The top priority for Southern New Hampshire Health’s 1st chief people officer

In late August, Nashua-based Southern New Hampshire Health named Shannon Levesque its first chief people officer. In her new role, Ms. Levesque will oversee the health system’s talent strategy and workforce development for more than 2,700 employees.

Southern New Hampshire Health is a nonprofit system that comprises Nashua-based Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, which has 188 beds, and Foundation Medical Partners, a multi-specialty provider group.

Becker’s connected with Ms. Levesque to discuss her top priorities in shaping a people-first culture, the challenges facing today’s healthcare workforce, and the leadership principles guiding her new role.

Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length. 

Question: What is your top priority in your first year as chief people officer? How do you plan to achieve this goal? 

Shannon Levesque: As the new chief people officer for Southern New Hampshire Health, a top priority for the year ahead is to establish our people strategy, one that supports the organization’s strategic direction while enhancing our people-first culture, employee experience and mission to provide excellent care within the greater Nashua, New Hampshire, region. Achieving this goal will involve listening, learning and observing the organization’s strengths, opportunities and appreciation of our workforce as we navigate this evolving healthcare environment. 

Q: What do you see as the biggest challenge in the healthcare workforce right now? How will you address this? 

SL: We are all well aware of the challenges health systems face today, including staffing shortages, burnout concerns, rising costs, increasing medical complexities within an aging population and the need to leverage new technologies to deliver care in innovative ways. To ensure our workforce is equipped to provide exceptional care, we must consistently evaluate and align resources with the evolving needs of our people and patients. 

Creating continuous opportunities for our team members to share feedback, identify improvements and grow their expertise will help them thrive and ensure they have the skills required to fulfill our mission of improving the health and well-being in our community. 

Q: Can you share the best piece of leadership advice you have ever received? How will you implement this in your new role? 

SL: Over the course of my career, I have been fortunate to work alongside many inspiring and talented leaders, which makes it hard to pick just one piece of advice to share with your readers. The guidance I have most taken to heart is to welcome different perspectives, as they lead to more thoughtful planning and stronger outcomes for the organization. When developing new people strategies, I intentionally seek input from colleagues across HR and the broader organization to ensure that opinions are heard and considered. 

No leader should go it alone. True leadership is built on collaboration, and I’ll be partnering with our workforce and leaders in shaping people strategies that support Southern New Hampshire Health’s mission of providing exceptional care and strengthening the health of our community. 

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