Piedmont has named Alison Smith as its new Chief Human Resources Officer. Smith has extensive experience leading all areas of HR including: talent recruitment, retention, development and succession planning; employee relations and diversity; total rewards; and HR Information Systems. Smith joined Piedmont on June 17.

Smith spent more than 20 years at Publix growing within the organization from a graduate student intern and finishing as senior vice president of Human Resources. In all, she led a team of more than 250 associates which included human resources, internal and external communications, community relations, and social media. Publix has more than 255,000 employees and stores in eight states.

“We are fortunate to be able to attract someone with Alison’s talent and experience to the Piedmont family,” said Kevin Brown, President and CEO, Piedmont Healthcare. “Given Publix’s size and exceptional reputation for customer experience, Alison’s proven success gives me confidence that Piedmont will benefit from her leadership and expertise. Quality, safety and service – and delivering patient-centered care – is at the center of what we do.”

Most recently, Smith served as CHRO for Cortland, a global, integrated multifamily investment, development, and management firm with more than $20 billion in gross real estate value with operations across the United States and the United Kingdom.

Smith received her undergraduate degree from Emory University and holds both a master’s and a doctorate in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of South Florida.

In addition to her background, Smith brings a strong emphasis on the importance of culture.

“At Piedmont, our promise is to make a positive difference in every life we touch,” Smith said. “That aligns with my value system and with the organizations I have worked with in the past. I am excited to join one of the country’s top health-care organizations, which is a leader in quality and a destination for clinical excellence.”

Vicki Cansler, who has served as Piedmont’s chief human resources officer since February 2013, is retiring.