Heidi Conway, vice president for human resources, to join Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Heidi Conway, vice president of human resources for Johns Hopkins University since 2015 and a member of HR leadership at the university since 2005, will depart this summer to become senior vice president for human resources and chief people officer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Her last day at Hopkins will be July 2.

"A leader of great integrity, compassion, and commitment to our university and its people, Heidi has made a lasting impact on our human resources operations, growing and supporting our faculty and staff who are the lifeblood of our institution," JHU President Ronald J. Daniels, Interim Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Mary Miller, and Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Jane Schlegel wrote in a message to the university community today.

"As we look ahead toward a broader return to in-person operations, we will miss Heidi's insightful analysis, great kindness, and collaborative spirit, but we know that she will bring all of those qualities to her work on behalf of Dana-Farber and indeed, the entire cancer research community."

Conway joined Johns Hopkins in 2005 as the senior director of benefits and held several key roles before being promoted to vice president in November 2015. During her tenure, she has played an integral role in strengthening and expanding the university's HR function and its talent recruitment efforts and has partnered with stakeholders from across the institution to advance key strategic priorities and initiatives. Over the past year, she and her team have worked to help the university and its employees overcome the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conway's long list of accomplishments and contributions include a full review of JHU's retirement and investment offerings with a focus on simplifying the employee experience; strengthening the university's benefits program through a new and significantly expanded employee assistance program; and implementing a major expansion of JHU's childcare benefits, including paid parental leave for employees and students.

Conway also helped develop and implement the institution's HopkinsLocal goals that to date have resulted in the hiring of more than 1,900 people from some of Baltimore's most disadvantaged neighborhoods. She and her team have worked to advance the university's commitment to equity and inclusion, and she has worked closely with university leadership and other stakeholders to foster a culture that supports and develops internal talent in career pathways.

"My journey at Johns Hopkins has been so rewarding and joyful," Conway said. "I'm incredibly proud of my team and our important accomplishments and am confident that they are well positioned to continue the important work together with our community. Johns Hopkins will always have a special place in my and my family's heart, and what will be most remembered are the people we have had the honor of sharing our lives with over the past 16 years."

The university will launch a nationwide search for Conway's successor in the coming weeks, Daniels, Miller, and Schlegel wrote.

Before joining Johns Hopkins, Conway lived in Boston, where she held several roles of increasing responsibility in human resources at Harvard University. She holds a B.A. in business administration from New England College and a master's in administrative studies from Boston College.