With over 100 attorneys, Chartwell has offices strategically located in five states along the eastern US seaboard -- Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The firm provides thoughtful counsel and representation in a wide array of legal matters including Admiralty and Maritime Law, Auto Law, Cargo and Trucking, Commercial Litigation, Construction Litigation, Creditors’ Rights, Employment and Labor Law, General and Professional Liability, Insurance and Reinsurance Coverage and Defense, Products Liability, Property Insurance and Workers’ Compensation cases.

Directed the Human Resources activities for 400 employees at 14 sites in the United States, Mexico and Brazil for the Americas Regional Office of S&B Industrial Minerals SA, Kifissia, Greece. Lead and implemented human resources initiatives that provided an employee-oriented, high performance culture emphasizing empowerment, development, goal attainment and productivity.• Managed recruiting, compensation, benefits, performance and training to attract, retain, develop and utilize employees in ways to create sustainable commercial competitiveness through the alignment of employee competence, behaviors, and intellectual energy with business activity• Acted as a trusted advisor to the regional leadership team to provide information and advice while being a process facilitator to mobilize the energy and engagement behind ideas • Supported managers to motivate their employees to perform their jobs to the standards expected• Assessed the external environment to check the competitiveness and effectiveness of all HR programs and practices against the relevant comparable companies, industries and markets and proposed changes• Created, delivered and communicated new HR initiatives via partnership with management and Corporate HR• Ensured creative application of HR best practices throughout the region and served as a knowledge of excellence center for HR issues on a regional level• Complied with current federal, state and local employment legislation

Served as a Senior HR Consultant in client groups and in the Talent Acquisition Center of Excellence (COE); and as the Staffing Manager in the nuclear division. Focused on client satisfaction, process efficiency, strategy development, and best practice implementation.SELECTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS Advocated the HR value proposition by designing programs and rollout strategies to promote new services and by communicating policies, procedures and best practices. Presented to the Business and HR Senior Leadership Teams, the Talent Acquisition Team, and business partners. Built a comprehensive pre-employment assessment program which greatly improved the quality of new hires. Introduced new assessments and worked with outside vendors to create and implement new tests and to validate the appropriateness of all pre-employment assessments. Upgraded the corporate relocation program to a highly competitive, leading edge level from the RFP process to webinar rollout and implementation. Increased responsiveness, decreased exceptions, reduced complaints and cut costs by 20%. Created and rolled out the corporate military recruitment strategy, saving over $300,000 in annual agency fees; enabled veterans to receive GI benefits for on-the-job training programs. Managed all aspects of a comprehensive external review of the corporate staffing process with an outside vendor from the beginning phase to implementation. Improved the “days to fill” metric, the quality of the interviewing process, the client experience, the engagement of the hiring managers and the use of automated tracking system. Directed the annual performance review, bonus and salary increase program for client population. Assisted with the training and implementation of “Success Factors”.Resolved customer complaints, union grievances and conducted internal investigations and exit interviews.  Handled high volume full life cycle recruitment for all levels from union to executive positions.

Co-founded, with an attorney, a unique consulting practice combining legal and human resources expertise. Clients included businesses in diverse industries such as legal, accounting, high-tech, construction, nonprofit, warehouse distribution, medical practices, eldercare, and pharmaceutical advertising. SELECTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS Created the "Human Resources Audit," an extensive assessment tool to evaluate compliance and organizational efficiency. Performed HR audits and made recommendations for corrective actions and “best practices”. Developed policies and procedures, a model employee handbook and a series of "HR Guidelines", an educational tool for clients.  Conducted comparable industry studies of compensation, benefits, performance appraisals and perks. Built a partnership with a major healthcare provider and marketed their Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Established “411” and “911” human resources assistance programs, billed clients at an hourly rate. Crafted recruitment strategies and processes for executives and hard to fill positions. Designed and administered training programs regarding interviewing techniques, anti-harassment and legal/compliance issues.  Analyzed corporate cultures, recommended OD strategies to effect change; conducted interviews and focus groups.

Managed the human resources for a 300-person law firm with 4 branch offices in 3 states. Supervised the Benefits Coordinator, Recruitment Coordinator, and the Trainer/Support Services Supervisor. SELECTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS Impacted the vision of HR. Gained full inclusion at the management table in first year. Revised and administered the annual performance and salary review programs for administrative staff and associates.  Designed training programs for the staff; introduced the first antiharassment firm-wide training program.  Conducted employee investigations and exit interviews. Selected and managed the implementation of a new HRIS (ABRA) program. Improved staff morale and communications with initiatives, an administrative staff focus group and associate team meetings.

Supervised the HR activities for all of the administrative staff in the 900 person Philadelphia office. Through recruiting, counseling and retention efforts ensured that the staffing level was optimal to meet the firm’s objectives.