Apex
Leadership Institute
NOW RECRUITING OUR FOUNDING COHORT

No Fellowship?
No Problem.

The Leadership Path No One Tells You About.

You worked hard for your MHA. Apex helps you turn your degree into a healthcare administration career with the guidance, coaching, relationships, and community you need to take your next step—even without a fellowship.

Limited founding cohort. Applications reviewed within 48 hours.

Founding Cohort

A small group, built with intention.

Every founding member is reviewed personally. The program combines practical career preparation with relationships and development that continue as you grow.

2
Introductions / month
Weekly
Live sessions
3
Mini courses
The Reality

A Fellowship Is One Path. It Is Not the Only Path.

Formal fellowships offer valuable development, but there are far fewer positions than qualified graduates. If you do not land one—or decide it is not the right route—you still need a practical plan for entering healthcare administration, building relationships, and developing as a leader. Apex gives that next path structure.

Your Network

Warm introductions and live access to healthcare leaders who can expand your understanding of roles, organizations, and career paths.

Your Coaching

Practical guidance for applications, interviews, career decisions, and the leadership habits that help you grow after the first role.

Your Community

A focused group of peers and professionals who share what they are learning, open doors, and keep one another moving forward.

By the Numbers
~6,500

MHA graduates produced each year in the U.S.

<300

Administrative fellowship spots offered annually

>95%

of graduates enter the workforce without a fellowship

Voice of the Cohort

You're Not the Only One Feeling This Way.

"It's not about what you know, it's who you know."
"The chances of me cold messaging an executive and getting a response are quite low."
"I don't know how to navigate this world."
"How do I make myself the most interesting on paper?"

FROM REAL MHA STUDENTS WORRIED ABOUT GETTING THEIR CAREER STARTED ON THE RIGHT FOOT

HOW APEX WORKS

Your Path. Mapped Out.

Apex gives you the same developmental track as an administrative fellow getting you to your ultimate career goal - becoming a senior executive in a health care system.

The Fellowship Path
  1. Step - 1
    Administrative Fellowship
  2. Step - 2
    Formal Rotations
  3. Step - 3
    Leadership Development
  4. Step - 4
    Middle Management
  5. Step - 5
    Senior Leadership
Your Apex Path
  1. Step - 1
    Entry Level Admin Role
  2. Step - 2
    Shadowing + Networking
  3. Step - 3
    Leadership Development
  4. Step - 4
    Middle Management
  5. Step - 5
    Senior Leadership

Same destination. Same development. You just take a different road to get there — and Apex walks it with you.

Outcomes

What You'll Walk Away With.

Membership is built around four outcomes — each measurable, each compounding until you secure your full-time administrative role.

A real network

Two warm introductions every month to working healthcare administrators — not LinkedIn cold messages that go nowhere.

Interview-ready, hire-ready

Job application, interview, and operational mini-courses built specifically for healthcare administration roles.

Leadership skills that compound

Weekly live sessions with healthcare leaders on the exact skills aspiring leaders need to accelerate their path to senior leadership.

Clarity on your path

Stop guessing. Build a concrete 12-month plan with measurable milestones and accountability from leaders who've walked it.

What's Included

Everything You Get When You Join.

Networking

Connecting you to Senior Executives in healthcare & helping you get interview opportunities.

Coaching

Developing your practical leadership and operational skills so you stand out in interviews.

Interviewing

Preparing with you so you will be the most educated and prepared candidate going into your interview.

Apex Leadership Institute membership includes: mini courses, weekly coaching, networking introductions, definitive guide, and private community.
  • You must apply and be accepted — we keep the community quality high
  • 2 personalized, warm networking introductions per month to healthcare leaders looking to hire people like you
  • Weekly live coaching session with a healthcare leader to add to your network
  • Instant Access: Applying for Jobs Mini Course
  • Instant Access: Job Interviewing Mini Course
  • Instant Access: Improving Healthcare Mini Course
  • The Definitive Guide to Job Interviews (digital access)
  • A private community of your peers and professionals investing in your future
Jonathan Sachs speaking at TEDx
From the Founder
Jonathan Sachs
MBA, FACHE, PCC

I built Apex because higher education produces thousands of capable graduates every year but healthcare systems only invest in a few hundred of them through a fellowship. The rest are told to figure it out alone. This makes no sense, hurts critical outcomes for patients, and makes the caregivers jobs harder.

Read Jonathan's full bio
Board of Advisors

The People in Your Corner.

Apex's Board of Advisors are here to help you build the network you need to get on the path to senior leadership. They're current operators, executives, and practitioners who have been in the rooms you're trying to get into — and they joined Apex because they believe in opening those doors for the next generation.

Headshot of Jeffrey Berenholtz

Jeffrey BerenholtzMHA, PMP

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF INTEGRATED OPERATIONS, MEDSTAR FRANKLIN SQUARE MEDICAL CENTER

MHAPMPSr. DirectorMedStar Health

Jeffrey holds an MHA and built his career the same way you're trying to build yours — without a fellowship. He's now a Sr. Director at MedStar, where he leads operational excellence and strategic growth across clinical and administrative teams. He knows what it takes to get hired, get promoted, and build a career in health system operations from the inside.

Headshot of Joan Cox

Joan CoxCPXP, Certified Physician Coach

CHIEF EXPERIENCE OFFICER & VICE PRESIDENT, LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH

CPXPCertified Physician CoachCXOLifeBridge Health

Joan brings over 30 years of healthcare experience to transforming health systems and culture around patient care. She serves as Chief Experience Officer and VP at LifeBridge Health, a regional healthcare system in northwest Baltimore, where she leads initiatives spanning executive rounding, physician communication coaching, and HCAHPS/patient experience improvement. 

Headshot of Jeffrey Foy

Jeffrey FoyMSN, DHA (candidate)

Vice President / Chief Operating Officer, Howard University Hospital

MSNDHA CandidateCOOBoard-Certified Nurse Executive

Jeffrey runs daily operations and clinical services at a 452-bed academic medical center in Washington, D.C. He started his career as a nurse and worked his way into the C-suite — which means he understands the path from the front line to the executive floor better than almost anyone. If you want to know what it actually takes to lead in a complex health system, Jeffrey has lived it.

Headshot of James G. Lee

James G. LeeFACHE, FHFMA

Executive Vice President & CFO, MultiCare Health System

FACHEFHFMAEVP & CFOMultiCare Health System

James is an Executive Vice President and CFO at MultiCare, a major health system in Washington State. With more than 30 years of healthcare finance and executive leadership experience across systems in Washington, Maryland, Hawaii, and Illinois. He has held board and leadership roles with HFMA at the national level. If you want to understand how health systems make decisions — including hiring decisions — James has been in that seat for three decades.

Headshot of Kali Milgate

Kali MilgateMHA, CPXP, LSSGB

System Director of Patient Experience, Luminis Health

MHACPXPLSSGBSystem DirectorLuminis Health

Kali is a System Director of Patient Experience at Luminis Health, where she leads enterprise experience strategy, patient relations, and culture transformation across adult and pediatric care settings. She began her career in hospitality, then brought that service mindset into healthcare to build cultures where patients and caregivers thrive. She is passionate about developing mission-driven leaders and mentoring the next generation of healthcare administrators.

Headshot of Kristin Petersen

Kristin Petersen

Founder, CEO & President, iCalibrate

Founder & CEOSVP, Stanford Children'sSVP, Robert Wood Johnson University HospitalChief Strategy Officer

Kristin is the founder, CEO and President of iCalibrate, a precision health company that applies neuroscience to how leaders think, recover and perform under pressure. iCalibrate helps executives and their teams build more capacity, more choice in how they respond, and greater influence, while supporting people working through persistent symptoms. Kristin brings 27 years of leadership in some of the nation's leading health systems. As Senior Vice President at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, she ran operations, oversaw all strategic service line work and co-led the hospital through a $1.2 billion expansion. As Chief Strategy Officer at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, she led the organization's first integrated strategic plan. Her focus throughout has been building high-performing teams and getting proven science to people faster.

Headshot of Dave Schultz

Dave SchultzDHA, FACHE, FACHDM, MBA, MPA

Director, Patient and Family Relations, Holy Cross Health

DHAFACHEFACHDMMBAMPAUSMC Veteran

Dave leads patient experience and advocacy at Holy Cross, a two-hospital health system serving Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland. Before healthcare, he was a U.S. Marine Corps officer, a housing advocate, and a government consultant — which means he brings a perspective on leadership that most administrators never encounter. Dave understands how the best leaders are built, not just hired.

What Happens Next

From Application to First Introduction. Fast.

  1. 01

    Apply

    Five minutes. Tell us about your goals, your program, and where you're stuck. No résumé gymnastics required.

  2. 02

    Brief intro call

    A 20-minute conversation so we understand what you need and you understand exactly what membership looks like.

  3. 03

    Onboard & match

    Get into the community, unlock the courses, and receive your first two introductions to health care leaders. Our network is now yours.

Founding Member Rate
$29/month

Billed monthly. Cancel anytime.

Full program access. No contracts. No surprises.

Founding price locked for as long as you stay active

Why $29? We set founding member pricing intentionally low so that access — not cost — is never the barrier to building your career.

Risk-Free

30-Day Money-Back Satisfaction Guarantee

Your membership is backed by a 30-day money-back satisfaction guarantee. If for any reason you don't love the program, let us know within 30 days and we'll refund your money. After that, your membership is month-to-month and you can cancel anytime.

Apex Leadership Institute 30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee badge
Right Fit

This Program Is For You If...

  • You're currently enrolled in an MHA or healthcare administration program
  • You graduated recently and are navigating your first job search
  • You applied to fellowships and didn't get one — and you refuse to stop there
  • You know healthcare administration is your path, and you're ready to work for it
  • You want real guidance, real introductions, and a community that takes this seriously
FAQ

Questions, Answered.

Who is this actually for?
MHA students, recent MHA graduates, and early-career healthcare administrators (typically 0–3 years in). If you're trying to break into hospital administration or accelerate from an entry role into leadership, this is for you.
Is this a replacement for an administrative fellowship?
It's a parallel track. Fellowships are excellent and competitive — most applicants don't get one. First, Apex helps you secure your first role in healthcare leadership. Then, Apex gives you the same developmental scaffolding you would get in a fellowship: structured leadership content, exposure to senior leaders in a variety of administrative disciplines, and a community of peers, helping you progress to senior leadership faster.
What if I'm already in a fellowship?
Apex still works as a supplement — especially the networking introductions and the peer community. Most fellows tell us they wish they had more lateral relationships with people on the same journey.
How do I get matched for networking?
When you're accepted into the Apex Leadership Program, we ask you a couple of questions based on your interests, desired geographic location, and experience to connect you with our wider network. Want to meet someone specific? Just ask us and we will tap into our network to help make a warm introduction.
Why $29? Will the price change?
Founding members lock in $29/month for as long as their membership stays active. Pricing for future cohorts will be higher. We priced founding membership intentionally low so access is never the barrier.
Can I cancel?
Yes — anytime. No contracts, no cancellation fees, satisfaction guaranteed.
What's the time commitment?
Plan on 1-2 hours per week to get real value: one live session, async community engagement, and working through the mini-courses at your pace.
Other questions? Emailinfo@apexleadershipinstitute.com

The founding cohort is small by design.

Every founding member is reviewed personally. We're assembling 10 people who are serious about changing health care for the better and prepared to lead.