Angie Hoover
Chief Human Resource Officer
CarePro Health Services
Chief Human Resources/Diversity Officer of the Year
Nominated by Katie Dostal, Senior Business Development Specialist, CarePro Health Services
Angie Hoover’s co-workers praise her leadership, her knack for seeing employee potential and her infectious sense of fun – from instituting 30-second dance party Fridays to book clubs and yoga classes.
But CarePro Health Services’ Chief Human Resources Officer is also known for her ability to handle delicate situations, including a tough reorganization of the HR department shortly after joining the company in 2015, and the transitioning of 60 employees who were suddenly out of a job when CarePro sold its five community pharmacies in 2018.
“There’s been a lot of really challenging things we’ve had to make decisions on,” said Ms. Hoover, also citing CarePro’s exiting of the home health business in 2016, in which she was able to transition 25 employees into jobs with other agencies. “I believe when you’re honest with staff about what’s going on and you’re trans- parent with financials and opportunities, you can paint the whole picture and kind of work through the challenges together.”
Ms. Hoover’s academic studies at the University of Iowa – first focusing on pre-law, then psychology, and, finally, business – set her up almost perfectly to handle the challenges of HR management, she said, as did her time driving Cambus, which piqued her interest in logistics and efficiency.
“Sometimes using some of that psychology, sometimes using some of the pre-law … nothing went to waste,” Ms. Hoover said of her somewhat unconventional educational route. “And it’s a cliché, but I’m a people person. I love it when we can figure out how to get people in the right roles and make them blossom.”
CarePro President and CEO Michelle Jensen, who worked with Ms. Hoover at one of her first post-college jobs at LeFebure Corp. in Cedar Rapids, said she was her “go to” resource back then – and remains so today.
“Her leadership and vision have driven CarePro in accelerating our goals to enrich our environment and maximize process,” Ms. Jensen wrote in a nomination letter. “In a short period of time, she has had a big impact.”
Ms. Jensen and fellow nominator Katie Dostal, CarePro’s senior business development specialist, lauded Ms. Hoover’s efforts to improve integration between departments and to make the company’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan more accountable. Since getting involved with CarePro’s ESOP, Ms. Hoover has been invited to speak on the matter on panels at regional and national conferences.
“I don’t know that I can ever say we’ve 100 percent arrived, but things are much different today,” she said of changes she’s instituted in how the ESOP is managed. “We talk about accountability. Michelle shares the financials. We have brought the conversation to monthly staff meetings and we have weekly scorecards that go out.”
Ms. Hoover’s latest challenge is serving as COO of Rayser, a new holding company created to diversify and enhance employee ownership. She said Rayser is in acquisition mode, hoping to expand the company’s portfolio outside of health care so it is not as heavily de- pendent on insurance payments.
“We’re looking at so many different industries, everything from manufacturing to tech … there is nothing that’s off limits,” said Ms. Hoover. “This is going to be a new game, for sure.”
Since her arrival at CarePro three and a half years ago, Ms. Hoover has also worked to upgrade technology, including doing away with paper enrollments and implementing an applicant tracking on- boarding system. Creating a bottom-up culture has been another focal point.
“The thing for me is HR cannot be the culture of the company,” she said. “I’m not a party planner, I am not the book club planner … It’s just motivating people and getting them totally charged about doing something. And then suddenly, that’s the thing that makes a difference.”
Ms. Hoover is the mother to two children, George and Charlotte, serves on the board of Horizons, and has volunteered with Meals on Wheels since taking the HR helm at CarePro. She and her husband have also been foster parents, something she calls “one of the best, most challenging things I’ve ever done.”
– Katharine Carlon