The Power of We

The global pandemic, merging with another health system, and overall workforce challenges is enough to put strain and stress on any organization. However, with the right focus on keeping employees at the center of everything they do, Intermountain Health has risen to the occasion and is thriving. As the west’s largest healthcare non-profit healthcare system, the company now spans six states with over 68,000 employees. During this session, hear from Intermountain’s Chief People Officer Heather Brace as she describes how building a strong organizational culture is not just a buzzword, but a critical factor in the success and sustainability of any company. 

Heather will delve into why organizational culture matters, its impact on employee engagement and performance, and practical strategies Intermountain has implemented to foster a positive and effective culture—and how you can do it too. 

Audience members will learn:

  • The significance of organizational culture
  • Practical strategies for building and sustaining culture
  • How to empower your employees to contribute to culture development
  • The impact of continuous improvement

Heather Brace

Chief People Officer @ Intermountain Health

Heather Brace is the Chief People Officer for Intermountain Health. She is responsible for Intermountain’s engagement culture for more than 68,000 employees spanning across seven states. Heather has strategic oversight for talent management and development, recruitment, Human Resources service delivery, total rewards, culture enhancement, learning and development, and integrating diversity and inclusion in the employee culture.

Heather joined Intermountain in 2000 and has had a successful leadership journey. She is a first-generation graduate and is a working mom of two teenage boys. Heather took advantage of programs like tuition reimbursement, daycare, mentoring, and leadership development to support her own career growth, and knows first-hand the importance of how an organization can shape and support an employee’s ambitions and goals. She leads with this perspective in a way to give back to so many who have supported her journey. Since assuming the role of Chief People Officer in August 2018, Heather has overseen large-scale reorganizations of departments and service lines, benefit additions and transformations, and enhancing the employee experience.

Heather is a champion for employees and places great emphasis on the employee experience. She has created a more transparent culture of listening and action among employees. Under her leadership, Intermountain has expanded employee education opportunities, developed a remote work strategy, created programs like the Intermountain Food Box program, PTO donation, and the Caregiver Assistance Fund to help employees in need, expanded benefits like parental leave and infertility coverage, strengthened partnerships with local Utah businesses, and increased the minimum wage—and much more. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Heather played a critical role in keeping employees working, safe, and well. She created benefits like COVID Pay to help caregivers impacted by COVID-19 illness or school or daycare closures and spearheading cross-country partnerships with healthcare systems in New York surging with COVID-19 patients. Heather is passionate about empowering leaders and employees at every level to meet their full potential on behalf of Intermountain’s mission of helping people live the healthiest lives possible.

Heather received both her master’s degree in Health Services Administration and Health Promotion and Education, and her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from the University of Utah.

Heather Brace will be speaking in the People & Culture Track.