John Peeples, FACHE, will transition from his current role as vice president and chief human resources officer for USC Arcadia Hospital (USC-AH) to serve as the executive administrator of employee and labor relations, HR policy and compliance for Keck Medicine of USC. Peeples will begin the role on Oct. 9.

“John’s unending generosity and compassion for both our patients and caregivers is truly inspiring, and we know that his dedication will lead the enterprise to even greater success,” said Ekta Vyas, PhD, chief human resources officer for Keck Medicine, who made the announcement on Aug. 29.

In this newly created role, Peeples will direct and lead the health system’s employee relations, collective bargaining, HR policy and compliance, and absence management portfolio.

He will also serve as Keck Medicine’s chief labor relations negotiator in partnership with outside counsel, and will plan, develop and implement employee and labor relations strategies and programs for all health system entities.

According to Vyas’ announcement, Peeples will create and execute a positive employee relations strategy across the health system in the pursuit of strengthening the overall employee-employer relationship.

Since joining USC-AH in Nov. 2018, Peeples has been instrumental in a number of initiatives, including the successful completion of recent collective bargaining agreements with the hospital’s two unions. Before USC-AH, he held positions at Howard University, Cleveland Clinic Indian River Medical Center and the University of Connecticut Healthcare Center.

Peeples earned an undergraduate degree in management and labor relations from Cleveland State University, as well as an MBA in organizational behavior from Case Western Reserve University. He is currently a doctoral student in USC Rossier School of Education’s Organizational Change and Leadership program.

In her announcement, Vyas noted that a national search is now underway for a new vice president of human resources for USC-AH. During this transition period, Peeples will continue to support the hospital in his current role until his successor is named.

—Michael Juliani