Founder & Principal of Harker Consulting Group. I provide consulting services and expertise in organizational development, change management, organization design, culture change, strategic human resources, and talent management.

I provided HR leadership and support to 340+ engineering and business operations employees within the Information & Communication Services department. Working with the department's top leader, I led the workforce engagement survey for 1000+ employees, analyzed survey results, and conducted focus group sessions to gain insights on the key initiatives that would help improve the workplace culture and employee engagement. I presented my findings and action plan recommendations to the leadership team with plans to implement my suggestions.I facilitated new leader transitions, performance review calibrations, annual merit increase, and promotion efforts, as well as partnered with leaders/managers on position changes, job postings, compensation for new hires.Skills:Strategic HR, persuasive presentations, group facilitation, program management, program design, training and development, data analysis

In this role, I managed operations and business processes related to health and welfare benefits for 50K+ U.S. Microsoft employees. I led cross-functional team discussions to plan and execute key benefits processes and partnered with IT engineers to test and improve benefits-related programs and software assets. I was responsible for budget planning, forecasting, journal entry, purchase order and invoicing activities for a U.S. benefits budget of over $1.3B. I drove key improvements to the annual budget planning process and the vendor payment process for which I received an Excellence in Collaboration award and an in-role promotion.Skills:Operations management, project management, consulting, persuasive presentations, data analysis, process improvement, budgeting, benefits operations

Within the Microsoft Dynamics business unit, I provided HR leadership and support to engineering, sales, and marketing employees. I began with a client group of 100 local employees and was ultimately entrusted with a client group of 600+ global employees.I on-boarded and coached new leaders and managers, facilitated HR programs such as annual performance review and mid-year check-ins, and worked with employees to address issues and resolve conflicts. I organized a career development week within the business group to increase awareness of resources and strategies for career growth within the business unit. I also planned and executed development activities for 60 High Potential employees all of which helped to build capability and increase the likelihood of their staying at the company.I also facilitated discussions with leaders/managers on topics such as organizational alignment, performance management, career development, and strategic staffing. Additionally, I led the process for managing our poor performers within the business group.Skills:Persuasive presentations, group facilitation, program management, program design, training and development, career development, high potential (HiPo) development, succession planning, retention

I was asked to create a survey to identify improvement opportunities relative to corporate succession planning efforts. The key insight was that stakeholders wanted succession planning conversations between the CEO and his direct reports to be more strategic. In addressing this feedback, I designed and incorporated the pivotal roles concept into Microsoft's succession planning approach. This improvement helped to solidify the link between executive talent discussions and corporate strategy. I created the process and guidance materials for business leaders and their HR partners to utilize in preparing for conversations with the CEO. This innovation was recognized by the CHRO as having a large and positive impact on Microsoft's succession planning process.Additionally, I analyzed data and created reports highlighting each business units’ diversity of high potential talent. These reports were utilized by senior leaders across Microsoft and resulted in a material increase in HiPo diversity the following year. I was recognized with an Excellence in Execution award for this work.Skills:Research, data analysis, program design, program management, data visualization, consulting, succession planning, persuasive presentations

I collaborated with the staffing and recruiting team to analyze the quality of hires and to highlight effective recruiting strategies and best practices. I researched the primary reasons for offer accepts and declines among job candidates and developed personas to aid staffing consultants and hiring managers in the identification of top candidates. I presented my findings to staffing leaders company-wide.I also utilized my analytical background to create training materials that helped my HR colleagues to tell stories with data, charts, and graphs.Skills:Data analysis, data visualization, persuasive presentations, consulting, coaching, group facilitation

Summer internship. With the history of organizational upheaval within the group I supported, I was asked to help ease the next round of transition by designing coaching sessions on how to effectively manage change during a transformation. I coached a dozen leaders and managers within the group. At summer's end, I initiated and administered a survey to participants who went through this coaching, and 100% agreed the sessions were highly valuable.Additionally, I consulted a team of software developers in the process of releasing the next version of their product to minimize customer pain and maximize the success of the release. I collaborated with the team to develop a change management plan that improved customer satisfaction by approximately 10%.Skills:Collaboration, change management, coaching, consulting, group facilitation, data analysis, persuasive presentations

Summer internship. I designed a career path architecture that helped improve employment opportunities and retention for 1000+ employees nationwide in the customer operations organization. Over the summer, I completed a current-future state gap analysis to build career path plans that were in alignment with the operation group’s strategy.I developed a change management plan and guidance materials collaborating with executives throughout the company. The HR leadership team was satisfied with the final results I presented and planned to implement the program.Skills:Organization design, change management, executive leadership presentation, data analysis, career path architecture, career development, group facilitation

In an effort to find and recruit quality hires, I was put in charge of a project to develop a marketing and recruiting strategy for staff and administrative positions at the university. I began by helping to define the university's employment value proposition. I managed the creative team in redesigning the recruiting assets on the university website--which remained for the next ten years--and oversaw the creation of other materials that aligned with the recruiting strategy and employment value proposition for the university. This expanded our recruiting network and helped diversify our applicant pool.Skills:Program design and management, data analysis, marketing strategy, applicant tracking system (ATS), recruiting