Marnese Elder named Parkland’s Associate Chief Talent Officer

DALLAS – Marnese Barksdale Elder has been named Parkland Health & Hospital System’s Senior Vice President and Associate Chief Talent Officer. Elder is returning to Parkland after a two year absence during which time she served as President of the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce as well as owner and CEO of Mecca Management, a boutique talent and stakeholder management company.

Prior to joining the Chamber, Elder had been with Parkland since 2000, most recently serving as Vice President and Associate Chief Talent Officer. Upon her return, Elder will provide operational assessment and direction to support Parkland’s Chief Talent Officer in the system’s Office of Talent Management division. The division encompasses traditional human resources functions such as benefits, compensation and employee relations plus additional service areas including but not limited to: talent acquisition and workforce planning, talent analytics, diversity and inclusion, learning and development, engagement and culture, language services and pastoral care.

“Having worked with Marnese previously, I’ve seen firsthand the passion she has for our mission and workforce,” says Parkland’s Executive Vice President and Chief Talent Officer Corey Jackson, JD, SPHR, CCP. “She was instrumental in shaping the employee experience for so many in our organization, including my own. We’re fortunate to have her keen insight, dedication and expertise return to Parkland.”

Along with her operational expertise, Elder brings to the job her extensive knowledge of Parkland’s compensation, benefits, performance management, disability/FMLA and worker’s compensation functions. Along with serving as Vice President of Talent Management Operations, she also served as Director of Human Resources and Interim Director of Talent Acquisition. Elder was also responsible for the development and management of Parkland’s employee health plan benefits, where she executed managed care and re-insurance contracts, among other health plan related duties.

Prior to her work as Health and Wellness Administrator, Elder served as member relations manager for Parkland Community Health Plan, Inc., Parkland’s Medicaid Managed Care program.

“Parkland plays a pivotal role in our community – there’s just really no place like it,” Elder stated. “It’s an honor to rejoin the talented individuals and teams across the system working every day to care for our patients, their families and Dallas County.”

Elder is a member of several business organizations including the Dallas Regional Chamber’s Leadership Dallas Class of 2018, the Dallas County Small Business Enterprise Advisory Committee, the North Texas Commission Board of Directors and Visit Dallas Diversity & Inclusion Committee. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Healthcare Administration from Fisk University in Nashville and an MBA from Texas Woman’s University.