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Tanya Stewart Blackmon
EVP and Chief Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Officer — Novant Health
Tanya Stewart Blackmon is Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Officer (CDIEO) for Novant Health. In her role as the CDIEO, Tanya is responsible for embedding diversity and inclusion throughout the Novant Health system of 30,000 team members. Tanya’s passion is to cultivate an inclusive and welcoming environment for all stakeholders – patients and families, team members, suppliers, and the community at large. Tanya brings to this role a deep understanding of culture change, as well as unique expertise in both the business and people side of healthcare to ensure that the diversity and inclusion work aligns with the strategic business imperatives of the organization. Tanya is a committed problem solver who believes that to meet the challenges of today’s rapidly changing healthcare environment, innovation is a critical tool for success.
Tanya joined Novant Health in 1992, as the Director of Inpatient Discharge Planning. Since her tenure with Novant Health she has held a wide variety of leadership roles including; President of Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center, Chief Operating Officer of Novant Health Charlotte Orthopedic Hospital, and Director of Clinical Improvement and Community Care Services (where she developed programs to provide care for the underserved). She’s managed hundreds of professionals and driven both market share and revenue upward for the organization. These nuanced experiences and numerous achievements led Tanya to her current role as EVP and CDIEO for Novant Health. It is unique for a CDIEO to have the combination of in-depth expertise in business operations, culture change, and people development
Tanya’s years of social work and community outreach, as well as extensive leadership experience within the organization, helped her develop a unique understanding of the needs of both patients and team members. Now, she is leading the charge for the cultural change strategy needed within the healthcare industry. Under her leadership, Novant Health has implemented a five-year strategic plan for embedding diversity and inclusion that has already produced several internal and external initiatives with remarkable results in team member engagement, patient satisfaction, market share growth in emerging populations, supplier diversity program expansion, and health equity. Her expertise within healthcare, understanding of the business, and passion for collaborative transformation combine to create a unique vision that is driving the organization toward its strategic imperatives.
In addition to her current role within Novant Health, Tanya has been a leader in the community in a variety of ways including serving as a trustee of Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Foundation Board and a Board of Trustees member with Queens University. She is a former delegate for the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board and has previously served as a member of the North Carolina Hospital Association Policy Development Committee. She has also been a board member of the Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services Agency Board of Commissioners and the Crisis Assistance Ministry Board of Directors, past President. In that capacity, she supported the organization’s work to provide assistance and advocate for those in financial crisis.
Ms. Blackmon holds a Master of Science Degree in Business Administration from Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina, a Master of Social Work Degree from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Work from North Carolina A&T State University and a Certificate in Diversity and Intercultural Competency from Wake Forest University. She has been a licensed social worker since 1993.
