John “Rusty” Frantz \u201992 is a key player\u00a0in several healthcare technology company successes and knows how to transform businesses. But it wasn\u2019t until after he turned around his own life, more than once, that he found his path to success.<\/p>\n
In 2015, Frantz became the CEO of NextGen Healthcare, a provider of software solutions for the ambulatory physician market with more than $500 million in revenue. Prior to NextGen, he led a $1B global business, Pyxis, in the delivery of a disruptive global medication management strategy.<\/p>\n
Few who knew him when was enrolled at University of California, Santa Barbara, in the \u201880s would have predicted his accomplishments. In fact, \u201cafter three rather
\nenjoyable but completely unsuccessful years,\u201d he says, \u201cthey respectfully kicked me out.\u201d<\/p>\n
He got a job scraping paint on an MSC tanker starting in the Philippines, and was confronted with the hardship of people who lived there. Seeing real adversity caused him to revisit his own choices and commit to selfimprovement.<\/p>\n
Frantz had spent a lot of time on the ocean, so he decided to enroll in Maine Maritime, \u201cat first I thought deck,\u201d he says, \u201cbut changed to marine systems engineering.\u201d It was the perfect match. He graduated in three years with a near-perfect academic score.<\/p>\n
\u201cLearning to manage large, complex systems like a power plant where you\u2019re constantly seeing how multiple sub-systems work together was amazing,\u201d he says, \u201cThat experience combined with the hands-on experience of MMA and the Marine Systems Engineering degree prepared me very well for my master\u2019s program,\u201d which was at Stanford in Embedded Systems and Robotics.<\/p>\n
While looking for a summer job, he happened upon a technology startup in the founder\u2019s home that six years later led to a company with $55 million in sales. But after this fast-paced effort he was drained, and once again evolved, finding balance between work and family\u2014one of his most meaningful challenges\u2014before the successful leap back into business he enjoys today.<\/p>\n
His advice: \u201cWhat\u2019s helped me most in my career and life has been a willingness to accept feedback and improve. Self-awareness is not enough for great leadership; one must constantly evolve,\u201d Frantz says. \u201cI work every day to be better, as a leader, a father, and am proud and grateful to be an MMA grad!\u201d\u2588<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" John “Rusty” Frantz \u201992 is a key player\u00a0in several healthcare technology company successes and knows how to transform businesses. But it wasn\u2019t until after he turned around his own life, more than once, that he found his path to success.<\/p>\n In 2015, Frantz became the CEO of NextGen Healthcare, a provider of software solutions for the ambulatory physician market with more than $500 million in revenue. Prior to NextGen, he led a $1B global business, Pyxis, in the delivery of a disruptive global medication management strategy.<\/p>\n