Under the leadership of Chief People & Culture Officer Michelle Adamolekun, Cone Health was named one of the top 100 organizations on Forbes’ list of Best Employers for Diversity and to Forbes’ 2024 list of Best Employers for Women. Cone Health is also certified as a Best Place to Work®. Michelle’s team launched the DEI Leader Toolkit and the Health Equity & Belonging curriculum in the system’s e-learning platform.

Michelle is partnering with the University of Illinois Chicago Public Health Center for Healthy Work on a grant-funded research project exploring how unmet social needs and health inequities impact workers and how employers address these gaps. Cone Health also signed an MOU with the country’s largest HBCU, N.C. Agricultural and Technical State University, to strengthen partnerships in clinical education, research and strategic workforce development.

Michelle focuses on culture to drive DEI success, including conducting a system-wide culture assessment every several years. She is supported by the Culture Coalition, a diverse group of over 30 Cone Health leaders who prioritize the culture roadmap. Michelle believes her greatest leadership strengths are her cultural intelligence and commitment to DEI and ESG.

Favorite Quote: As I once shared in an interview with American Healthcare Leader, I believe a true measure of my life is how much I can rise above my challenging circumstances, while contributing all I can to enrich and create value for others. — Michelle Adamolekun