President and CEO Grace Wakulchik and Bernett Williams, vice president of External Affairs, are two of many women leaders at Akron Children’s.
Akron Children’s Hospital’s efforts to support its female employees and provide a positive work environment has earned it national recognition on Forbes magazine’s America’s Best Employers for Women list for 2020.
The hospital came in at No. 26 on the business magazine’s list, which positioned it in the top 10% of the 300 companies included. In industry-specific lists, Akron Children’s was ranked fourth nationally in the Healthcare & Social industry.
“In Northeast Ohio, Akron Children’s is known as a great place for women to fulfill their potential in meaningful careers,” said Grace Wakulchik, who was named president and CEO in 2018 after more than two decades at the hospital as a nurse and administrator. “It’s wonderful to see that our efforts are attracting attention nationally.”
Chief Operating Officer Lisa Aurilio has been instrumental in leading the hospital throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since the hospital’s founding as a day nursery by a group of women in 1890, women have played a significant role in the hospital’s growth and leadership. Akron Children’s today includes two campuses, several health centers and 50-plus primary and specialty care locations throughout Ohio, as well as more than 7,000 employees.
Its workforce is 84% female, and more than half of its vice presidents and chief officers are women.
The hospital’s participation in the Women’s Leadership Network and its engagement in succession planning to promote more women are just some of the steps taken in recent years to create a workplace that accommodates growth for women.
In addition, the hospital’s introduction of a $15 minimum wage and Career Launch, which provides employees with a path to a stable career in health care by removing common barriers to post-secondary education, are helping to support women in the hospital’s workforce.
Akron Children’s also has a program in place to help new mothers who return to work by offering breastfeeding support. The Workforce Lactation Policy includes efforts to provide mothers with convenient lactation sites at work as well as the help of a professional lactation consultant and breast pumps.
Women make up 84% of the hospital’s workforce.
“We have many groups and initiatives dedicated to promoting career development and supporting work life balance for women at Akron Children’s,” Wakulchik said. “And while inclusion on this list is a sign that we’re moving in the right direction, we continue to explore new ways to ensure a positive work environment for women at all levels of the organization.”
In its third annual ranking of the best employers for women, Forbes collaborated with market research firm Statista, surveying 75,000 Americans, including 45,000 women, working for businesses that employ more than 1,000 workers. The respondents spanned 31 industries and were asked to share their opinion on a series of statements about their respective employer’s culture, opportunities for career development, image, working conditions, salary and wages and diversity.
To see the list, go to https://www.forbes.com/best-employers-women/#5ac1dd807de9.
