Executive Biographies

Chuck Columbus

Senior vice president and chief Human Resources officer

Chuck Columbus is senior vice president, chief Human Resources officer for Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. He joined the organization in August 2009 as senior vice president, labor relations and led the development of Kaiser Permanente’s national labor relations strategy and collective bargaining with the organization’s partner unions for the 2010 National Agreement.

As chief human resources officer, Columbus has national responsibility for all human resources functions including recruiting, personnel development, organization and succession planning, total compensation and employee relations. He will continue to direct labor relations and remain active in Kaiser Permanente’s Labor Management Partnership.

Columbus has more than 30 years of experience and expertise in human resources with responsibility for overall human resources strategy and human resources functions. Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente, he spent his career at Ford Motor Company, holding a number of senior labor and human resources positions, including vice president of human resources, Asia Markets. In this position, Columbus was responsible for all human resources functions in six countries, as well as for employee and organizational development processes for staff in the 11 markets in the Asia-Pacific region and in Africa. During this period, he led a realignment initiative that developed strategies for the optimal use of regional resources. He also served as chairman of the human resources committee for the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand.

Columbus holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Michigan.