Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for Penn State Health
Lynette Chappell Williams, JD, is the Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for Penn State Health in Hershey, PA, where she has responsibility for advancing the organization’s diversity and inclusion strategy. Since being with Penn State, a 15,000 employee health system and medical educator, she has co-led implementation of a written patient bias policy to reduce provider experiences of bias, co-led establishment of the “Rooney Rule” to increase senior leadership gender and race/ethnic diverse representation, established diversity pipeline partnerships with HBCU schools, and established the framework for Penn State Health and the medical college to be recognized as a best employer for diversity by Forbes, Military Times, Human Rights Campaign, and INSIGHT Into Diversity.
Prior to Penn State Health, Lynette served as the Associate Vice President for Inclusion and Workforce Diversity at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY where she was responsible for implementing staff diversity initiatives, overseeing the Title IX program, and leading the affirmative action program. While at Cornell, Lynette developed programs resulting in organizational recognition as a best employer for work/life by Working Mother Media, best employer for employees over 50 by AARP, adoption friendly employer by David Thomas Foundation, and Exemplary Voluntary Effort employer by Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.
Lynette has been nationally recognized for her work in diversity, inclusion and work/life, including an HR Rising Star/Diversity Champion by HR Executive Magazine in 2006, the Legacy Award from Families and Work Institute in 2011, and Women Worth Watching by Diversity Journal in 2013.
Lynette received her JD from The Ohio State University and a BS. in Psychology from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, where she was a charter member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and a member of the honors program.
Lynette, originally from Newport News, VA, is a resident of the Harrisburg PA area and has one daughter who is an alum of George Mason University and a graduate of Penn State University’s criminal justice master’s program.
