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#163 - Embracing Change and Growth in HR
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In this powerful episode of The ASHHRA Podcast, Luke Carignan sits down with Kelly Martin, Vice President and CHRO at Texas Health Resources, to explore what it truly takes to lead large-scale HR transformation in one of the nation’s largest health systems.
With over 23 years at Texas Health Resources, Kelly has grown from an entry-level employee relations role to the organization’s top HR leadership position. Now, she’s spearheading a bold “HR Evolution”—centralizing transactional functions into a service center, building a competency-based career pathing system, and positioning HR as a true strategic partner to operations.
Kelly pulls back the curtain on:
- First-Year Retention Challenges – Why retention rates for new hires, especially nurses, remain a critical concern across healthcare, and how Texas Health is tackling it head-on.
- Recalibration Over Layoffs – How she managed to restructure over 180 HR roles without mass job loss, creating new opportunities and clear development pathways for her team.
- Balancing Technology and People – Implementing systems like ServiceNow while ensuring the human side of HR remains central to workforce engagement and culture.
- Partnering with Operational Leaders – Aligning HR goals with business outcomes to improve culture, engagement, and retention.
- Leading with Empathy and Accountability – Delivering tough messages with compassion and transparency while keeping focus on the future vision.
From building trust with leaders to forecasting workforce needs, Kelly shares the practical strategies and leadership mindset required to thrive in the evolving healthcare landscape. She also offers candid reflections on resilience, adaptability, and “playing offense” in HR rather than staying reactive.
Whether you’re a healthcare HR leader, executive decision-maker, or operations partner, this episode delivers actionable insights on workforce strategy, change management, and the critical role HR plays in organizational success.
📢 Quote to Remember:
"We cannot fail at this. It’s too big. And with the right team and leadership support, we won’t." – Kelly Martin
🎧 Tune in now to learn how bold vision, strategic alignment, and genuine care for people can transform HR into a driving force for healthcare excellence.
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