Beyond the Badge: A Look Behind Covista's Best Employer Wins
As the parent organization behind five accredited institutions, Covista is America’s largest healthcare educator. Supporting and empowering 10,000 faculty and colleagues, 100,000 students and an alumni network 400,000+ strong requires more than just operational scale. It takes a deliberate, measurable investment in employee culture and continuous development.
Recently, those efforts were recognized with prestigious national workplace awards from TIME, Forbes, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report.
Top employers are defined by how they support their people through periods of growth and transformation, equipping them with the modern tools and career pathways needed to thrive and fostering a commitment to community impact. Here is a look at the data, programs and strategic investments that sit behind Covista’s recent workplace honors.
The evaluation criteria behind Covista’s national workplace honors
To earn these accolades, Covista passed rigorous evaluations backed by independent research and feedback from thousands of employees, job seekers and members of the public. Here is a rundown of the national awards recognizing Covista’s employee experience and commitment to corporate responsibility—along with the criteria behind each win:
- Covista earned a spot on TIME's World's Best Companies 2025 list, evaluated on verified employee satisfaction, sustained revenue growth and corporate transparency.
- Covista was named to Forbes' America's Dream Employers 2026 list, based on an analysis of more than 266,000 independent data points measuring employee recommendation rates and workplace reputation.
- Covista made Forbes' America's Best Employers for New Grads 2026 list, drawn from an independent survey of more than 100,000 young professionals evaluating early-career development and workplace culture.
- Covista ranked among Newsweek's America's Most Responsible Companies 2026, assessed across more than 30 quantitative environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics.
- Covista was named a U.S. News & World Report Best Company to Work For in the Midwest, evaluated against 3,900 companies on pay, benefits, work-life balance and long-term career growth.
- In August 2026, Covista was included in Newsweek’s America’s Greatest Companies 2026, recognizing the top 650 companies in the U.S. based on performance across financial leadership, innovation, performance as an employer and sustainability.
Together, the rankings reflect priorities embedded in our employee value proposition and its three pillars: empowering colleagues to grow, rewarding their contributions and creating opportunities to make a meaningful impact. Here’s a look at some of our latest initiatives that bring those commitments to life.
Enhancing company culture through the Covista Change Champion Network
A strong culture isn’t built from the top down. It takes listening to colleagues, creating opportunities for them to shape what comes next and helping teams stay connected through change. Covista put that philosophy into practice during one of the most significant transformations in the company’s history.
During the rebrand from Adtalem Global Education into Covista, leadership established the Change Champion Network to give colleagues a direct voice in shaping the new brand, vision, purpose, values and employee value proposition. The network provided a two-way channel for feedback, so colleague perspectives could inform leadership decisions as the transformation unfolded.
Spanning all five institutions and functions, Change Champions continue to weigh in on enterprise-wide initiatives and experiences so they reflect and benefit our colleagues. They also help bring change to life within their own teams and offices, translating what's new into something colleagues can understand and engage with.
“This group helps serve as the voice of our colleagues and a catalyst for action,” said Sara Hill, Covista Chief Human Resources Officer. “By creating opportunities to share feedback and equipping Change Champions to share information locally, we can make sure our people feel informed, heard and connected to where we are going. That two-way connection is essential to achieving meaningful change at scale.”
For Jackie Sienko, a Covista Change Champion and Senior Manager, Human Resources, being part of a connected culture is also reflected in the relationships she has built throughout her career.
“When I think about what makes Covista a great place to work, I immediately think about the relationships I've built over the years,” Sienko said. “I've had several leaders and colleagues who have inspired me and challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone in ways that built both my confidence and capabilities. Many of those professional relationships have turned into lasting connections. Between supportive leaders, great colleagues and a real sense of community, I've always felt like people genuinely care about each other here. That's had a huge impact on my experience and is a big reason why I've continued to build my career at Covista.”
Building future-ready skills through our “Always On AI” upskilling initiative
Growth is a key pillar of Covista’s employee value proposition, with opportunities for colleagues to develop through hands-on experiences, structured learning and upskilling, leadership programs, mentorship and more. One of our newest initiatives to support colleague development is Always On AI, an upskilling program designed to equip colleagues with the skills, tools and mindset to build AI fluency and apply it to their work.
AI presents a significant opportunity to transform higher education and healthcare. From personalizing the student journey and empowering clinicians to deliver better care, to helping colleagues work more effectively, AI can help unlock people’s full potential.
Colleagues have embraced the opportunity, with more than 80% of regular colleagues completing the first level of the program in less than three months. Now, we’re building on that foundation with additional role-based learning pathways designed to help colleagues deepen their skills, continue growing alongside the technology and build capacity for the work that matters most.
Recognizing impact and investing in growth through Connected Performance
Growth also means creating clear pathways for colleagues to understand what’s expected, receive meaningful feedback and be recognized and rewarded for the impact they make. To support that experience, Covista launched Connected Performance, a new approach that aligns individual contributions to the company. Through year-round feedback, coaching and development, it creates greater clarity and recognition for colleagues’ contributions.
For colleagues who have built long-term careers at Covista, that focus on continuous growth can also translate into opportunities to evolve at the organization.
“I've often said that staying here hasn't been about staying comfortable,” said Abbey McElligott, Senior Director of Business Operations & Registrar Services. “It's been about continuing to learn and grow without having to leave the organization to do it. Every time I felt I had mastered one area, a new challenge or opportunity emerged. That culture of continuous growth and innovation is what has kept me engaged throughout my career.”
Kristin Baresich, Senior Manager of Internal Communications and Change Management, has experienced this firsthand.
"When I joined the organization 10 years ago as a Communications Specialist, my job was focused on writing news stories for our website and social media content," said Baresich. "In my current role, I focus on internal campaigns to help colleagues connect their work to our company strategy. Two very different roles within the communications function, but the path between them is what’s made my experience at Covista so fulfilling."
Extending our impact beyond our walls
Covista’s national workplace recognition reflects an innovative, purpose-driven workplace where people can belong and build a career that matters. Making an impact is an important part of that experience. Every day, colleagues support students, advance our institutions and help educate the professionals who make the healthcare system work. That impact can extend beyond colleagues’ day-to-day roles, too, through Covista Open Doors.
Covista Open Doors is our multi-year commitment to build and sustain the healthcare workforce. Through complementary investments by Covista and the Covista Foundation, an independent 501(c)(3) public charity, the organizations will direct $10 million and 50,000 volunteer hours over the next five years. The commitment focuses on inspiring people to pursue healthcare careers, removing barriers that can prevent students from graduating and supporting the mental health and wellbeing of healthcare workers.
For colleagues, Covista Open Doors creates tangible opportunities to amplify the impact they already make. "I'm proud to support those who dedicate their lives to caring for others," said Sara Marsolek, Minneapolis Office Managing Leader and VP of Product, Walden University. "Our commitment to helping healthcare professionals overcome challenges and struggles like burnout and mental health is a key reason I'm excited to be involved."
"Giving back to students matters to me because education can change lives," added Thomas Romine, Student Success Specialist, Walden University. "Supporting those who are working toward careers in health care is a small way to invest in the people who will care for our communities in the future."
Learn more about careers at Covista and explore current job opportunities.
