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Ivy Rehab Announces CEO Transition: Jason Strauss to Succeed Michael Rucker as Chief Executive Officer
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. , March 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Ivy Rehab (“Ivy” or the “Company”), a provider of outpatient adult and pediatric physical, occupational and speech therapy, as well as ABA services, announced today that Michael Rucker, its Chief Executive Officer since 2017, will retire effective April 30, 2025. Michael will continue to support the organization and leadership team as a member of the Board of Directors. Jason Strauss has been appointed as Ivy’s new CEO as well as a member of its Board of Directors and will lead the Company’s next phase of growth and innovation.
Under Rucker’s leadership, which has centered on People and Culture, Ivy has grown and transformed into one of the industry’s largest outpatient therapy providers. Some of the Ivy team’s major accomplishments during his tenure include:
- Establishing Ivy as a premier destination for talent with 6,000+ teammates, and an emphasis on teammate engagement and retention
- Achieving “Exceptional” clinical care recognition by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the highest MIPS Performance Tier ranking
- Growing the clinic footprint from 55 to 650+ locations, serving millions of lives across the nation’s Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Midwest regions
- Driving same-store, De Novo and M&A growth
- Developing the nation’s largest pediatric outpatient physical, occupational, speech, and ABA therapy provider, Ivy Rehab for Kids, with 150+ locations
Strauss is stepping into a well-established, proven leadership team at Ivy and is poised to guide the Company to continued success. Jason brings nearly 20 years of healthcare industry experience, having most recently served as CEO of SCA Health, a multibillion-dollar ambulatory surgery center provider with 320 surgical facilities, 11,300 teammates, and 9,200 physicians serving more than 1.43 million patients each year. Additionally, Strauss served as Optum Health’s Chief Operating Officer. Prior to being appointed CEO of SCA Health, Strauss held multiple different roles starting as an analyst in the organization and holding the senior leadership roles in the organization including Group President, COO, and President.
“I am honored and excited to take on the role of CEO at Ivy Rehab,” said Jason Strauss. “The foundation that Michael and the leadership team have built is exceptional, and I look forward to working alongside the team to drive the next chapter of growth while continuing to invest meaningfully in people, culture, and innovation in order to best care for the patients we serve.”
David Neighbours, Chairman of Ivy’s Board of Directors and Senior Advisor to Waud Capital Partners, Ivy’s private equity sponsor, shared: “Under Michael’s leadership, Ivy has been transformed. His commitment to culture has set a high standard that will continue to guide Ivy into the future. The Board is excited to begin working with Jason as we seek to further establish Ivy as a leader in our industry. Jason’s experience, vision, and dedication to people, align perfectly with the Company’s values. We have no doubt that under Jason’s leadership Ivy will continue its strong momentum.”
Rucker also shared his enthusiasm for the transition, stating, “It has been an incredible journey leading Ivy Rehab over the past eight years, and I could not be prouder of what we have accomplished. I have great confidence in Jason’s commitment and capability to fulfill Ivy’s mission to inspire and enable people to live life to the fullest. Jason’s humility and integrity, deep industry experience, and passion for developing leaders make him the perfect choice to lead Ivy into the future. Simply put, Jason makes Ivy better!”
About Ivy Rehab
Founded in 2003, Ivy Rehab is a growing network of best-in-class adult and pediatric outpatient physical, occupational, speech therapy, and ABA clinics throughout the United States dedicated to providing exceptional care, personalized treatment, and unparalleled outcomes. Ivy Rehab will continue its strategic growth in communities seeking improved access to care via investment in teams and partners who embrace a shared mission, vision, and values and a culture of being “All About the People.” For more information, visit www.ivyrehab.com.
About Waud Capital
Founded by Reeve B. Waud, and based in Chicago, Waud Capital Partners is a growth-oriented private equity firm with over 30 years of investing experience. Waud Capital seeks to partner with experienced management teams to build market-leading companies within two industries: software & technology and healthcare. Since its founding in 1993, Waud Capital has successfully completed more than 480 investments, including platform companies and follow-on opportunities. For additional information on Waud Capital, please visit www.waudcapital.com.
Investment Professional Contacts:
Kyle Lattner, Partner
[email protected]
SOURCE Waud Capital Partners
Originally published at https://www.prnewswire.com.
/PRNewswire/ — Waud Capital Partners (“Waud Capital”), a growth-oriented middle-market private equity firm specializing in the healthcare and software and technology sectors, today announced the release of its first annual Responsible Investing report.
“While today marks the publication of our first Responsible Investing report, our journey of responsible investing began long before the adoption of that term,” said Reeve B. Waud, Managing Partner of Waud Capital. “Responsible investing is not a niche activity but a core tenet of who we are and what we care about; it is also intelligent investing.”
The report outlines Waud Capital’s work to address material environmental, social, and governance factors in all phases of the investment lifecycle, from pre-diligence and due diligence to portfolio management and monitoring. To make this possible, Waud Capital has engaged a third party since 2022 to conduct ESG surveys and calculate Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions. The goal is to build a baseline of data and to begin the awareness, education, and appreciation journey for the firm and its portfolio companies.
Waud Capital is excited to share its progress to date. Click here to read the Waud Capital 2023 Responsible Investing Report in full.
About Waud Capital Partners
Based in Chicago, Waud Capital Partners is a growth-oriented private equity firm with over 30 years of investing experience. Waud Capital seeks to partner with experienced management teams to build market-leading companies within two industries: healthcare and software and technology. Since its founding in 1993, Waud Capital has completed more than 460 investments, including platform companies and follow-on opportunities. For additional information on Waud Capital, please visit www.waudcapital.com.
Responsible Investing Contact:
Melanie Sponholz, Chief Compliance Officer & Director of Responsible Investing, Portfolio Operations
[email protected]
Investor Relations Contact:
Jessica Schmitt, Head of Investor Relations
[email protected]
SOURCE Waud Capital Partners
Originally published at https://www.prnewswire.com.
/PRNewswire/ — Waud Capital Partners (“Waud Capital”), a growth-oriented middle-market private equity firm, is pleased to announce the promotions of Tim Cremieux, Kyle Lattner and Paul Sutphin to Partner, as well as Mike Lehman to Principal.
“At Waud Capital, we firmly believe that exceptional people drive exceptional value, and it holds true in both our portfolio and firm. I am proud of the caliber of talent we have within Waud Capital, and these promotions are a testament to that. The entire Partner group is excited to welcome Tim, Kyle and Paul to the partnership,” said Reeve B. Waud, Founder and Managing Partner of Waud Capital.
- Tim Cremieux (Healthcare Group) joined Waud Capital in 2017 and helped lead the recent PharmAlliance platform investment. He supports current portfolio companies Apotheco, PromptCare and Provider Network Holdings. Further, Tim is actively involved in the firm’s investment efforts across the pharma services, payor services, medication supply chain, and wellness & functional medicine sectors, amongst others.
- Kyle Lattner (Healthcare Group) joined Waud Capital in 2013 and helped lead the recent Senior Helpers and Mopec Group investments. He also supports current portfolio companies APDerm and Ivy Rehab, a team he’s been an integral part of for almost a decade. In addition, Kyle is actively involved in the firm’s investment efforts across medical device and supply chain services, home care, multi-site providers, and behavioral health sectors, among others.
- Paul Sutphin (Software & Technology Group) joined Waud Capital in 2013 and helped lead the firm’s recent investment in Science Exchange. He also supports current portfolio companies Fusion Health, PracticeTek and Sphere. In addition, Paul is actively involved in the firm’s investment efforts across software, healthcare IT, fintech and tech-enabled services.
Chris Graber, Partner and Head of the Healthcare Group, added, “All of these new Partners have demonstrated extraordinary leadership, delivering value, insights and expertise to their portfolio companies and contributing to the continued success of Waud Capital.”
In addition, Mike Lehman has been promoted to Principal in the Healthcare Group. Mike joined in 2021 and supports Ivy Rehab, Unifeye Vision Partners as well as Waud Capital’s newest Healthcare investment, Mopec Group.
“These promotions underscore our momentum going into 2025 as we look to deploy capital across key sectors,” said Justin DuPere, Partner and Co-Head of the Software & Technology Group at Waud Capital. “Our newly elevated leaders exemplify our talent-led, thesis-driven investment approach that will help us successfully capitalize on opportunities in the year to come.”
About Waud Capital Partners
Based in Chicago, Waud Capital Partners is a growth-oriented private equity firm with over 30 years of investing experience. Waud Capital seeks to partner with experienced management teams to build market-leading companies within two industries: software & technology and healthcare. Since its founding in 1993, Waud Capital has successfully completed more than 480 investments, including platform companies and follow-on opportunities. For additional information on Waud Capital, please visit www.waudcapital.com.
Investor Relations Contact:
Jessica Schmitt, Head of Investor Relations
[email protected]
SOURCE Waud Capital Partners
Originally published at https://www.prnewswire.com.
Waud Capital Partners, a middle market private equity firm based in Chicago, is celebrating 30 years of partnership and strategic investing in growth-oriented companies. Founded in 1993 in Lake Forest, Illinois by Reeve Waud, Waud Capital Partners has grown significantly over the past three decades from a team of one to nearly 70 dedicated employees managing approximately $4.6 billion of AUM as of December 31, 2022.
“I am very humbled to be celebrating this major milestone,” says Reeve Waud, Founder and Managing Partner. “The beginning days were far from glamorous, and the future was entirely uncertain, but I had confidence in the opportunity to partner with exceptional executives and build exciting and profitable companies.”
Today, Waud Capital Partners invests in the Healthcare and Software & Technology industries across the United States. Its track record includes the acquisition of more than 450 companies.
The 30 thanniversary milestone comes at a time when, despite a challenging macro environment, the future feels bright, according to long-time Partner Matt Clary. “I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited for the future as I am now. The last few years have brought some very meaningful exits for us, the last four of which were iOffice, Ivy Rehab, GI Alliance, and, most recently, IPS. In addition, we have closed a handful of new platforms, the two most recent being Fusion Healthcare and PharmAlliance, which we believe have the potential for meaningful growth. It’s an exciting time for Waud Capital.”
The firm is proud to call many institutional and individual investors its partners. “On behalf of myself and the other partners of Waud Capital, I want to thank our investors, our CEO partners, and all members of the Waud Capital family, from the firm to the portfolio companies. Your continued loyalty, hard work, and dedication have been instrumental to our long-term success,” Mr. Waud concluded.
About Waud Capital Partners
Based in Chicago, Waud Capital Partners is a leading growth-oriented private equity firm with approximately $4.6 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2022. Waud Capital seeks to partner with experienced management teams to build market-leading companies within two industries: healthcare and software & technology. Since its founding in 1993, Waud Capital has successfully completed more than 450 investments, including platform companies and follow-on opportunities. For additional information on Waud Capital, visit www.waudcapital.com.
Originally published at https://www.prnewswire.com.
