Cincinnati Children’s Names Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Relations

Thursday, June 04, 2020

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center today named Visael “Bobby” Rodriguez as its vice president of diversity, inclusion and community relations. Rodriguez will lead Cincinnati Children’s development and deployment of strategies to support and sustain diversity, equity, inclusion and community engagement.

“Bobby brings a strong background and absolute passion for diversity and inclusion from personal experience and professional roles in the health and healthcare sectors, as well as industry,” said Nerissa Morris, Cincinnati’s Children’s senior vice president and chief human resources and diversity officer. “He will help us to continuously build a vibrant, culturally sensitive and inclusive environment, maintain strong community partnerships, and deliver on our mission with excellence.”

Rodriguez comes to Cincinnati Children’s with more than 30 years of experience in diversity and inclusion, culture change, talent management, community relations, sales, marketing and business development. Most recently, he served as the vice president, chief human resources officer and facilities for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island. He was also chief diversity officer at Baystate Health in western Massachusetts, and held roles at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida in Jacksonville and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield in Baltimore, Maryland.

“Elevating the leadership of diversity and inclusion and aligning it with community relations, reinforces our long-standing core values to respect everyone and make a difference. Cincinnati Children’s commitment to our employees and community must be reflected in our culture, operations and leadership. I am excited to have Bobby join our team,” said Michael Fisher, president and CEO.

A native of Puerto Rico, Bobby earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial management and marketing from the University of Puerto Rico. His civic engagement has included serving on the board of directors for Skills for Rhode Island Future (Skills RI), International Multi-Cultural Institute (iMCI), Providence YearUp Leadership Advisory Council and the Advisory Council for the Brown University Executive Master’s in Healthcare Leadership.

"Listening and celebrating the differences and similarities of each other will make us a stronger organization. We have an obligation to ensure an inclusive and welcoming environment for all employees, patients and communities," said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez will report to Morris and will join Cincinnati Children’s on July 6, 2020. His wife Mary, and children, Sabrina and Cristian, will join him in Cincinnati.