Richard W. Grooms Jr., SPHR

Chief Human Resources Officer

Richard “Rick” Grooms Jr., SPHR joined Southeast Georgia Health System as its chief human resources officer in June 2022. His areas of responsibility include Human Resources, Organizational Development and Education, Clinical Education, and Health Promotion & Wellness.

Mr. Grooms has more than 30 years of human resources experience within the health care industry. Prior to joining the Health System, he served as senior vice president and chief people officer at Centra Health, a five-hospital health system with 7,500 employees headquartered in Lynchburg, Virginia. Before Centra Health, Mr. Grooms was chief human resources officer at AnMed Health in Anderson, South Carolina.

In addition to extensive executive level experience, Mr. Grooms has successfully achieved many accomplishments throughout his career. They range from implementing organizational and leadership development programs, initiating team driven cultural enhancement programs, enhancing health plan benefit designs, to executing recruitment and retention programs and new talent acquisition performance management systems.

Mr. Grooms earned his Bachelor of Science in business administration from The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. He received a Master of Arts in public administration and management from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, and he also holds a National Society for Human Resources Professionals Senior Certification (SPHR). Additionally, Mr. Grooms enjoys being heavily involved in the community through volunteering and by serving on and leading various boards.