational culture, strategy, and evolving leadership structures. Her expertise includes executive recruitment, succession planning, leadership assessment, and organizational alignment in an era of expanded executive scope and enterprise leadership models.
In addition to her executive search leadership, Peggy previously served on the Board of the Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter. She is also a frequent presenter on executive leadership and recruitment topics.
Peggy earned a Master of Science in Nursing from Drexel University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from La Salle University.
Contact Peggy at: [email protected].
Melissa has forty years of healthcare leadership experience and has served as Vice President of Critical Care and Cardiac Services at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Senior Associate Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nurse Executive at Duke University Medical Center. Melissa is a past National President of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses and was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 1997. Melissa also served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Nursing Management Journal and the first ever Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at Hill-Rom.
In 2019, Melissa joined Kirby Bates Associates, a nationally recognized healthcare executive search firm, as Chief Operating Officer and was named President of KBA in January 2020. Melissa provides strategic vision and direction to the organization and is the liaison to their parent company, Jackson Healthcare.
In July 2024, Melissa joined the Board of Trustees at her undergraduate alma mater, Gwynedd Mercy University, and chairs its Marketing, Enrollment, and Campus Life Committee. Since 2020, she has served as the first ever nurse on the Board of UNC Rex Healthcare and chairs its Quality, Patient Safety, and HR Committee. Melissa also serves on the Board of the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare. She is actively engaged as an officer and member of many national nursing and healthcare organizations and serves our industry and the nursing profession at the highest level with integrity and passion.
Contact Melissa at: [email protected].