Vice President, HR, Employee & Labor Relations
Johns Hopkins Health System

Dione Powell was named vice president of human resources, employee/labor relations, for the Johns Hopkins Health System in May 2021.

She joined the health system in 2018 as director of employee and labor relations. In that role, she oversaw the employee and labor relations team and the leave management team, and managed human resources relations for Johns Hopkins Medicine International and the Johns Hopkins Health System. During her time with the organization, she has provided strategic oversight and operational direction for all aspects of employee and labor relations across the health system. Her role ensures consistent, fair, and compliant application of policies, while fostering a positive and inclusive work environment that aligns with organizational values and mission.

Powell serves as a trusted advisor to HR business partners, operational leaders, and executives by developing and implementing best practices in employee relations, investigations, performance management, and grievance resolution. She also partners closely with legal, compliance, and DE&I initiatives, to mitigate risk and maintain a culture of respect, accountability, and just practice.

Key priorities include building standardized frameworks and tools for case management, improving data analytics to identify workplace trends, and proactively addressing issues that impact engagement, retention, and employee wellbeing. In addition, she oversees labor relations strategy—ensuring compliance with collective bargaining agreements, managing union partnerships, and supporting consistent interpretation of contractual provisions.

She currently serves on the board for the Merit Health Leadership Academy and Human Resources Advisory Board for The Healthcare Council.