MOBILE, Ala. – Recognizing the vital importance of culture within the organization, USA Health has announced the promotion of Kerry Flowers to chief culture and experience officer, a move aimed at enhancing patient and employee engagement within the academic health system. He was previously director of organizational development.

“Kerry has been a tremendous asset in carrying out USA Health’s mission, vision and core values,” said Owen Bailey, MSHA, FACHE, CEO and senior associate vice president for medical affairs. “His creativity and positive attitude, and his ability to inspire and motivate others all positively enhance our culture. I’m excited to see what he will bring to this new role and how it will ultimately benefit our patients and staff.”

Throughout his tenure, Flowers’ positive influence has been felt across the academic health system and at the University of South Alabama, where he has worked with a variety of departments on everything from team building and culture assessments to coaching division leaders on working with different generations and executive coaching. With other groups, he has focused on building resilience and communication skills, and customer service initiatives.

Under Flowers’ leadership, USA Health will continue to develop and implement strategies to enhance the workplace culture. These areas of focus will lead to heightening patient experience and employee satisfaction; boost employee engagement and retention; align the patient and employee experience; and extend the employee lifecycle. In addition, this position will help USA Health – with its 7,500+ staff members – advance communication programs and feedback mechanisms between providers, patients and employees to add to the quality of care received within the health system.

“By coordinating efforts across departments to develop a cohesive experience strategy, we can ensure that enhancements in employee engagement directly translate into better patient care,” Flowers said. “When our staff feels valued and supported, our patients ultimately benefit – creating a healthier, more compassionate environment for everyone.”

Flowers will remain a member of the human resources service line and lead initiatives for both employee engagement and leadership development for USA Health. By implementing data-driven strategies, he will work with other leaders in the health system to measure the overall success in quality care improvement, operational efficiency and financial performance.

“Our goal is to continue on the journey of being a high reliability organization, while evaluating and improving engagement and reducing burnout by creating an impactful culture for our staff,” said Andrea Rosler, MSHA, MBA, SHRM-SCP, chief human resources officer at USA Health. “Kerry is already performing much of this role now in his current capacity, and he is a trusted and respected leader throughout both the health system and the university. Anyone that knows Kerry is awed by his positive outlook and forward-thinking approach. He is the right person for the job.”

To learn more about USA Health leadership, visit usahealthsystem.com.