Ep 128_Succession Planning Done Right: Culture, Continuity, and the CEO Transition at TriHealth

In this episode of the Healthcare Plus Podcast, host Quint Studer sits down with Mark Clement, retiring president and CEO of TriHealth in Cincinnati, and Dr. Chris Reilly, industrial psychologist and founding partner of Sperduto & Associates, to pull back the curtain on one of the most intentional and successful CEO succession processes in healthcare.  Clement spent 11 years leading TriHealth from the 26th to the 97th percentile in team member engagement and building the most trusted, most preferred healthcare brand in Cincinnati. He did not leave succession to chance. He started planning from day one, built a structured multi-phase process, engaged the board at every stage, and partnered with an industrial psychologist to assess and develop five internal candidates over a decade. The result: a seamless, board-endorsed promotion of COO Terri Hanlon-Bremer as his successor, with all five candidates still in the organization and stronger for having gone through the process. Dr. Reilly brings the assessment science behind the process to life, walking through how Sperduto & Associates uses structured interviews, psychometric testing, 360 feedback, and development planning to evaluate readiness and fit, not just current performance. Together, Clement and Reilly make the case that succession planning is not a one-time event but a sustained leadership discipline. Listeners will learn: • Why succession planning should begin the first year in the leadership role, not just when departure is imminent • How to structure a confidential, non-competitive internal succession process that develops candidates without creating political friction • What industrial psychologists assess beyond the interview, including problem-solving, self-awareness, personality fit, and behavioral patterns • How to engage the board across three phases: awareness, formalization, and endorsement • Why over 80 percent of TriHealth leadership appointments are promotions from within • About the culture-monitoring tool Clement created to help organizations preserve core ideology and continuously improve, modeled on the Built to Last framework This is a masterclass in succession planning for any healthcare leader serious about leaving their organization stronger than they found it.