Fernando Little
Senior VP & Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Advocate Health
Fernando G. Little is Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity Equity & Inclusion Officer, for Advocate Health—the country’s third largest nonprofit health care system, and a leading academic health system with 155,000 teammates across six states.
Having served in a number of key leadership roles at Advocate Health, Fernando was most recently the Southeast Region’s Chief Diversity Officer and previously served as a Senior Human Resources Strategic Business Partner. Fernando has a strong track record of leading system-wide collaboration in operations and academic programs to foster diversity, equity, inclusion, culturally competent care, inclusive purchasing and language access for all patients, teammates and communities. He has been instrumental in developing and implementing numerous programs and processes to sustain an inclusive culture, including expanding the award-winning Diversity Certificate Program to teammates across the enterprise. Fernando also finalized the operating model for the Advocate Health Center for Business Diversity and Entrepreneurship and created an expanded inclusive talent management program, which has helped revolutionize hiring practices across the organization.
Fernando’s impressive multi-industry career includes nearly 20 years in health care. Prior to Atrium Health, he was a key contributor to the diversity strategy at Family Dollar, where he played a significant role in developing the framework for Employee Resource Groups and helped establish diversity pillars for the organization, which led to the creation of its first Office of Diversity and Inclusion. His long-term goal is to foster an engaged health care workforce with a thriving inclusive culture and is committed to achieving transformative equity for our patients, teammates and communities
He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Appalachian State University and a Master in Organizational Leadership from Pfeiffer University. Fernando has also earned the Certification in Organizational Inclusion and Diversity designation from Michigan State University.
Fernando was honored with Diversity MBA Magazine’s first ever “Top 25 Outstanding Leadership and Diversity Impact Award”; also, recognized as one of the Top 100 Diversity Officers in 2023 and 2024 by the National Diversity Council and recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as a Top 40 Diversity & Inclusion Executive to Know.
Fernando serves on the Board of Directors for the United Way of North Carolina, the McCrory YMCA, and the Board of Advisors for the Beaver College of Health Sciences at Appalachian State University. In the diversity, equity, and inclusion space he serves on the North Carolina Hospital Association’s Health Equity Committee and Co-Chairs the Premier Alliance of Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officers in Healthcare
He is married to Tiffany Little, EdD and is the proud dad of two sons – Camren and Chandler.
