Gaithersburg-based Adventist HealthCare announced October 1 that Opal Howard has been appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer following a national search.
Howard will join the health system’s senior leadership team and oversee human resources strategies across the organization. She brings more than 30 years of human resources leadership experience at AdventHealth. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer for AdventHealth’s East Florida Division, leading workforce strategy for more than 12,000 team members.
Previously, Howard oversaw human resources operations supporting more than 36,000 employees as Vice President of HR Business Operations for AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division. She also served as Vice President and HR Business Partner for its North Region, where the organization said she helped reduce employee turnover and guided a transition to a new human resources operating model.
“Opal is an accomplished and mission-driven leader with a track record of strengthening culture, developing high-performing teams and advancing innovative workforce strategies,” said John Sackett, President and Chief Executive Officer of Adventist HealthCare.
Howard holds a Master of Business Administration in healthcare management and a Bachelor of Science in human resources from Western Governors University. She is also a Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional.
“I am honored to join Adventist HealthCare and its dedicated team,” Howard said. “I look forward to supporting our people, strengthening our culture and advancing strategies that help team members bring their best selves to work each day as we continue our vision to be the trusted choice for exceptional whole-person care in every community we serve.”
