It’s hard to believe it is our 13th year honoring the incredible work of CHROs with our annual CHRO of the Year Awards. The awards gala during the HRO Today Forum is always a fun and touching evening, highlighting the impact of HR and the significance of the recognition to the leaders and their teams. We are always impressed by the accomplishments of our honorees—and I’m sure you will be too! Learn more about our 2026 winners and their accomplishments here.
CHRO of the Year, Non-Profit
Logan Carmichael
Chief People and Culture Officer
Pittsburgh Water
Logan Carmichael has driven a complete transformation of Pittsburgh Water’s HR function by delivering exceptional results with limited resources. His notable initiatives around workforce performance and well-being and engagement helped achieve a 72% engagement score in the first-ever survey. Carmichael also built partnerships with schools and workforce organizations to create more diverse talent pools and reduce vacancy rates by more than half.
CHRO of the Year, Small Market
Tina Campbell
Chief HR and Administration Officer
Citizens First Bank
Tina Campbell is a people-first leader who, over the past six years, has transformed HR from an outsourced, single-person function into a fully integrated department supporting hundreds of employees. During her tenure, Campbell has strengthened culture, developed leaders, and ensured employees were supported and engaged. She also created programs that invest in employee well-being and long-term growth, like educational reimbursement.
CHRO of the Year, Mid-Market
Paul Gregory
Chief HR and Administration Officer
Citizens First Bank
Paul Gregory has led a decisive HR transformation that positioned Securonix for sustainable growth. His AI-first strategy, operational discipline, and talent upgrades showcase his innovative approaches to workforce management. By embracing AI, he reduced engineering headcount by 15% while increasing productivity by 30%. Agentic HR solutions have cut employee inquiries in half.
CHRO of the Year, Large Market
Jill Larsen
Chief People Officer
Synopsys
Since joining Synopis three years ago, Jill Larsen has transformed the HR function amid a CEO succession and rapid growth. She redesigned many of the company’s approaches, including new talent and compensation strategies, and introduced modern people analytics. Larsen also implemented many layers of HR technology, embedding AI into performance and pay processes.
CHRO of the Year, Sustainable Workforce
Rosemary Sheehan
EVP and Chief People Officer
Hartford HealthCare
Over more than two decades in healthcare leadership, Rosemary Sheehan has transformed fragmented HR organizations into unified, high-performing teams. Some of her notable achievements include reducing time-to-fill rate to top-quartile levels and negotiating labor contracts with zero disruptions. Her leadership style improved engagement, retention, and trust across the workforce.
CHRO of the Year, Lifetime Achievement
Kelly Jones
SVP, CHRO
Cisco
During Kelly Jones’ nearly 20-year tenure at Cisco, she has led people and talent initiatives that expanded and diversified hiring pipelines while strengthening retention and culture. Her skills-based hiring approach has garnered nearly 30% of applicants from nontraditional roles as well as military talent. Her leadership has driven some impressive results, including a mere 5.5% attrition rate and a high “boomerang” return rate.
Until next time,
Debbie
SVP/Editorial Director
