Paula Squires

Paula Squires, MBA, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, will join Brigham Health as senior vice president of Human Resources (HR) on Oct. 16.

Squires comes to the Brigham from Baystate Health in Springfield, where she was senior vice president and chief human resources officer for 11 years.

Previously, she has served as vice president of Human Resources at Maine Medical Center and, before that, at South Shore Hospital. She has also worked for Harvard Community Health Plan and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.

At Baystate, Squires oversaw human resources functions for the health care system’s 12,500 employees and successfully transformed its HR model. In addition, she developed a 10-year strategic workforce plan to recruit and retain top talent for Baystate’s tertiary academic medical center and four hospitals, which serve western New England.

For Squires, this position will bring her professional life full circle; she began her career working at the Brigham as a compensation assistant and then as an analyst in Human Resources.

Ron M. Walls, MD, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Brigham Health, described Squires as an experienced leader with a deep understanding of the role the Human Resources team plays in recruiting, engaging and retaining employees.

“Paula is passionate about ensuring that we are an employer of choice, strengthening our efforts around workforce development and providing excellent service to our current and prospective employees,” Walls said.

Squires earned her bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater State College and her master’s in business administration from Boston University. She is certified as a senior professional in human resources and in senior human resources management.

When Squires isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her children, Lien, Jacqui, Nick, Carol and Christopher, playing the piano and serving as board chair for Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services in Springfield.