Rachel Quisenberry

Learning From Great Leaders

Rachel credits three mentors with shaping how she leads today. The first was Mindy Lewis, who passed away a few years ago but left a lasting imprint on Rachel's philosophy. Mindy used to remind her that systems change takes time, but people need help right now. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to change the system, but it's okay if you want to feed people while you change the system," Mindy would say.

The second was Roger Kegwin, a retired colleague and friend who modeled integrity above all else. "You never doubted that what he was doing was always intended to be the right thing for the business," Rachel says. It wasn't always comfortable, but it was right.

The third was Tom Leinberger, the former CEO of Cummins, who gave Rachel advice that still drives her work today. He told her to get out into the business and get close to the work. "When you get close to work, you understand what people need," he said. If you don't understand the work, the environment, and what's needed to help the business succeed, you can't recruit the right talent.

That lesson stuck. Now at IU Health, Rachel applies the same principle: get close to the work and get close to the people doing it. "You have to invest in their success," she says. "And you don't know what that is if you don't go listen."

AI as a Multiplier, Not a Replacement

Rachel has a measured view of artificial intelligence in recruiting, one that sets her apart from some of the hype. She sees AI as a multiplier and an accelerator, not a full replacement of humanity. She compares it to the industrialization movement, a fundamental shift in how work is done and what work is done, but not the end of human contribution. "I think what we are witnessing in our human resource spaces are like these iterations," she says. Think of it in waves.

When Rachel first implemented AI in talent acquisition, she focused on its ability to evaluate talent and rank candidates by alignment to a role based on what appeared on paper. It worked, to a point. But it also revealed gaps. The system depended on a candidate's ability to write a resume, to understand keywords, to tailor their application in ways that spoke to the algorithm, and candidates who couldn't do that began falling out of the funnel.

Rachel is candid about the learning curve, both for the technology and for the people using it. AI evolves rapidly, and the science is advancing.

Grounded in Business, Focused on People

Rachel's background in supply chain and business operations gives her a perspective that many TA leaders lack. She knows what it's like to be on the other side of the table, waiting for the right hire to arrive so the work can move forward, and that urgency and accountability shaped how she approaches talent strategy.

She doesn't think of recruiting as a standalone function. It's embedded in the business, accountable to the business, and successful only when the business succeeds. At IU Health, she continues to live by that standard. Understanding the environment, the pressures, and the day-to-day realities of the people doing the work is non-negotiable, because it's the only way to know what success looks like and who can deliver it.

A Philosophy Built on Integrity and Action

Rachel's mentors gave her more than advice, they gave her a framework. Mindy taught her to balance vision with immediate impact. Roger showed her what it looks like to lead with unwavering integrity. Tom pushed her to understand the business deeply before trying to serve it.

Those lessons show up in how Rachel builds teams, evaluates technology, and makes decisions. She's pragmatic but principled, clear-eyed about the fact that the right answer isn't always the comfortable one, and certain that listening, really listening, is the foundation of everything else.