2017 Recipient – Andrew Hedgpeth
Cox Health Vice President of Human Resources

Andy Hedgpeth, a native of southwest Missouri, currently serves as vice president of human resources for CoxHealth. He obtained his Associate of Arts from OTC before graduating from Missouri State University in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in human resources management. Andy also holds a master’s degree in business administration with a healthcare management emphasis from Missouri State.

Andy started his career as a human resources intern with Mercy Hospital Springfield in 2005. He joined CoxHealth in June 2008 as the compliance coordinator in Human Resources. He accepted the role of benefits manager at CoxHealth in the spring of 2009.

In his current role as vice president of human resources, Andy serves as an active member of the CoxHealth executive leadership team where he provides strategy, planning and implementation of human resources programs to meet the strategic business goals for CoxHealth’s 11,000 employees and 600 physicians.

Andy is responsible for a human resources budget that includes traditional recruitment, retention, compensation, benefits and employee relations functions in addition to a leadership development institute, three childcare centers, pastoral care and more than 1,200 volunteers.

Andy’s crowning achievements include the integration of CoxHealth’s wellness program with its employee health plan, cafeterias and fitness centers; the increased employer match on a 403(b) retirement plan; and the launch of CoxHealth’s 1906 Employee Store. Andy also played a major role in the integration of Cox Medical Center Branson, Springfield Neurological Institute and Cox Medical Group.

Andy maintains active leadership roles in several community organizations including the Ozark Board of Education, the Harmony House Domestic Violence Shelter Board, the City Utilities Community Credit Union Board, the Missouri State University Alumni Association Advisory Board, and the Society for Human Resources Management.

He has also served on the Volunteer Hospital Association Mid-America Benefits Advisory Board and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce Industrial Relations Advisory Board. He spent two years as a Missouri Quality Award examiner, and he participates in several committees for CoxHealth.

Andy enjoys spending his free time with his wife, Amanda, and their three children, Ella, Reid and Sophie. The family resides in Ozark, Mo.