Speaker

My undergraduate degree is from Luther College in Iowa and my master’s is in human resources/Industrial Relations from Loyola University in Chicago.    I began my work life as an auditor with an accounting firm.  I was asked to assist them in their recruiting efforts and after one recruiting season, they felt I had the skills they were looking for and asked if I would stay in HR and build my career there, first in recruiting, then training, then in the scheduling function.  I left public accounting and joined a national real estate development/management firm, with properties located in over 15 cities in US and Canada.   I was their first professional HR executive, and I had the opportunity to create and mature a sophisticated HR service delivery model with them.  I then joined a global financial services and real estate firm.  I oversaw the daily HR issues in the Americas and helped develop several key programs in the talent management, HRIS, employee relations and staffing areas.  In addition, I was a part of several mergers they completed, from the due diligence phase to the cultural integration stages.   Next, I became the Vice President of Human Resources for a major casino/hospitality company in Las Vegas.   Most recently, I joined a family-owned agricultural company in the NW.  I also have taught at several graduate level programs, including courses at Benedictine University and Keller Graduate School of Business.   All these experiences have helped shape me as a professional and provided the skills needed to be an effective career coach and podcaster.