Birmingham, Alabama, United States, February 2026 — Children’s of Alabama has announced the appointment of Clara Blitch as its new Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). In this leadership role, Blitch will be responsible for advancing the organization’s people strategy, strengthening culture, building leadership capability, and deepening employee engagement across the hospital system. The organization noted that Clara brings more than 25 years of strategic HR leadership experience across healthcare, hospitality, and biotechnology, making her a strong addition as Children’s of Alabama continues investing in talent and workforce transformation.
In announcing her appointment, Children’s of Alabama highlighted Clara’s experience in leading HR teams at regional healthcare systems and implementing modern HR strategies that develop leaders, elevate culture, and support high-performing organizations. Her passion for people and leadership development is expected to play an important role as Children’s of Alabama continues to grow and support its talent ecosystem.
Alongside this appointment, the organization also paid tribute to Doug Dean, who will retire after more than 25 years of dedicated service. Children’s of Alabama credited Doug’s leadership for shaping its HR operations and fostering a culture of excellence and innovation, including contributions to workforce growth, recruitment, retention, and leadership development—impact that the organization noted will continue to be felt for years to come.
Clara Blitch joins Children’s of Alabama after serving as Chief Human Resource Officer at Williamson Health, where she has been in a senior HR leadership capacity for nearly three years. Prior to this, she served as Chief People Officer (CHRO) at Consulate Health Care, bringing deep expertise in people strategy and operational HR leadership within complex healthcare environments.
Earlier in her career, she spent nearly five years with HCA Healthcare, where she served first as Division Director of Leadership & Organizational Development and later as Vice President Human Resources, combining enterprise leadership development with core HR leadership. She also held key leadership roles at Brookdale as Regional Human Resource Director, at AdCare Health Systems as Regional Director of Human Resources, and at LBA Hospitality as Corporate Director of Human Resources, reflecting her cross-sector background spanning healthcare and hospitality.
Her earlier roles include serving as Director, Human Resources at Signature Healthcare, LLC, and building strong HR fundamentals at RTI Surgical® (Evergen) over more than six years—first as HR Manager, Staffing & Compensation and later as Engagement Leader. She began her HR career with Hilton Hotels Corporation as an HR Manager, strengthening her grounding in people operations, service culture, and workforce engagement.
In addition to her professional leadership experience, Clara Blitch completed her MBA from Western Governors University (2023), and also pursued a Master of Science in Management & Leadership from Western Governors University, strengthening her expertise across organizational leadership and strategic management.
About Children’s of Alabama
Children’s of Alabama, established in 1911, is one of the nation’s leading pediatric medical centers and is consistently ranked among the best children’s hospitals in the United States. The hospital provides specialized care for ill and injured children, serving families across Alabama and beyond. With over 3.5 million square feet, it is among the largest pediatric medical facilities in the country. A private, not-for-profit medical center, Children’s of Alabama serves as the teaching hospital for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) pediatric programs spanning medicine, surgery, psychiatry, research, and residency training.
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