Karen Frenier Appointed Chief Human Resources Officer

Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital President, Karen Frenier has accepted the position of Vice President Orlando Health and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). Karen will continue to serve as Orlando Health South Seminole president until Monday, February 19, 2018 when an interim president is appointed.

Karen brings 38 years of Orlando Health experience to the CHRO role. In 1980, Karen joined the organization as a staff nurse on a surgical unit. She worked on several different units as she transitioned to nursing management roles. In 2003, she joined Lucerne Hospital as a patient care administrator and was later named as the executive director of Lucerne Hospital in 2006. She served in that capacity until the medicine service line moved back to Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center in 2009 and she became the vice president of operations at ORMC.

She served three years in this role at ORMC until 2012 when she assumed responsibility as president of Orlando Health South Seminole. In 2013, Karen was asked to also assume responsibility as interim president of Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital. She served both hospitals as president for three years until a permanent president was appointed at Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips. In mid-2017, Karen was once again asked to serve in an interim role, this time as the Chief Human Resources Officer.

“Throughout her career, Karen has demonstrated remarkable flexibility and an ability to successfully assume responsibility for a variety of different organizations facing different operational challenges,” says Chief Operating Officer, Jamal Hakim, M.D. “Her ability to adapt to different environments and knowledge of the history and culture of Orlando Health will serve her well as she assumes her new role as CHRO.”

Karen earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Florida Southern University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. She is currently a member of the Seminole State College Foundation board. Karen has received numerous distinctions throughout her career and in 2015, was named Business Executive of the Year Honoree by the Orlando Business Journal.

Karen has an extraordinary work ethic and shares the organization’s core values of compassion, service and clinical excellence. “I have the utmost faith in Karen’s ability and commitment to serve the organization and am extremely pleased that she has agreed to accept this role,” Dr. Hakim says. “Please join me in congratulating and supporting her as she assumes leadership of our Human Resources Department.”