Mass General Brigham Names Anna Brown Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer

After a national search, Anna Brown has been named Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) Officer for Mass General Brigham. In this new role, Brown, who has over 20 years of experience as a DE&I professional, will work collaboratively with senior leadership and all members of the organization to provide vision and drive systemwide DE&I and United Against Racism strategies and goals.

“I am thrilled to have Anna at the helm of our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Her unique background in healthcare, law, and diversity and inclusion work will help us to thoughtfully approach the challenges we face as a healthcare system and inform innovative ways that we can address these issues,” said Anne Klibanski, MD, President and CEO of Mass General Brigham. “We still have more work to do to ensure that people of color and other historically marginalized communities are equally represented across our workforce, especially in leadership positions. An inclusive culture is essential to our collective success. I also want to express my gratitude to Carla Carten for her tenure as interim chief and her continued dedication to advancing these important initiatives.”

Carten, who has served in the interim role since June 2021, will continue to serve as Executive Director in that office.

Brown formerly served as the Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer at Baker McKenzie, a global law firm with more than 13,000 employees worldwide. During her six years there, she developed and led the firm’s global DE&I comprehensive initiatives, including policy development and best practices for promoting professional development and inclusion.

Brown began her career in healthcare as a critical care nurse before she pivoted to legal practice and DE&I leadership. She began her legal career as a corporate associate at Shearman & Sterling, where she spent 16 years and led the company’s DE&I efforts. She also served as an associate general counsel for Continuum Health Partners.

“We are excited to welcome Anna to Mass General Brigham,” said Rosemary Sheehan, Chief Human Resources Officer at Mass General Brigham. “Her commitment and experience in diversity, equity and inclusion uniquely positions her to lead our system in our efforts to advance and deepen our equitable culture and goals.”