The clinicians and operators behind Orchard.
Physician-founded, operator-led, and accountable for every placement we make.
Where Orchard came from
A physician and an engineer-attorney who built the company around clinical governance rather than sales volume.
Indira Saladi
President & Board Director
Indira Saladi is President and Board Director of Orchard, which she has helped build since its founding and led full-time as President for nearly a decade — growing it from a physician-founded staffing firm into a national locum tenens company. An engineer and intellectual property attorney by training, Indira brings a rare combination of technical, legal, and operational rigor to the business, building on the clinical governance framework established by founder Dr. N. Ram Saladi. She oversees Orchard's strategic direction and key contracts, including the firm's VA Federal Supply Schedule contract.
Dr. N. Ram Saladi
Chief Medical Officer & Co-Founder
Dr. N. Ram Saladi is the founder of Orchard, which he launched in 2010 to build a locum tenens firm governed by clinicians rather than sold by recruiters. A practicing hospitalist with deep health system experience, Dr. Saladi established the clinical governance framework that underpins every Orchard placement, from provider vetting to service line integration. His clinically led quality process is why Orchard maintains a sub-1% fallout rate and sixteen years without a malpractice lawsuit, and it remains the foundation on which the company's national growth is built.
Where Orchard is going
The operating team accountable for national growth and day-to-day delivery.
James Cantrell
Chief Executive Officer
James Cantrell is the Chief Executive Officer of Orchard, where he leads the company's transformation into a nationally recognized locum tenens firm. He is a healthcare staffing industry veteran with over ten years of leadership experience in healthcare. James has built and scaled recruiting organizations across some of the sector's most respected firms before joining Orchard. His mandate is scale: accelerating national expansion, deepening client partnerships, and elevating both provider and client experience as the company enters its next phase of growth.
We're growing the team
Leadership and operating roles open across recruiting, credentialing, IT, and marketing.
View open rolesCompany milestones
- 2010
Founded in Illinois
Orchard is founded by Dr. N. Ram Saladi, a practicing hospitalist, and incorporated by Indira Saladi as President. Headquartered in Glencoe, Illinois, the company is built on a clinically governed approach to locum tenens staffing.
- 2020
International operations established
Orchard opens its first international operational hubs in Asia, expanding the firm's global talent, credentialing, and support capacity.
- 2023
VMS/MSP platform integration
Orchard begins participating in vendor management system partnerships, enabling nationwide assignment coverage and expanded reach across new states and specialties.
- 2024
Channel diversification and national scale
Orchard signs additional national vendor and health system agreements, bringing its provider network to over 1,000 credentialed clinicians across 18+ specialties.
- 2025
First Chief Executive Officer appointed
James Cantrell joins Orchard as its first Chief Executive Officer to lead the company's next phase of national growth, working alongside Indira Saladi (President and Board Director) and Dr. N. Ram Saladi (Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder).
- 2026
VA Federal Supply Schedule contract awarded
Orchard is awarded a VA Federal Supply Schedule contract (Schedule 621I), joining a select group of firms authorized to provide locum tenens services to Veterans Affairs facilities nationwide.
The result of a clinically led vetting process owned by our physician founder — not a resume screen.
Credentials behind the team
Independent standards our leadership holds the business to.
The gold standard for ethics and accountability in locum tenens.
Credentialing, compliance, and reporting that meet federal requirements.
Our code of ethics follows NAPR and NALTO practice standards.
Meet the team behind your next placement.
Tell us what you need and you'll be working directly with the people on this page.