L&D Manager Spotlight - Traci Nordberg

Traci Nordberg, Chief Human Resources Officer for Dell Medical Center

June 4, 2026
 

1. Describe your role for UT.  

 I am the new CHRO for Dell Med, on the path to UT Dell Medical Center. This is such an exciting time to join as we reach the 10-year mark and are on the journey to building a de novo hospital on the north campus. My role today has me wearing a few different hats. 

Our workforce spans from our expert administrative staff, and functions like IT and marketing, to clinical roles, medical faculty, researchers, medical education and more. We have been building a strong recruitment function to bring on faculty and staff, automating our onboarding and performance processes, and developing our human resources business partnering capabilities. 

We are excited to begin a major journey to implement a version of Workday that will be uniquely configured to support the jobs, pay practice, and programs necessary for our healthcare ecosystem. The other hat I wear is on the design and preparation for the future medical center. That means looking at the future organization structure, job design, considering the latest and future methods for hiring, orienting, leadership, career paths, culture and engagement as well as the overall employee experience.  It is exciting to work with colleagues in IT, marketing, nursing, facilities, strategy and of course our great team here in HR to bring these dreams to life in 2030!

2. What was the most important lesson you learned as a new manager?

When I became a manager, I had to learn how to let go of the answer I knew and give space to the team to problem-solve and determine the path forward. I became a guide and a consultant which was both necessary for team members to grow but also to feel ownership and excitement for their work. In fact, a former mentor and leader of mine gave me a tip to wait for three cycles of discussion until you give the answer or explicit directions. And where you have gaps in alignment or understanding will invite a conversation to learn more about styles and thinking vs. giving a task with the exact instructions. In addition, knowing your people and knowing what matters to them is time well invested. Not only can you build a stronger relationship, but you will also really enjoy learning the interesting backgrounds and interests of your team.

3. What advice do you have for managers to help develop their team?

There is a really simple way to focus on this - use curiosity and raise opportunities in the form of a question. What would happen if we went that direction? What are we forgetting? How will people react to this? What do you anticipate? Who else should we talk to? Real-time modeling of critical thinking reveals the development as a complement to more traditional methods of development such as courses. I also believe stretch assignments, particularly covering for a leave or vacancy can open up new learning and challenges. Finally, if you know there are gaps or new concepts, use other modalities such as showing a TedTalk or reading an article together and facilitating discussion.

4. Why is learning in the workplace important?

Sometimes when we are in a university setting, we say that lifelong learning is important, but we don't give ourselves that same benefit. On a college campus the opportunities are endless, whether to listen to a speaker, read about research generated, or to take advantage of a course or program. In our organization we value ideas, dialogue, and innovation. That means we have to be learning all the time!  Hearing different ways of approaching our work, getting involved in our professional associations, and once again, being curious every day.

5. What have you recently learned, what are you currently learning about, or how are you developing yourself as a professional?

I'm really diving into the "workforce" of the future as we think about how to provide care in our future medical center. We are excited about how to make the most space possible for providing care while removing administrative burden and improving workflow. I have been reading what futurists are sharing about how AI will impact work, learning what our own UT Austin scholars are saying, visiting other hospitals, and talking to people of all generations and backgrounds to learn where their excitement and discomforts are. Personally, this is an amazing opportunity to be in the strategy and design space. This means giving myself the time to really think and test ideas with my colleagues. And as I assumed a new role, I am always working on communication, listening, and leading effectively.