Heather Brace
Chief People Officer | Intermountain Health
You have led organizational redesigns of system functions to create a more aligned care model for 68,000 employees across six states. What leadership principles guided this transformation and how do you measure its success?
My leadership principles are centered around three core beliefs: clarity of purpose, courage in change and a deep sense of care for people. As we have designed every aspect of the transformation to our mission of helping people live their healthiest lives possible, this has required us to define what success looks like, not just in operational metrics, but in how people experience work. I try to remember that everything we do in the workplace becomes a dinnertime conversation for the employees we serve. Work is personal even when it’s business. I am appreciative of my lens of being an employee at Intermountain for 25 years and growing up in the system.
How does your work with the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign influence your work in healthcare leadership?
My leadership in the Go Red for Women campaign is deeply personal. Heart disease has affected both women and men in my family. Watching their experiences has shaped not just my awareness of cardiovascular health, but also my understanding of how often women’s symptoms are dismissed or misdiagnosed. That emotional connection fuels my sense of urgency and responsibility.
This campaign isn’t just about awareness; it’s also about legacy. For me, it’s a chance to ensure that the next generation of women — my nieces, my friends, my colleagues and my future grandchildren — know their risks, speak up and feel heard. It’s also a reminder that leadership isn’t just professional, it’s profoundly personal. In my leadership legacy, I want to be remembered for closing gaps in care, opportunity and voice.
You have balanced many community commitments over the years with a demanding job. How do you approach prioritizing these commitments?
As a leader, I try to model the idea that you can lead well and live well. I want others to see that community involvement isn’t a distraction from leadership; it is a reflection of it. Also, taking care of your own well-being is not a luxury; it is a responsibility. At the end of the day, I try to keep my priorities simple: do work that matters, stay grounded in who I am, and leave things better than I found them.
Having worked your way up through Intermountain Health over your 25-year career, what insights have you gained about developing talent and creating pathways for advancement?
Having grown up inside this organization, I’ve had the privilege of experiencing first-hand what it means to be seen, developed and believed in. That is something I will never forget. One of my biggest insights is that talent doesn’t always look like a polished resume or a linear career. Often, the best potential is sitting one layer deeper, waiting for someone to notice. People cannot advance into what they cannot see. We need to be intentional about surfacing pathways, demystifying leadership and making it clear how someone grows in our organization.
