Denver Mitchell will lead talent strategies that build, support and retain the workforce behind exceptional patient care.
Jacksonville, Fla., August 17, 2026 – Following a national search, Baptist Health has named Denver Mitchell as executive vice president and chief human resources officer (CHRO), effective September 1, 2026.
As CHRO, Mitchell will serve as a strategic advisor to the executive leadership team, leading initiatives that strengthen Baptist Health’s workforce through talent planning, organizational design, succession planning and leadership development. She will also partner with clinical and operational leaders to anticipate workforce needs, address talent shortages and strengthen talent pipelines through recruitment strategies, workforce planning and strategic external relationships.
“Our ability to deliver exceptional care begins with our team members, and Denver will play a vital role in attracting, developing and retaining top talent,” said Matthew A. Zuino, MSIS, FACHE, president and CEO of Baptist Health. “She brings extensive health care HR expertise and a proven track record of creating environments where people can do their best work, and we are delighted to welcome her to the Baptist Health family.”
Mitchell has more than 22 years of experience in human resources, 16 of those within the health care sector. She joins Baptist Health from Cape Fear Valley Health in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where she served as senior vice president and CHRO, leading HR strategy for a health network with eight hospitals and 10,000 team members. She led key HR initiatives that contributed to several organizational honors, including being named a 2025 Well-Being First Champion by the group ALL IN: Well-Being First for Healthcare for supporting health care professionals’ mental health; earning a place on U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals” list; and being featured on Becker’s Hospital Review’s list of hospitals and health systems with exceptional simulation and education programs. She also launched a Human Resources Center of Excellence, created a Leadership Institute that transformed training and mentoring programs and modernized HR operations across the health system. Prior to that role, she directed HR strategy at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“I am thrilled to join an organization with such a strong commitment to its workforce and mission,” said Mitchell. “I’m looking forward to working alongside colleagues across the health system to strengthen our culture, advance leadership development and support the workforce that makes exceptional patient care possible.”
Mitchell earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Alabama and is expected to receive a Master of Business Administration from Fayetteville State University in 2027. She has served as a member of the board of directors, strategic partners for the North Carolina Hospital Association and is a member of several workforce development and health care HR organizations, including the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration and the Society for Human Resource Management.
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About Baptist Health
Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Baptist Health is a community-based health system focused on making health care easier to access while working to improve health and well-being. As the area’s only locally governed, faith-based, not-for-profit health system, Baptist Health delivers a full spectrum of preventive and specialty care through its 200+ ambulatory locations, six acute care hospitals, home health and virtual care offerings. Through its comprehensive approach to whole-person health for children and adults, Baptist Health provides the area’s largest network of primary care, urgent care and behavioral health care, as well as many specialty services and several wellness centers. Destination centers of excellence include Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center, Baptist Heart Hospital, Baptist Neurological Institute, and Wolfson Children’s Hospital, the only full-service children’s hospital serving the region. To help people get the care they need when and where they need it, the health system leverages digital technology to enhance the delivery of its high-quality, seamless, patient-centered care. Baptist Health is vital to the community, caring for more patients in Northeast Florida than any other provider. The health system has been consistently ranked as “most preferred” for more than 30 years and has been named one of “America’s Greatest Workplaces in Health Care” by Newsweek magazine. To learn more, visit BaptistJax.com.
