Erin Champlin ’85 was offered the opportunity to become Senior Vice President for People Experience at Humana in the midst of a global pandemic. Leading the “next-generation people strategy” for one of the nation’s top health companies was a career step too meaningful to pass up. It leverages Champlin’s more than 35 years of experience in IT, Global Business Services (GBS), Consulting, and Enterprise Transformation and provides another way to express the conviction that fueled her undergraduate studies at Bryant.
“I’ve always believed technology can solve business problems,” explains Champlin. “Bryant was just the right choice for me. It gave me the chance to combine my interest in business and computer information systems to solve problems and I jumped in with both feet”
Bryant gave me the chance to combine my interest in business and computer information systems to solve problems.
Following a management consulting internship with Arthur Young — a rare opportunity arranged by a Bryant professor — Champlin was hired by the firm and spent several years as a consultant to several of the region’s leading companies, including John Hancock, Eli Lilly and Mass Mutual.
An assignment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and employment with the home infusion therapy division of Caremark sparked an early interest in
health care. After 18 years with EMC, last serving in Chief Information Officer and GBS Leadership roles, Champlin was named Vice President for Global Services and Enterprise Transformation at Johnson & Johnson in 2014. Five years later, she returned to Boston and family and joined Humana in July 2020 as the Senior Vice President of People Experience amidst the pandemic — representing another “high risk/high reward” scenario. With a father who specialized in data processing and a mother who was a nurse, Champlin says it’s not surprising that she “came
home” to the healthcare field with her recent career moves.
“Technology is the common thread through all my positions,” she notes.
“...and I come back to my learnings at Bryant throughout. My experience as a CIO, leading global business services, integrating acquired companies, using user-centered design thinking — are all experiences that I leverage to help Humana improve health outcomes for
those we serve.”
Champlin’s personal and professional bonds to Bryant remain strong. Her son, Connor Champlin ’15, is a Bryant graduate; as is her sister, Mary Beth (Doherty) Kuzoian ’87; and daughter-in-law, Kaitlyn Champlin ’11. “We feel pretty blessed and connected to the Bryant community,” she notes.
Champlin serves on the Dean’s Council and has long promoted the qualifications of Bryant graduates.
“Bryant listens to businesses about their needs for data science and applied business and technology skills. The University is really smart about preparing students for the business world today and tomorrow.”
