Jamal Pierre, Human Resources Director & Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer.
Jamal Pierre is the Human Resources Director and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at PAGNY. Jamal joined PAGNY in Fall 2022 after leading the Human Resources department at Soho House & Co. He previously held other Human Resources leadership positions at Chanel, Levi Strauss & Co., and Bloomingdale's.
In honor of Healthcare Human Resources week, we sat down with Jamal to learn more about his career motivations and his interest in healthcare human resources. Here's what he had to say.
PAGNY: How long have you been in Human Resources? Why did you choose a career at PAGNY?
Jamal: I’ve been in Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for 18 years. I joined HR simply because I enjoy connecting with people and helping solve problems. I’ve tried to use it as a guiding principle throughout my career. Joining PAGNY seemed like a great way to maintain that focus. As a native New Yorker, working for a mission-based organization, providing care to NYC’s most vulnerable populations, has been an incredibly rewarding experience.
PAGNY: Did you always know you wanted to build a career in Human Resources or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion?
Jamal: I originally went to college with the intent of majoring in broadcast journalism (I wanted to be a talk show host!). I took a Human Behavior class in the second semester of my Freshman year and really hit it off with the professor. She suggested I explore Industrial/Organizational Psychology, which she explained as Human Behavior in the workplace. I followed her advice and ended up really enjoying it. I changed my major to Industrial/Organizational Psychology without knowing it was ultimately Human Resources!
PAGNY: What is the most rewarding aspect of your position?
Jamal: I wear two hats at PAGNY—one, as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, in which I am responsible for developing and implementing a strategic roadmap to bring us closer to our inclusion goals. We are working hard to ensure our employee experience is one in which employees know they are represented, feel their voices will be heard, and trust that we will all work together to provide an inclusive workplace.
My other role at PAGNY is managing Human Resources Operations and focusing on the efficient practices of HR Operations and Site Services. We want to ensure that we provide best-in-class service to our providers, whether through our interactions, systems, or processes.
PAGNY: What diversity and inclusion challenges do healthcare organizations face? How is your department dealing with these challenges?
Jamal: Like many other industries, representation remains a challenge, particularly at senior levels. We have crafted a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy and roadmap to increase representation at our highest levels in the organization by 10%. To achieve that, the roadmap we designed has 5 “pillars,” which are work streams with several projects, programs, and initiatives to drive a focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
We thank Jamal for his dedication to helping PAGNY build our culture of balance and self-care so that our professionals can stay physically healthy, mentally centered, and spiritually content. PAGNY stands by our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and we are grateful for Jamal's stewardship in advancing our diversity initiatives and strategy to grow and develop our diverse workforce.