About Jim Hagood
Managing Director & Co-Founder of Academic Med
Jim Hagood is the Managing Director and Co-Founder of Academic Med and a trusted advisor to medical school deans, health system executives, department chairs, search committees, and other senior institutional leaders. With a career spanning more than five decades across information technology, enterprise sales, executive search, and physician recruitment, Jim brings exceptional depth in relationship management, negotiation, organizational strategy, and leadership assessment to Academic Med’s clients.
Jim has provided direct leadership, strategic counsel, or behind-the-scenes guidance on nearly every search undertaken by Academic Med. He works closely with clients and the firm’s search teams to clarify institutional priorities, develop recruitment strategy, evaluate candidate markets, anticipate challenges, and guide complex searches toward successful outcomes.
Leadership Experience at a Glance
- More than five decades of leadership experience across information technology, enterprise sales, executive search, and physician recruitment
- Managing Director and Co-Founder of Academic Med since the firm’s founding in 2012
- Former Managing Partner at Kaye/Bassman International
- Established an academic neurology and neurosurgery research search practice within Kaye/Bassman’s physician recruitment division
- Twenty-one years of enterprise sales and client leadership experience at Electronic Data Systems
- Selected for the EDS CEO-appointed Sales Inner Circle
- Experience negotiating complex enterprise services contracts, including engagements valued at more than $100 million
- Experience advising and supporting searches for department chairs, division chiefs, center directors, physician executives, faculty leaders, and scientific investigators
- Extensive experience mentoring executive search professionals and advising candidates through consequential leadership transitions
Strategic Leadership at Academic Med
As Managing Director, Jim helps shape the strategic direction, operational discipline, and client-centered culture of Academic Med. His contributions extend well beyond the searches on which he serves as the visible client leader. Across the firm’s portfolio, Jim provides strategic guidance, institutional knowledge, candidate insight, and practical counsel to search teams navigating complex leadership assignments.
Jim is particularly effective at understanding the people, relationships, and organizational dynamics that influence an executive search. He helps clients and search teams look beyond a candidate’s credentials to consider leadership style, institutional alignment, interpersonal effectiveness, motivation, and long-term potential.
His consultative approach is grounded in careful listening and a detailed understanding of each institution’s objectives. Whether advising a medical school dean, health system executive, department chair, or search committee, Jim works to ensure that the recruitment strategy reflects the organization’s mission, culture, leadership environment, and future direction.
He also plays an important role in team development at Academic Med. Jim shares his experience and judgment with colleagues throughout the firm, helping search professionals strengthen their client counsel, candidate evaluation, communication, negotiation, and problem-solving capabilities.
Building an Academic Neurology and Neurosurgery Search Practice
After transitioning into executive search, Jim Hagood joined Kaye/Bassman International as a senior executive search consultant. He advanced to Managing Partner during his tenure, reflecting his success in developing client relationships, building a specialized practice, and leading complex recruitment engagements.
At Kaye/Bassman, Jim established an academic neurology and neurosurgery research search practice within the firm’s physician recruitment division. His work focused on the specialized leadership, clinical, and research needs of academic neurological programs, including the recruitment of physicians, physician-scientists, researchers, and institutional leaders whose work influences patient care, medical education, and scientific discovery.
This experience demonstrated the value of deep specialization within executive search and helped establish the foundation for Academic Med’s dedicated focus on academic medicine. Jim’s ability to understand highly specialized clinical and research environments continues to inform the firm’s approach to academic medicine executive search and physician recruitment.
Enterprise Leadership, Sales, and Negotiation
Before entering executive search, Jim built a distinguished career in corporate leadership, information technology, enterprise sales, and client relationship management.
From 1975 through 1986, Jim served as a Corporate Officer and Managing Director with AXA. His responsibilities included leadership within the property-casualty insurance information technology environment, providing him with early experience navigating large organizations, complex systems, senior client relationships, and enterprise-level decision-making.
In 1986, Jim joined Electronic Data Systems as a Sales Executive. During his 21-year career at EDS, he was responsible for leading sales initiatives, developing and managing major client relationships, and negotiating complex enterprise services agreements.
Jim successfully negotiated multiple major contracts, including engagements valued at more than $100 million. He received numerous sales and management awards and was selected as a member of the CEO-appointed Sales Inner Circle, recognizing his performance, leadership, and contributions to the company.
After retiring early from a successful enterprise technology career at EDS, Jim brought his experience in consultative sales, negotiation, relationship management, and organizational leadership to executive search. These capabilities proved highly transferable to senior recruitment, where successful outcomes depend upon building trust, aligning stakeholders, navigating competing priorities, understanding complex institutions, and maintaining momentum throughout lengthy decision-making processes.
Trusted Institutional Relationships
Throughout his executive search career, Jim has developed trusted relationships with senior leaders at academic medical institutions and health systems across the United States. His client experience includes work with the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine, the University of Florida College of Medicine, the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, UPMC, and institutions within the State University of New York system, including SUNY Upstate Medical University.
These relationships are built through responsiveness, candor, discretion, and a long-term commitment to each institution’s success. Jim approaches client service with the understanding that consequential leadership appointments affect far more than an individual position. The right leader can shape a department, clinical program, research enterprise, educational mission, or institutional strategy for many years.
Jim’s extensive professional network and knowledge of academic medicine allow him to provide context that extends beyond an individual candidate or search. He helps clients understand the national talent market, assess leadership potential, and make informed decisions about the physicians, scientists, and executives who will advance their organizations.
Mentorship and Commitment to Academic Medicine
Mentorship has been a consistent theme throughout Jim’s career. He is committed to developing executive search professionals, supporting colleagues, and helping candidates navigate important career decisions with clarity and confidence.
Jim believes that executive search should create long-term value for both the institution and the individual selected. His approach balances the client’s strategic requirements with a thoughtful understanding of each candidate’s professional goals, leadership capabilities, and potential institutional fit.
Through his work at Academic Med, Jim remains focused on helping academic institutions recruit the physicians, scientists, faculty members, and leaders required to strengthen clinical care, advance research, educate future healthcare professionals, and build programs with lasting institutional impact.
Connect With Jim Hagood
Medical school deans, health system executives, department chairs, search committee leaders, and other institutional decision-makers are invited to contact Jim to discuss an upcoming leadership search, faculty recruitment initiative, or complex talent need.