Jessica Meisner comes from a family of human resource professionals. 

She recalls as she was growing up, she would bring her mom’s policy manuals home to read. Meisner’s parents, Joe and Joyce Gitch, were part of a management team that purchased American Athletic Inc., a sports equipment business in Jefferson, Iowa, in 1986 and returned the firm to local ownership. The other three members of the group included Jim Eaton, Les Arp and Larry Fie. 

“I had a front-row seat to the impact of meaningful jobs that were created in our community,” Meisner said. “People want to use their talents and feel appreciated so they can feel good at the end of the day and be the best versions of themselves for their loved ones. I want to contribute to creating that kind of work for people and our communities.”

Meisner first started as a human resources specialist for Iowa Health Physicians/UnityPoint Clinic in 2004 and is approaching 20 years with UnityPoint, serving across seven different positions. She became vice president of human resources in July and is responsible for the human resource enterprise, which includes the human resource business partner division, employee relations, talent management, total rewards, employee health and HR operations. 

Meisner was recently named the 2023 Dentons Davis Brown Human Resources Professional of the Year by the Business Record. The award, launched by the Business Record in 2020, is designed to highlight an outstanding HR professional from Central Iowa for their professional accomplishments and community engagement.

“Thank you to Denton Davis Brown and the Business Record for honoring this wonderful profession,” Meisner said. “I feel blessed to be a part of this profession and to work in a community that continues to invest in developing a strong workforce. I have incredible colleagues who I get to partner with to create a culture in which our team members can bring their authentic self to work, so they can use all of their talents to deliver the highest quality care to the communities we serve. I am truly grateful for the role I get to serve in and the people I work with. They are amazing.”

During her time with UnityPoint, Meisner has served as provider recruitment manager, Iowa Health Physicians/UnityPoint Clinic; director of human resources, Iowa Health Physicians/UnityPoint Clinic; executive director of human resources, UnityPoint Clinic; vice president of human resources, UnityPoint Clinic and UnityPoint at Home; and vice president of human resources consulting. 

“For UnityPoint Health, our mission involves delivering the best possible care for the patients we serve, as well as showing people how much they matter,” Meisner said. “And that’s why I continue to stay in this profession, because it gives me tremendous satisfaction to help leaders create strategies on how we leverage talent to drive business outcomes that allow us to achieve our mission.” 

The Business Record recently caught up with Meisner. The Q&A has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.  

What’s the journey been like from when you started at UnityPoint to your current position? 

It has been a journey of constant learning. I’ve been really blessed to have leaders and mentors who gave me opportunities to grow and learn and try new things. They also allowed me to fail sometimes, so I could learn from that. Sometimes, you have to build your career at different organizations to experience those lessons, but I feel lucky that I haven’t had to leave UnityPoint Health to do so, which is something that’s important to me. Now, I try to create those same experiences for others so they can build their skill sets and talents because I think that’s how we all grow. I really appreciate the leaders who saw potential in me, and I want to do that for others as well.

How has the human resources landscape evolved since you first got started? 

When you think about some of the historical, more transactional pieces of human resources, like payroll and benefits, it’s evolved quite a bit, as there’s more automation and technology available to manage those types of functions. The result is that HR teams can function as strategic partners for our leaders, which helps them achieve key goals. I’m constantly thinking about how we can leverage our workforce and talented teams to achieve certain outcomes, whether it’s related to strategy, operations, finance, innovation or culture. For example, we’re often exploring how we invest in our teams differently, knowing we also need a strong process to put pay rates in our system. It’s a balance between those traditional functions, which are still very important, and the ways in which our profession can help transform organizations for the better. 

Are there any unique challenges you’re seeing today in the profession?

We’re seeing improvements with overall workforce and low unemployment rates, but it continues to be a challenge to attract talent to the communities that we serve. For Des Moines, in particular, we’re really blessed to be part of this growing community because it does attract incredible talent. But we need to continue to have this partnership with high schools and colleges to develop the skill sets we need, particularly in health care but other industries as well. HR leaders also need to continue to work on building resiliency and the ability to adapt to change with our workforce. Rather than looking for quick fixes, it’s important to remember that good work takes time, and you need to be curious and dive into the details to understand the impacts. Finally, I’m passionate about leading with empathy, as that’s something we need more of in the world, too.

What are UnityPoint’s priorities for talent and workforce?

We need to continue to enhance our partnerships with colleges and high school programs to build talent pipelines to match our workforce needs. We are leveraging change management principles to support our leaders and team members during times of industry change and uncertainty. We are focused on workplace safety, as health care is now one of the nation’s most dangerous fields, and it is critical we prevent and mitigate any incidents. And we are constantly evolving our leadership development approach to be the place for leaders and team members to grow. 

What’s kept you invested in your work for UnityPoint for so long?

Definitely the people. I have been really blessed to work with incredible colleagues that have helped create a culture in which our team members can bring their authentic self to work, so they can use all their talents to deliver the highest quality of care to the communities we serve. I’m incredibly proud of our workforce and the impacts that our team has on our communities, and that really drives me. It keeps me connected to our mission. We also have an incredible culture, and I’m so proud to be a part of it.

Do you have any personal accomplishments that you’re especially proud of throughout your career?

Several years ago, we established common values across UnityPoint Health, which are alive and thrive today. It’s more than words for us – it’s part of our culture, something every employee understands and feels, and something we use as a filter for decision making. It’s part of our brand promise, too, in that we’re always going to show our patients and families how much they matter. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic was a very difficult time in health care, and our workforce is still recovering from that time period. I’m proud of how we rallied around our communities and our team members during that time to help everybody navigate through that. And finally, like I mentioned, we’ve been evolving our HR model to ensure we are driving better processes and partnering with our internal stakeholders in a better way, and I’m so proud of where we’re at as a team.

In addition to the various roles you’ve held at UnityPoint, you’ve also been heavily involved in the community. How important is it to you to find time for that community involvement? 

This is very important to me, and I am appreciative of the opportunities to serve as it has expanded my perspective and awareness. At this phase in life, I have been trying to serve with organizations that are connected to my children, or their interests, so I can maximize my time with them.

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At a glance

Hometown: Jefferson, Iowa 

Family: Husband, Ben; and two kids: Calvin, 14, and Sam, 10 

Education: Bachelor of Business Administration, with an emphasis in management and organization, University of Iowa

Hobbies: Iowa Hawkeyes, kids’ sports and traveling

Contact: jessica.meisner@unitypoint.org