Celebrating Black History Month – Iwanza Hamilton 

This year, Memorial is celebrating Black History Month by spotlighting members of our team who embody our mission of healing, inspiring, and transforming the health of our community.

Iwanza has worked at Memorial for over two years, and she currently serves as a Human Resources Business Partner. She says, “As an HR Business Partner, I act as a consultant and provide advice to anyone from Directors to Managers to employees. The topics of discussion can range from employee relations issues to performance management, compliance, employee engagement, investigations, and so on.” She supports multiple departments within the system.

Another Memorial team member nominated her, sharing, “Iwanza remains a consistent, confident, and professional mentor through easy and difficult situations that arise. She makes herself available at a second’s notice to assist. I strive to model myself as she conducts business. She is the first person I call when a situation arises related to Human Resources. She is always pleasant, personable, professional, and consistent. She makes my job easier. I could not imagine not having her assisting my team to perform their daily tasks related to Human Resources. She is a huge asset to this organization.”

Positivity is her goal

Iwanza shares, “I aim to always maintain a positive relationship with employees and leaders to ensure that we inspire employee loyalty, increase engagement, and continue creating a positive company culture. At the end of the day, I love helping individuals and finding solutions.”

Inspired by those who paved the way

“Black History Month is an opportunity to recognize those that have paved the way for us and those still paving the way. It’s the time to celebrate our history, our contributions, and our ability to thrive despite adversity,” she shares. 

When asked about who inspires her, Iwanza says, “Martin Luther King, Jr., has always been someone I admire. He was very intelligent, spoke confidently, and was very determined. He never gave up fighting for African American rights, even though he knew it would probably cost him his life. I will be forever grateful to Martin Luther King for paving the way for us.”

To celebrate Black History Month, Iwanza says she will be leading by example, encouraging others, supporting black-owned businesses, watching documentaries, and visiting the Free People of Color Museum.

Thank you for sharing your story, Iwanza, and thank you for all that you do for our patients and community!