Hebrew SeniorLife Appoints Linda Thompson as Chief People Officer

BOSTON – Harvard Medical School affiliate Hebrew SeniorLife, dedicated to improving the lives of older adults, today announced that Linda Thompson has joined the organization as Chief People Officer. In this role, she brings her human resources expertise to the challenges of talent acquisition and management, employee relations, professional and organizational development, and more. Thompson replaced Deb Lemmerman, who retired earlier this month after almost eight years of service.

Thompson is a seasoned executive, with more than 35 years of employee engagement and human resource management experience, including her most recent 20 years+ at the New England Baptist Hospital. There, Thompson was an ambassador for service excellence, diversity, equity, and inclusion along with employee well-being. Her many accomplishments included: Introducing on-site fitness for employees and medical insurance premium incentives; launching listening sessions and a self-study Anti-Racism Module to build understanding of the history and impacts of race and racism; becoming the driving force behind the creation and nurturing of the “Baptist Way” culture of excellence, service to patients, quality, and safety for all patients, staff, and visitors to the Baptist; and implementing workforce development pipeline programs to overcome high turnover and create stability.

“Throughout my years at the Baptist, I felt a deep commitment to fostering trust, inspiring confidence, and building collaborative and diverse relationships with executives, physicians, board members, and frontline staff,” Thompson said. “I bring that commitment to Hebrew SeniorLife and look forward to collaborating across the organization to maintain and enhance the employee culture and value proposition that staff have come to expect at Hebrew SeniorLife.”

Thompson earned her master’s degree in health care administration from New Hampshire College and a bachelor’s in management from Simmons College. She also received certificates in HR from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Villanova University, Brown University, and other academic and industry organizations.

“Linda clearly rose to the top of an intensive interview process that engaged more than 50 staff members,” said Lou Woolf, president and CEO of Hebrew SeniorLife. “What came through during the interviews is that Linda is a person who has extraordinary respect and empathy for the entire workforce as they fulfill our mission, and is someone who lives and breathes our foundational and cultural beliefs, particularly Respect, Build Trust, Succeeding Together, Ask What Matters, and Grow Professionally – qualities that have helped us be recognized as a Top Place to Work in Massachusetts for the fourth time in the most current ranking.”

Woolf added, “I’d also like to thank Deb Lemmerman for her service and accomplishments and who, with our talented and hard-working HR team, helped us be, and get rightful recognition as, a top place to work in the state.”

About Hebrew SeniorLife
Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching, and redefining the possibilities of aging. Hebrew SeniorLife cares for more than 3,000 seniors a day across six campuses throughout Greater Boston. Our locations include: Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-Boston and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-NewBridge in Dedham; NewBridge on the Charles, Dedham; Orchard Cove, Canton; Simon C. Fireman Community, Randolph; Center Communities of Brookline, Brookline; and Jack Satter House, Revere. Founded in 1903, Hebrew SeniorLife also conducts influential research into aging at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, which has a portfolio of more than $63 million, making it the largest gerontological research facility in the U.S. in a clinical setting. It also trains more than 1,000 geriatric care providers each year. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit https://www.hebrewseniorlife.org or follow us on our blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.