Rita Croom, MBA, SHRM-CP
SVP, Chief Experience Officer
As Chief Experience Officer for Capella, Rita Croom, MBA, SHRM-CP, leads service excellence initiatives, related measurement improvements and organizational development initiatives including the Physician Leadership Academy and Leadership Development Institute. Passionate about strategic performance improvement and organizational effectiveness, Rita focuses on the importance of leadership, culture and employee engagement.
Previously Rita served in a similar capacity with Union University’s Center for Excellence in Health Care Practice and HCA’s TriStar Division. Additionally, her experiences have included performance improvement initiatives utilizing LEAN methodology in which she holds a Certificate in LEAN Healthcare from Belmont University. In total, Rita has worked with more than 25 hospitals in approximately eight different states, along with international healthcare development in India.
Dedicated to lifelong learning opportunities, Rita holds a certificate in executive leadership excellence from Vanderbilt University, a certificate in healthcare administration from Union University, and a certificate of human resource management from Christian Brothers University. She has also earned Certified Professional status from the Society of Human Resources Management. She earned both her bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and master’s degree in business administration from Union University, achieving magna cum laude honors for both degrees. She is currently pursuing a doctor of science degree in health services administration at The University of Alabama-Birmingham. She and her husband Wilson have three sons, Caleb, Chandler and Cody.