Qiana Williams has been selected as OHSU's first Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer. Williams begins Oct. 17, 2022. (Courtesy of Qiana Williams)
Dear OHSU community,
I am pleased to announce that Qiana Williams will be joining OHSU as our first Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer on Oct. 17, 2022.
Ms. Williams brings more than 20 years of Human Resources experience and a successful track record as a people-centered leader who is passionate about transforming culture and creating inclusive workplace environments. She comes to us from OhioHealth, where she served as Chief Diversity, Inclusion and Culture Officer before assuming the role of Vice President, Total Rewards and HR Operations. As a senior executive of OhioHealth — a nationally recognized, not-for-profit health care system consisting of 12 hospitals, more than 200 ambulatory sites, hospice, home health, medical equipment and other health services, and more than 35,000 associates, physicians and volunteers — Ms. Williams has been charged with creating and owning strategies to ensure a performance-driven, market competitive, equitable and compliant people rewards program across the OhioHealth enterprise.
I would like to extend a sincere thank you to the 100+ OHSU members who participated in an extensive interview process, including the Oversight Committee and representatives from the Faculty Senate, education mission, research mission, health care mission, Employee Resource Groups, Human Resources, university operations, and DEI leaders.
Ms. Williams was able to clearly demonstrate her experience in organizational culture, change management, employee engagement and evidence-based approaches to improving Human Resources to those with whom she interviewed. The following is a sample of feedback provided about her:
- “Qiana has strong professional HR experience and is highly motivated to be part of the transformation we want at OHSU.”
- “OHSU attracting Qiana Williams as our CPO would be a home run! I left the interview genuinely optimistic about what we could make happen in the coming months here at OHSU.”
- “Incredible level of human connection who made everyone in the room feel heard and valued. A true visionary and someone who could revolutionize the culture at OHSU.”
“It is an honor to take on the role of CPO at this pivotal moment when we have the opportunity to shape the future of work together,” said Ms. Williams. “Creating inclusive cultures where everyone can thrive is a core value of mine and throughout the interview process it was evident that that was shared by OHSU. I have been very impressed with OHSU's leadership team and the high performing, values-based culture that they seek to cultivate. I believe there is alignment that a great culture is essential to accelerate business results. During what can feel like uncertain times, supporting OHSU’s employees and prioritizing a strong, inclusive culture is more important than ever.”
Ms. Williams received her undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University, an M.Ed. in Human Resource Development from Xavier University, and an Ed.S. in Workforce Education from the University of Georgia. Additionally, she is an Associate Certified Coach (ACC), and holds designations of Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).
I would also like to thank Ms. Serilda Summers-McGee and her team at Workplace Change for their efforts in leading Human Resources during this interim period. Ms. Summers-McGee's accomplishments at OHSU include redesigning and doubling the size of the Talent Management, Employee Relations and Labor Relations teams, with nearly 30% of 30 new hires from diverse backgrounds, and implementing two new HR systems to improve efficiency and tracking. We greatly appreciate her and her team’s partnership.
Please join me in welcoming Ms. Williams to OHSU. I am excited about the possibilities before us with her on board, and I have great confidence that OHSU is moving in the right direction. Onward!
Sincerely yours,
Danny Jacobs, M.D., M.P.H., FACS
President