Phillips brings more than 30 years of healthcare executive leadership experience and an advisory perspective at the intersection of healthcare, AI, operational transformation, and people-first leadership
LAKE OSWEGO, Ore., July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Building Champions, a leadership development and executive coaching company trusted by leaders and organizations for 30 years, announced today that Melinda Phillips has joined the company as a CEO Mentor.
Phillips brings more than 30 years of executive leadership experience in healthcare, where she has built, scaled, and transformed organizations through every stage of the business lifecycle. As a CEO Mentor, she will work with CEOs and senior executives to help them navigate complexity, lead through change, strengthen their teams, and grow with clarity and confidence.
Before joining Building Champions, Phillips served as CEO and President of Thrive Skilled Pediatric Care, a private equity-backed pediatric home health care company focused on caring for medically complex children. During her tenure, she led a significant business turnaround, improved operational performance, strengthened clinical and administrative systems, and ultimately guided the company through a successful sale and merger with Aveanna Healthcare.
"I am excited to have Melinda join our team as a CEO Mentor because she embodies what we believe at Building Champions: Better Humans Make Better Leaders. She brings exceptional operational experience and a proven track record of leading transformation. Melinda is wise, humble, and kind; and those qualities create the trust our clients need to do their deepest work. She has both the executive presence to challenge at the highest levels and the approachability that allows leaders to be vulnerable and honest. Our clients will benefit from a mentor who understands that sustainable leadership success always starts with the person, and who models the kind of intentional, human-centered leadership that creates lasting impact," said Greg Harkavy, Vice President of Coaching Services at Building Champions.
Prior to serving as CEO, Phillips held senior operational leadership roles at Thrive, where she helped define the company's operating model, improve talent acquisition and retention, and develop future leaders. Earlier in her career, she spent more than 25 years with BAYADA Home Health Care, a $2 billion multi-specialty nonprofit home health care organization. Her roles included President of Skilled Nursing Services, Chief People Officer, Chief Recruiting Officer, and Regional Director across both Home Health and Home Care Services.
Throughout her career, Phillips has led large-scale teams, overseen more than 120 service offices across 18 states, driven meaningful growth, improved operating performance, and built leadership pipelines rooted in strong talent development. Today, she brings together her experience as a former CEO, advisor, and executive coach to help leaders navigate growth, transformation, and change while keeping people at the center of the work.
In addition to her role with Building Champions, Phillips serves as an advisor to healthcare organizations, private equity firms, founders, and executive teams. She also serves as Advisor and Care@Home Center of Excellence Lead at Arya Health, where she works at the intersection of healthcare, AI, operational transformation, and leadership. This work reflects the broader perspective she brings to her coaching, helping leaders think strategically about the future while staying grounded in purpose, people, and operational excellence.
"I'm excited to join the Building Champions team because it brings together the work I care deeply about," said Melinda Phillips, CEO Mentor at Building Champions. "Throughout my career, I've led organizations through growth, transformation, turnarounds, and change. What I've come to believe is that lasting organizational success always begins with leadership. Building Champions shares that belief, and it's one of the reasons I was drawn to this opportunity."
"As a CEO Mentor, I'll bring both the experience of having sat in the CEO seat and the perspective of someone who continues to advise healthcare organizations, founders, and investors on strategy, operational transformation, and the future of leadership," Phillips said. "My goal is to help leaders think more clearly, navigate complexity with confidence, build high-performing teams, and create organizations where people and performance thrive together. Ultimately, I want every client to become not just a more successful executive, but a more intentional and effective leader."
As a former Building Champions client, Phillips understands firsthand the value of having a trusted coach and mentor while navigating the challenges and opportunities of business leadership. In her work as a CEO Mentor, she draws on her deep experience in operational transformation, strategic execution, value creation, and people-first leadership to provide guidance, perspective, and support to the leaders she serves.
Phillips holds a Master of Science in Leadership and Change Management with a concentration in Human Resources from Pfeiffer University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Theatre Arts with a concentration in Public Relations from Western Carolina University. She resides in Mocksville, North Carolina.
About Building Champions
For 30 years, Building Champions has helped leaders and organizations reach their full potential through personalized leadership and executive coaching. The company provides individual coaching, team development, workshops, executive retreats, and leadership experiences designed to inspire growth and drive meaningful results.
Guided by the belief that better humans make better leaders, Building Champions takes a holistic approach to coaching, focusing on both the beliefs and behaviors that shape how leaders show up and perform. Through this work, leaders grow in self-leadership, strengthen their teams, and increase their overall organizational impact.
For more information, visit buildingchampions.com.
Media Contact
Cara O'Halloran, Building Champions, 1 503.461.6350, [email protected], https://www.buildingchampions.com
SOURCE Building Champions
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