Ellen Pancoast 

Vice President of People Operations, Cone Health  

Pancoast has oversight for Health at Work (occupational health), Total Rewards, Employee Well-being, Cone Health People Services (Employee Relations, Pre-boarding, HR Compliance, Leave & Disability, Worker’s Compensation and Employee Support), and Cone Health’s four childcare centers.

Pancoast joined Cone Health in 2012. With more than 20 years of human resource experience, she has held a variety of roles and specialties in the field.

Ellen is a graduate of the Statue University of New York at Geneseo and received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in human resources. She holds a Master of Arts in Human Resources from Ottawa University.

She has been named a 2025 HR Impact Award recipient by the Triad Business Journal.

Pancoast has demonstrated a strong commitment to early childhood development and education with Cone Health. Her leadership extends beyond the organization through her participation in national conversations on childcare innovation and she serves as a member of the NC Task Force for Child Care and Early Education.

She served as a board member for AuthoraCare Collective for 10 years and remains the chair of the human resources committee. She is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management.