Most Recommended Strategic Human Resources Experts

Proven ability to impact human resource effectiveness and decrease operational costs. Advisor to management interpreting and resolving employee relations, compensation, staffing and benefit issues. Goals: support business strategy and drive performance. Key character traits include leadership, assertiveness, reliability, and practical business sense.Specialties: Employee Relations Organizational Development Legal Compliance Staffing and Employment

Jennifer Doherty, MIRHR, is CEO of ProvenHR, where she helps organizations align people strategy with business goals. With over two decades of HR leadership across legal, media, IT, and regulatory sectors, Jennifer brings a pragmatic, business-focused approach to complex workplace challenges. She developed the HR Excellence Matrix, a framework that helps founders and executives manage people-related risk and results with the same rigour as financial metrics.

Kimberly Lee is the CEO of MyTalentAdvantage and a seasoned SPHR-certified Human Resources executive with extensive experience in leadership development and organizational strategy. As an AI Strategist, Kimberly bridges the gap between emerging technology and human-centric leadership, focusing on what she calls "The Ripple Effect"—the profound impact of positive leadership on an entire organization. She is the author of the upcoming book Building a Coaching Culture (launching March 2026) and is a frequent speaker on the intersection of AI, HR compliance, and talent engagement. Her work empowers mid-market leaders to navigate digital transformation while maintaining a culture of trust and high performance.

Strategic HR Leader | Driving Culture Transformation | Data-Driven Talent Strategies for Future-Ready Organizations | HR Podcast Host & Conference Speaker 🚀

I'm an 🏆award-winning HR and People Executive with 13+ years of experience building HR functions, elevating culture, and guiding organizations through complex people challenges. Currently, I'm the Head of HR at Utah's largest and prestigious private school (k-12), Rowland Hall-St. Mark's School, where I lead people strategy and development. I also consult with organizations on HR design and workplace culture. My expertise has been featured in SHRM, U.S. News & World Report, Indeed, HR.com, Workable, Best of HR, HR Spotlight, HR for Humans at Work, People Managing People, DiversityEmployment.com, TechnologyAdvice, Deseret News, BestLife, Dice, Utah Business, HR Vendor News, SweetProcess, and Pumble.

I've been called the most "crunchy" HR person my clients have ever met. . .But I'm also chock-full of experience and credentials. I hold a Masters in Human Resources and Labor Relations with an emphasis in Training and Development from Penn State, a Bachelor's in Anthropology with an emphasis in Archaeology, and a minor in the Philosophy of Religion.I am a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources through HRCI, and certified in learner-centered teaching through Cambridge's CELTA program.I am a member of the Santa Cruz County Business Council and Society for Human Resources. Formerly I have been a member of these boards of directors: Santa Cruz County Workforce Development Board, Homeless Garden Project, Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes, and the Santa Cruz Downtown Association. Additionally, I was appointed by Santa Cruz City Council to Co-Chair the Community Advisory Committee on Homelessness.I'm also a mom who birthed at home attended by a midwife, a doula and my husband. I believe that it's important for us, especially as working mothers, to regain sovereignty of our bodies and to decrease the day-to-day stress in our lives so that we can be healthier and happier. Otherwise what's the point of all this anyway?

Organizations in both the public and private sectors don't partner with me for easy answers. They come to me because they're ready for an honest conversation about what's holding them back—and a real plan to fix it.I've seen firsthand that most organizational problems aren't about vision; they're about friction. You can feel it in the frustrating policies, the misaligned people strategies, and the inefficient processes that keep good people from doing their best work.My role is to find those points of friction and resolve them. I’m not here to talk theory; I’m here to build practical, measurable solutions for your sharpest pains. My focus is always on delivering results, whether we're tackling high turnover or developing leaders who can truly lead.Having worked in the trenches with a diverse range of organizations—from city governments and NGOs to healthcare systems and oil & gas corporations—I know what it takes to make change stick. It starts with seeing the problem clearly, speaking with candor, and building solutions that last.

Experienced Senior Human Resources Specialist with a demonstrated history of working in multiple industries through HR consulting. Skilled in Employee Relations, Policies and Procedures, Learning and Performance and Organizational Development. Strong human resources professional with a BS focused in Human Resources Management from Ball State University - College of Business.

Marya Calhoun is a Strategic Human Resources Leader, Executive Coach, and Speaker with a proven record of transforming people strategy into measurable business performance. As a Senior Human Resources leader and Founder of Optima HR Group, she helps organizations build human-centered, high-performing cultures through leadership development, organizational design, and change management. Her expertise spans strategic planning, performance optimization, talent acquisition, and leadership coaching — all anchored in her belief that HR should be both human and profitable. A sought-after contributor and thought leader, Marya provides insights on the future of work, AI in HR, leadership culture, and employee experience. She’s passionate about helping executives lead with empathy while driving results that matter. Connect with Marya at www.optimahrgroup.com for speaking engagements, executive coaching, or strategic advisory services.

With over 20 years of executive leadership experience in the nonprofit sector, I am passionate about creating positive social impact and system change through collaboration, strategy, and innovation. As the CEO of HealthForce Partners California, I lead a cross-sector, multi-regional, non-profit partnership that connects healthcare, education, and workforce development to mitigate workforce shortages and build career opportunities in the regions we serve.

ABOUT SARA: Sara Gallagher is President of The Persimmon Group and a recognized expert in PMO leadership, project portfolio management, and strategy execution. Sara helps organizations transform their Project Management Offices into high-impact engines for business value, drawing on more than 15 years of experience advising executives and leading enterprise projects. A frequent speaker, author, and instructor, Sara has contributed to PMI’s global standards, taught thousands of professionals through her Udemy courses, and delivered keynotes on PMO transformation and the future of project leadership. She is known for making complex project management concepts clear, actionable, and engaging. Based in Tulsa and a graduate of Emory University, Sara is also the creator of the “Big Dumb Questions” newsletter on LinkedIn. THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND EXPERTISE Sara’s work blends the disciplines of project management and organizational effectiveness, with a focus on: - Strategy Execution - PMO Design and Evolution - Leading Organizational Change - Executive Coaching - Building Cultures of Accountability and Trust Sara’s consulting portfolio spans a wide range of industries—including energy, finance, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, and technology—where she partners with both Fortune 500 powerhouses and fast-moving startups. Her experience cuts across project types, from industrial mega-projects and enterprise software rollouts to HR and people transformation initiatives. Whether the challenge is scale, speed, or stakeholder complexity, Sara brings a strategic, systems-minded approach that helps organizations turn complexity into clarity—and ambitious ideas into measurable progress.

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.

Human Resources Executive with over 23 years of progressive generalist experience including performance management, leadership development, recruiting, retention, benefits administration, conflict resolution, employee relations, labor relations, training development, training facilitation, risk management, and policy development and administration. Demonstrated ability to develop strategic partnerships within all levels of the organization to facilitate the accomplishment of system-wide goals. Human Resources knowledge in many sectors including union and non-union, PK-12 public education, property management, manufacturing, and hospitality and tourism industries.

I am a multidisciplinary business owner and consultant with expertise spanning recruitment, HR strategy, technology, and creative design. As the founder of Talent Shark (https://www.talentshark.ae), a recruitment and HR consulting firm in Dubai, I help organizations across industries — from healthcare and IT to corporate and creative sectors — build high-performing teams and implement solutions that drive business growth. What sets me apart is the ability to bridge people, business, and technology. With a background in talent acquisition, data science, IT solutions, and graphic design, I bring a unique perspective to problem-solving, blending strategic HR insights with technical and creative innovation. This allows me to not only connect companies with the right talent but also support them in areas like digital transformation, workforce automation, and brand development. I am passionate about building scalable systems, improving processes, and helping businesses unlock new opportunities through a mix of human expertise, technology, and creativity. Expertise & Skills Recruitment & Talent Acquisition (Healthcare, IT & Multi-industry) HR Consulting, Payroll, PRO & Compliance Data Science & Business Analytics IT Solutions & Digital Transformation Graphic Design & Creative Strategy Employer Branding & Marketing Support Training & Development Programs Process Improvement & HR Automation

Juan Kingsbury, Founder and Talent Strategist of Career Blindspot, provides leaders with bold and clear insights on their ever-changing teams. Juan utilizes his expertise of high performers and research of people at work to free up leaders’ time so they can focus hiring and developing the right people. He is excited to connect with any leader who understands this: investing in your team's growth potential starts with investing in your own.

My name is Kimberley Tyler-Smith and I’m an executive at the career tech platform, Coached (previously, Resume Worded), where we help 1m+ job seekers every month advance their careers. I've largely been an independent consultant throughout my career and I've helped over 20 companies, ranging from medium-sized businesses to F500 enterprises, increase their bottom lines. I'm also an active investor and have been one for the last five years. I've left the corporate world to pursue something with more impact in the education/career space; now, I’m a VP at Coached, running a myriad of things.

After two decades of building HR, recruiting, and people operations from the ground up, I started Startup Talent & HR to give founders, CEOs, and growing companies access to executive-level People expertise at a fraction of the cost. I’ve built HR and recruiting from the ground up (more than once) across industries, so I know what works (and what doesn’t). I’m just as comfortable setting the strategy as I am rolling up my sleeves to get things done with an operator mindset: move fast, keep it simple, and build for scale. 👉 Learn more: www.StartupTalentHR.com