Advocate Health appoints new Chief People and Culture Officer

Seasoned human resources leader Nakesha Lopez brings two decades of experience in health care and financial services

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Advocate Health today announced that Nakesha Lopez has been appointed executive vice president and Chief People & Culture Officer, effective March 18, 2024. In this role, Lopez will be responsible for the strategic management and delivery of all people programs, policies, processes and practices for Advocate Health. She will align the HR function with the organization’s strategy, drive teammate engagement and craft the employee value proposition to ensure Advocate Health remains a top workplace. Lopez will report directly to CEO Eugene A. Woods. 

“We are proud of being a best place to work and are confident that Nakesha will help continue to elevate our organizational culture,” Woods said. “Under her leadership, we look forward to continuing to recruit and retain the very best and brightest to serve our communities and bring health, hope and healing to all.”

Lopez brings more than 20 years of experience building and transforming the human resources function both within and outside the health care industry. She most recently served as the Chief Human Resources Officer for Baylor Scott & White where she provided strategic oversight of human capital planning, talent management, total rewards, DE&I strategies and culture.

“I’m thrilled to join the talented and committed team at Advocate Health during such an exciting time of growth and transformation,” Lopez said. “I look forward to working alongside our 155,000 colleagues to further cultivate our strong culture and drive engagement across every corner of our organization as we build the next generation workforce and amplify our impact on our patients and communities.” 

Prior to her time at Baylor Scott & White, Lopez served as vice president of human resources for Barclays Capital. She joined the organization as an assistant vice president of human resources from Lehman Brothers during their acquisition. Lopez received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Hunter College and a master’s degree in business administration in human resource management from the University of Phoenix.