Carolyn McCain
Carolyn began her professional career as an executive administrative assistant in Michigan. Her foray into human resources started when, three months into a position as the executive assistant for the Vice President of Human Resources at Minacs, a customer relations firm, she was encouraged to pursue higher education. She graduated with a degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix in 2003 and later pursued an MBA in Human Resources Management from the Center for Graduate Studies at Baker College in 2009.
Carolyn’s path in Human Resources leadership has taken her through various roles, from benefits administrator at Minacs in Farmington, Michigan, to Division HR Manager in Littleton, Colorado, to eventually the Chief Human Resource Officer at Curry Health in Gold Beach, Oregon. Her previous experience has included regional and divisional HR positions where she was responsible for overseeing large geographical areas and multiple locations, in more than a dozen states. She started working in the health care field in 2004, as Region Senior HR Representative for Cardinal Health, Inc., in Romulus, Michigan. Since then, Carolyn has worked exclusively for health care organizations.
“Supporting those who take care of our communities is my true passion,” Carolyn shared. “While I’m not a caregiver myself, I believe that HR plays a critical role in caring for our staff, who are, in turn, able to provide the best care for patients. At Mason Health, I’m excited to be part of a team where relationships and trust are at the heart of what we do.”
Carolyn’s background in healthcare makes her uniquely equipped to understand the complexities of rural health systems like Mason Health. Her previous roles involved strategic leadership across multiple locations, often in areas where HR had not been present before, which gave her the autonomy to implement best practices suited to the local context.
“What drew me to Mason Health was the opportunity to be a decision-maker, without a corporate entity dictating how and when we do things,” she said. “Mason Health’s focus on relationships and community is so important, especially in smaller towns where personal connections matter. It’s about understanding the needs of our staff and community first.”
In her new role, Carolyn oversees all aspects of human resources, including talent management, employee engagement, and policy implementation, with a focus on ensuring consistency and fairness across the organization. She believes that fostering trust with employees starts with personal connections, often beginning conversations with questions as simple as “How are you? How’s your family?”— an approach she finds particularly important when building trust and establishing relationships.
When Carolyn isn’t working to support the Mason Health team, she enjoys spending time with her family, which includes her husband, Rick, and her son, Drew, a senior at the University of San Francisco. She’s also an avid baker, known for her homemade treats like chewy oatmeal cherry cookies and lemon blueberry pound cakes, which have become a favorite among her colleagues.
“Baking gives me a way to build relationships, and I love hearing people say how much they enjoy my treats,” Carolyn commented.