Kimberly Keaton Williams, Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President of Talent Acquisition & Development for McLaren Health Care, the three-state, fully integrated health care delivery system, has been named one of Crain’s Detroit Business’ Notable Leaders in DEI.
The annual recognition acknowledges the progress Metro Detroit executives have achieved toward creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable professional environment.
Keaton Williams, along with Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Justin Klamerus, co-chairs the McLaren Health Care Diversity Council, a committee whose aim is to drive positive change through equality and equitable health care by offering opportunities for workforce members to engage, learn, and grow.
“Kimberly has been the steward of our health system’s efforts to advance this important work,” Dr. Klamerus said. “Her leadership has guided our system and subsidiary DEI councils to reach communities throughout the state to secure more diverse workforces and better understand and address health care inequities. Her kindness, compassion, and conviction lead us all to be better.”
Driven to improve health equity, Keaton Williams led the McLaren Health Care Patient Data Collection Task Force, which established processes for collecting health equity data and enhancing patient safety. With a commitment to providing exceptional health care for everyone, collecting this information assists in examining patient demographics and early data elements to better understand the social determinants of health.
“Though introduced through our workforce, the true and lasting impact of many of Kimberly’s DEI initiatives benefit our patients and those we are privileged to serve,” said Carissa Burton, McLaren Health Care Vice President of Human Resources. “This commitment to addressing health inequity and identifying underserved populations is a source of pride and satisfaction among our team, who can see their work and effort being so broadly felt.”
Keaton Williams also enhanced minority representation in research projects and, in 2020, she led an effort for McLaren subsidiaries across the state to commit with the Michigan Health & Hospital Association to “Address Racism and Health Inequities.” She also led the launch of McLaren’s student loan repayment program to support the well-being of employees and ease some of the stress of paying student loans. Since the program’s launch in 2022, McLaren has contributed more than $2 million to reduce student loan debt for health care workers.
Keaton Williams has been recognized for her DEI leadership before, previously having been named a ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer to Know’ by Becker’s Hospital Review in June.
Learn more about the services provided through all McLaren locations at mclaren.org.
About McLaren Health Care
McLaren Health Care, headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, is a $6.6 billion, fully integrated health care delivery system committed to quality, evidence-based patient care and cost efficiency. The McLaren system includes 13 hospitals in Michigan, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, a 490-member employed primary and specialty care physician network, commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 732,838 lives in Michigan and Indiana, home health, infusion and hospice providers, pharmacy services, a clinical laboratory network and a wholly owned medical malpractice insurance company. McLaren operates Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Karmanos Cancer Institute, a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S. McLaren has 28,000 full-, part-time and contracted employees and more than 113,000 network providers throughout Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Learn more at mclaren.org.