Covenant Health Names New Senior Vice President of Human Resources

May 2025 – Covenant Health is pleased to announce Kandis Smith as the new senior vice president of human resources for the health system, effective May 30, 2025. She will oversee all human resources functions of the organization, including leadership development and recruiting efforts. Smith joins Covenant Health from Ascension Michigan, where she served two years as the market chief human resources executive.

“I am excited to work for a healthcare organization that aligns with my personal and family values: ‘In service to God and community, we value integrity, quality, service, caring, developing people and stewardship’,” said Smith. “I have a calling to care for the caregiver and am grateful for the opportunity to do that at Covenant Health.”

Smith brings with her over 15 years of experience in human resources leadership. At Ascension Michigan, Smith was responsible for building human resource strategy and processes around attraction and hiring, development, retention and people satisfaction. She also provided executive leadership in all areas of the people experience. While chief human resources executive, Smith led the successful completion of due diligence, integration, communication, and stakeholder management for the divestiture of 4,800 employees to MyMichiganHealth and the 17,000-employee joint venture with Henry Ford Health. She also achieved the lowest percentage of employee turnover across all Ascension markets, reduced premium year-over-year labor costs, collaborated with stakeholders during a ransomware attack that led to a 45-day downtime, and established economic recovery plans which delivered a significant improvement in operating income.

“I am glad to welcome Kandis to Covenant Health. She joins us with a strong history of leadership success from healthcare facilities throughout the country,” said Jim VanderSteeg, president and CEO of Covenant Health. “Her dedication to improving the workplace environment, the employee experience, and recruitment and retention efforts will be a great asset to Covenant Health and our employees.”

Smith has spent over a decade in leadership roles in the healthcare industry. Prior to Ascension, she served as acting chief human resources officer and vice president of human resources at Oklahoma University Health, senior director of human resources at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and director of human resources at Mount Carmel Health System.

Smith earned her master’s degree in industrial organizational psychology from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio. She has also completed formal coaching training through Blue Mesa’s Transformational Coaching Program and has spent four years coaching in personal, executive and organizational capacities.

When not working, Smith enjoys visiting the national parks and spending time outdoors with her husband and daughter.