Laura Dannels

Laura P. Dannels is an American healthcare human resources executive serving as Chief Human Resources Officer at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and UCSF Health, where she holds the concurrent titles of Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources and Senior Vice President of Human Resources, overseeing a workforce of more than 40,000 employees.^[1][2] She assumed the role in December 2025 and sits on the Chancellor's Cabinet.^[18]

Prior to UCSF, Dannels spent approximately six years at Wellstar Health System in metro Atlanta, Georgia, rising from Chief Learning Officer to Chief Talent Officer during a period in which the system grew from approximately $2 billion to $8 billion in revenue.^[1][4] Earlier in her career, she founded a human capital consulting firm, led leadership development at PG&E, and directed learning and leadership development at Kaiser Permanente, where she was named a Training Magazine Top 5 Emerging Training Leader in 2018.^[9][7] She also serves as an adjunct lecturer at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies and as an HR Venture Advisor at SemperVirens Venture Capital.^[4][2]

Dannels is a Northern California native with deep Bay Area roots; several family members were born at what is now UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland.^[1] She earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston's C.T. Bauer College of Business in 2012.^[4] She subsequently completed executive education certificates in Executive Coaching from the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business and in Strategy, Innovation & Design Thinking from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, both around 2016.^[4][2]

Dannels earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Global Leadership and Change from Pepperdine University in 2020, completing the degree while serving as a senior executive at Wellstar Health System.^[4][2] She also holds a certificate in Employee and Labor Relations from Cornell University's ILR School, completed in 2021.^[4] She maintains SHRM-SCP and SPHR professional certifications.^[7]

Human Capital Consulting Firm (Founder)

Before entering corporate human resources, Dannels founded a human capital consulting firm focused on leadership development.^[4][7] The firm's name and specific dates of operation have not been publicly disclosed. According to her Columbia University faculty biography, this entrepreneurial experience preceded her transition into large-enterprise HR roles and informed her practitioner-oriented approach to talent strategy.^[4]

PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric Company)

Dannels served in a leadership development role at PG&E, one of the largest combined natural gas and electric energy companies in the United States.^[7] During her tenure, PG&E was ranked No. 14 on Training Magazine's Top 125 Global Training Organizations list, and her leadership development program received recognition from the Obama Administration as a model program for growing organizational leaders.^[7][4] Exact dates of her PG&E tenure have not been publicly disclosed.

Kaiser Permanente (–2019)

Dannels served as Director of Learning and Leadership Development at Kaiser Permanente, where she helped establish KP University, the organization's internal learning system.^[8][9] In 2018, Training Magazine named her one of its Top 5 Emerging Training Leaders, selected from among 25 winners drawn from nearly 50 nominations, citing her work building KP University.^[9] She departed Kaiser Permanente in 2019 to join Wellstar Health System.^[9]

Wellstar Health System (2019–2025)

Dannels joined Wellstar Health System in January 2019 as Chief Learning Officer and Vice President.^[10] She was elevated to Chief Talent Officer in 2020, a role she held until her departure in late 2025.^[9][11] During her approximately six-year tenure, Wellstar grew from roughly $2 billion to $8 billion in revenue and expanded to more than 30,000 team members across 9 counties and over 300 offices in metro Atlanta.^[1][16]

At Wellstar, Dannels launched several workforce development programs that received national attention. The CareerCare apprenticeship program, developed in partnership with Guild Education, offered pathways from entry-level positions through clinical healthcare roles; 50 percent of eligible entry-level workers opted into the program.^[18] She also expanded a leadership coaching initiative through a partnership with Sounding Board, pairing more than 500 employees with coaches; coached employees demonstrated a 31 percent higher year-over-year retention rate compared to non-coached counterparts.^[14] Wellstar also piloted virtual reality leadership training through a partnership with Moth+Flame.^[18] During her tenure, Wellstar was named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list multiple times.^[4]

Columbia University School of Professional Studies (Lecturer)

Dannels serves as an adjunct professor and lecturer in the graduate Human Capital Management program at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies, a role she began during her Wellstar tenure and has continued into her UCSF appointment.^[4] She co-teaches courses including Integrated Talent Management and the Capstone Seminar, and has participated as a panelist at the program's alumni networking events alongside senior HR executives from companies including Dropbox and Allstate.^[16][17] She has also published thought leadership through the program, including an article titled "Five Priorities to Build an Agile, AI-Ready Workforce."^[4]

SemperVirens Venture Capital (2025–present)

Dannels serves as an HR Venture Advisor at SemperVirens Venture Capital, a firm focused on the future of work, workforce, and wellbeing.^[2][4] In this capacity, she evaluates human capital-focused startups and emerging technologies. The advisory role complements her earlier service on Wellstar's Catalyst Venture Investment Advisory Committee, a $100 million healthcare innovation fund through which she evaluated emerging workforce technologies.^[4]

JDC — American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (Board Member)

Dannels serves as a board member of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), a global humanitarian organization operating in more than 70 countries.^[2][4]

University of California, San Francisco (2025–present)

In December 2025, Dannels was appointed Chief Human Resources Officer at UCSF, announced by Chancellor Sam Hawgood.^[1][18] The role carries three concurrent titles reflecting a dual reporting structure: Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources for the university campus, reporting to Senior Vice Chancellor Erin Gore, and Senior Vice President of Human Resources for UCSF Health, reporting to CEO Suresh Gunasekaran.^[18][2] She oversees human resources strategy for more than 40,000 employees across the UCSF campus and UCSF Health system and sits on the Chancellor's Cabinet.^[1][18] The appointment was also reported by Becker's Hospital Review.^[11]

Dannels is a Northern California native whose family ties to the Bay Area span multiple generations; several family members were born at what is now UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, a connection she has cited as personally meaningful in the context of her UCSF appointment.^[1] She relocated from Atlanta, Georgia, to San Francisco upon joining UCSF in December 2025.^[1][18]