Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT), one of the largest community foundations in the nation, is pleased to announce Dr. DeLancey Johnson as its new chief human resources officer and member of the executive leadership team. Johnson joined CFT on August 10, and will lead the foundation’s human resources strategy and people operations with a focus on strengthening CFT’s high-performing, collaborative culture and ensuring its talent and people practices support the organization’s mission and strategic priorities.
“Delancey brings new perspective, experience, and leadership to CFT as we continue building a culture that supports our mission and our staff experts,” said Wayne White, president and CEO of Communities Foundation of Texas. “His depth of experience leading people and talent strategies across complex organizations will be a tremendous asset as we continue investing in our team, our community, and strengthening CFT for the future.”
Johnson brings more than 20 years of human resources and executive leadership experience across public, private, nonprofit, and healthcare organizations. Throughout his career, he has led enterprise-wide people strategies and partnered with executive leaders and boards to strengthen organizational culture, develop talent, improve employee engagement and align human resources strategies with organizational goals.
Most recently, Johnson served as senior vice president and associate chief talent officer at Parkland Health in Dallas, one of the largest public health systems in the country. At Parkland, he provided strategic and executive leadership across a broad portfolio of talent and human resources functions, leading and developing teams across traditional and non-traditional departments and advancing employee-focused programs. His work also centered on talent strategy, organizational effectiveness and enterprise-wide people initiatives, and he guided cross-functional teams through major organizational initiatives, including the implementation of a $17 million enterprise human capital management system.
“I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to join an organization with such a distinguished reputation and meaningful impact across the Dallas-Fort Worth region,” said Johnson. “CFT’s mission, commitment to the community, and talented team strongly align with my values, and I look forward to contributing my experience in support of the organization’s continued success.”
Previously, Johnson held senior human resources leadership roles with Memorial Healthcare System, Harris Health System, Academy Sports + Outdoors and Memorial Hermann Health System. Early in his career, he spent nearly five years with Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), supporting U.S. operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. In that highly complex environment, he helped lead human resources operations for a workforce of more than 10,000 expatriates.
Johnson holds a Doctor of Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Management from Northcentral University, an MBA from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Edward Waters College. He holds a senior human resources development certificate from Rice University along with several professional credentials, including Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).
Johnson has been actively engaged in professional and community organizations throughout his career, including the Dallas Regional Chamber, Texas Diversity Council and healthcare-related organizations. He is an active member of the North Texas chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Numerous professional and community organizations have recognized Johnson’s leadership. His honors include the Dallas HR Executive Impact Award, Texas Diversity Council’s Individual Leadership Award, the ACHE of North Texas Executive Servant Leader Regent’s Award, SBFW’s Excellence in Human Resource Award, HRO Today’s North America HR Award – Healthcare, and the HRO HR Excellence in Thought Leadership Award. Over the years, he has also been recognized among Becker’s Hospital Review’s “75 Black Healthcare Leaders to Know,” South Florida Magazine’s “40 Under 40: Black Leaders of Today and Tomorrow,” and Savoy Magazine’s “Most Influential Black Leaders in Corporate America.”
