Expert HR Best Practices Consultants

As a forward-thinking HR leader, I specialize in transforming cultures, scaling HR functions, and driving organizational growth in both startups and large enterprises. I leverage AI, automation, and HR technology to optimize talent strategies, workforce planning, and HR operations while strengthening employer brand and business impact. With deep expertise in HR operations, compliance, global talent programs, and compensation structures, I design data-driven, agile solutions that enhance organizational effectiveness, skills alignment, and workforce agility. My hands-on, technical approach enables streamlined processes, improved decision-making, and scalable HR frameworks. A specialist in change management, executive partnerships, and business-aligned HR strategy, I work closely with leaders to implement high-impact HR initiatives that drive performance, engagement, and innovation in fast-paced, evolving environments.

I’m Tawny Rodriguez, an award-winning HR leader with 13 years of experience in building and optimizing HR departments. As the Head of HR at Rowland Hall, Utah's top independent K-12 school, I work closely with leadership to implement strategies that align with goals and drive measurable results. My expertise spans talent acquisition to compliance, and I’m passionate about creating environments where people thrive and businesses succeed. I’ve been featured in top outlets like SHRM, U.S. News & World Report, HR.com, and Indeed, sharing insights on leadership, work-life balance, and the future of HR. Whether navigating complex HR challenges or discussing trends, I’m ready to provide valuable insights that help drive change and spark meaningful conversations.

Susan Andrews is a senior HR consultant with over 30 years of experience, specializing in HR functions, employee relations, and workforce strategy. At KIS Finance, she also helps clients navigate complex financial needs. With a deep understanding of risk management, compliance, and employment law, she has worked at board level, ensuring HR strategies align with business objectives. As a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD), Susan’s expertise includes designing reward and development strategies, implementing GDPR compliance, and managing complex employee relations issues. Outside of work, Susan enjoys horse riding, pilates, and reading.

Jessica Dennis is the HR lead writer at TechnologyAdvice. She has B.A. in English Literature from the University of Michigan and over six years of experience in onboarding, payroll, benefits, compliance, and workforce management as an HR generalist. Since becoming a full-time writer, she's covered additional topics like DEI, engagement, training, communication, hiring, and performance management best practices. Her expertise, in-depth research, and hands-on experience with HR software ensures she provides the best people operations and technology insights to readers.

As an experienced HR Manager at ProProfs, I am passionate about building high-performing teams, fostering positive workplace culture, and aligning HR strategies with organizational goals. Throughout my career, I have honed expertise in talent acquisition, employee engagement, and performance management, enabling me to drive both individual and organizational success. At ProProfs, I have successfully led initiatives such as: Streamlining hiring processes to attract top-tier talent. Developing training programs to boost employee skill sets and retention. Implementing HR technologies to enhance operational efficiency. I believe that the heart of any thriving business is its people, and I strive to create environments where employees feel motivated, valued, and empowered to excel.

I’m Daniel (He/Him), and I’m the Founder of The Courage Collective. My experience includes work in Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital, Tech, Consulting, Education, and the Nonprofit Sector. I care deeply about humanizing the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion conversation, bringing impactful ideas to life, and creating meaningful, memorable, and transformational experiences with & for others.

Interdisciplinary Global Marketing and Human Resource Development (HRD) executive with over 20 years of experience scaling brand ecosystems across enterprise, high-growth, and startup environments – from Fortune 1 (Walmart) to VC- and PE-backed ventures. Adept at developing emotionally resonant, data-driven brand strategies that drive top-line growth, market share and long-term equity. Proven expertise leading cross-functional and regional teams, launching go-to-market strategies across EMEA, APAC, and the Americas, and overseeing portfolios with budgets up to $100MM. Known for transforming complex market insights into differentiated brand positioning, unifying internal culture with external messaging and operationalizing high-performing marketing infrastructures. Fluent in growth strategy, creative storytelling, product innovation alignment and maximizing ROI through global-local execution.

Juan Luis Garrido is a DEI Project Consultant at Center Desk Consulting whose work bridges strategy, facilitation, and communication to help organizations design more equitable, human-centered experiences. In his current role, he supports nonprofit and corporate clients in deepening their diversity, equity, and inclusion commiments through participatory methods, co-created initiatives, and systems-level thinking. With a background that spans nonprofit leadership and social impact consulting, he is known for his ability to build trust across sectors and center lived experience in meaningful, actionable ways. Juan Luis holds a Master of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation from OCAD University, where his graduate research explored the role of joy as a critical resource for practitioners in social change work. His work reflects a deep belief that joy, care, and imagination are not distractions from equity work, but vital components of its sustainability and impact.

Ritesh Seth, CEO and Co-founder of Empathy Employer, is a business leader and Organizational Culture Strategist. With over 15 years of experience guiding cross-functional teams across Fortune 100 companies, mid-sized businesses, and startups, Ritesh combines his business acumen with a passion for human resources to drive organizational excellence and employee well-being. Holding a Bachelor's in Marketing from Concord University and an MBA from Virginia Tech, Ritesh specializes in business strategy, employer branding, marketing, human resources, and leadership development. He is passionate about developing inclusive workplaces, leveraging data-driven insights to build positive organizational cultures that foster both employee satisfaction and business success. As the driving force behind Empathy Employer, Ritesh works at the intersection of business strategy and HR, developing innovative tools to assess and cultivate organizational empathy. He firmly believes that empathy is the bridge connecting people, purpose, and performance. A sought-after speaker and thought leader, Ritesh continues to champion the idea that in today's rapidly evolving business landscape, empathy isn't just a nice-to-have—it's a crucial driver of innovation, employee satisfaction, and sustainable success.

I am Sri Chellappa, the CEO, President, and Co-Founder of Engagedly, an AI-enabled people strategy platform designed to revolutionize traditional performance appraisals. At Engagedly, I focus on simplifying performance reviews by integrating employee engagement and development, helping organizations build high-performing, people-centric cultures. With over 20 years of experience in software development, consulting, and organizational leadership, I have had the privilege of working with leading firms like EY and Capgemini. My career has taught me the immense value of investing in people—not just for their individual success but for the success of the organization as a whole. I am passionate about empowering employees to grow, stay engaged, and develop the skills they need to thrive and advance in their careers. My journey has been shaped by a diverse range of experiences that span technology, health IT, people management, and creative arts. As a filmmaker, I’ve written, directed, and produced six feature films that have been distributed globally on platforms like Netflix, NBCUniversal, Fox International, Showtime, and Amazon Prime. These experiences have fueled my ability to think strategically, lead creatively, and deliver impactful results. Career Highlights: Author: The Black Book of Agile Project Delivery with Distributed Teams, where I share my insights on managing distributed teams effectively. Film Industry Achievements: Writer, Director, and Producer of six feature films with international distribution across major platforms. I am passionate about creating engaged, agile organizations and leveraging my leadership skills to help employees and companies succeed together.

Nationally recognized and sought after Houston employment law attorney Jacqueline Armstrong is the founding attorney of Armstrong Associates, an employment law firm which has been protecting the rights of employees for over 30 years. Jacqueline and her associates represent employees and never the employer. Attorney Armstrong has an exceptional depth of experience and winning track record in all areas of employment law including employment discrimination, sexual harassment, employment contracts and non-compete agreements, executive compensation & litigation, wrongful termination, whistleblower law, unpaid and underpaid wage claims, and all variations of employment law litigation. Jacqueline is proud of the exclusive team of seasoned lawyers she has at her side and ready to serve her clients. When you work with Attorney Armstrong, rest assured the best available legal team will be representing you in negotiations and when necessary, in trial. Jacqueline has fought many big companies and won on behalf of her clients. She has taken on national chains, large oil & gas companies, government officials, and more. She collaborated with a top-notch legal team to bring Chipotle to justice for allowing a culture where managers were preying on young female employees. She took on a County judge in Texas and obtained an $850,000 judgment. Jacqueline is compassionate and tough and fights tirelessly to preserve her clients’ dignity, reputation, and financial stability. Her passion is helping those in need and getting them the justice they deserve. Jacqueline has been included in the Super Lawyers list by Thomson Reuters every year since 2019. This exclusive designation is based upon peer nominations and evaluations, experience, and achievements on behalf of her clients. Only 5% of all licensed attorneys in the state of Texas are named to the list each year.

I'm Natasha M. Nurse, Esq., a neurodivergent pathfinder who thrives on storytelling to spark change and understanding. Empathy drives me as I forge inclusive spaces where every voice matters. Through dynamic workshops, impactful content, and insightful conversations, my goal is to integrate diversity into the core of every organization I engage with. My life's motto is simple yet profound: learn something new and meet someone new each and every day. This philosophy fuels my endless curiosity and creative endeavors daily.

Julie Catalano is a strategic and people-first Human Resources executive with deep expertise in scaling talent, culture, and leadership capability across high-growth and private equity–backed organizations. She has built a career driving meaningful change in fast-paced environments through workforce design, organizational development, M&A integration, and inclusive leadership. Known for translating complex business challenges into human capital strategies that work, Julie partners at the board and C-suite level to align people, culture, and performance. She is also a published thought leader on talent strategy, change management, and the evolving role of HR in business transformation.

Joe Purdy is a seasoned Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) and engineering leader with over a decade of experience in scaling cloud services, optimizing developer productivity, and implementing robust SRE practices. Throughout his career, Joe has helped startups and growing tech companies build resilient, scalable infrastructure and foster a culture of reliability and innovation. As a Fractional SRE consultant, Joe specializes in guiding organizations through critical phases of growth and transformation. He has a proven track record of reducing system downtime, improving deployment efficiency, and mentoring teams in DevOps and SRE best practices. Joe's expertise spans across cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), infrastructure as code (Terraform, CloudFormation), and observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana). Joe's career highlights include: - Engineered zero-downtime deployment strategies for high-traffic, global-scale web services, supporting four to five nine SLAs. - Led the integration of global SRE and Platform teams post-acquisition, boosting self-service capabilities by 30% and streamlining operational workflows. - Drove a 91.7% reduction in database upgrade downtime, significantly enhancing system availability and performance. Prior to his consulting work, Joe held key positions at prominent tech companies including Arcadia, Customer.io, and Western Governors University, where he consistently delivered transformative results. He has successfully led cross-functional teams, implemented cutting-edge technologies, and driven strategic initiatives that aligned closely with business objectives. Beyond his technical acumen, Joe is passionate about knowledge sharing and community building. He regularly leads workshops on modern SRE practices and DevOps culture, positively impacting hundreds of engineers in understanding and adopting cloud best practices. A native of the Pacific Northwest, Joe balances his technical pursuits with a love for the outdoors. He enjoys hiking, savoring strong coffee, and occasionally disconnecting in remote locations where technology takes a backseat to nature.