Laura Byars

Laura Byars is Senior Vice President and Chief Talent Officer for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

In her current role, Laura is responsible for leading BCBSM’s overall human resources strategy, encompassing functional areas such as talent acquisition, HR business partners, leadership development, inclusion and diversity, employee experience and culture development, learning and development, compensation and benefits, HR operations and technology, and employee and labor relations. Laura’s leadership ensures the strategic priorities of the enterprise can be realized by focusing on the attraction, development, and retention of a strong workforce.

Laura has extensive experience in creating corporate strategies for talent management, culture creation, and organizational development for organizations of all sizes. Laura has worked as both an entrepreneur, establishing her own consulting firm, and as an HR strategist for global firms such as ArvinMeritor and Novelis.  Laura has served as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, teaching the HR and leadership curriculum in the Executive MBA program.

Laura has worked in or around healthcare at many points in her career. Notably, Laura managed the Leadership Development Program for the Physicians Executive MBA program at the University of Tennessee.

Laura holds a PhD in Industrial & Organizational Psychology from the University of Tennessee. Laura also earned a Master’s degree in the same discipline from Illinois State University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Adrian College in Michigan.