I help organizations decide what HR support they need and then help put it in place.
About Heather
I keep seeing the same pattern. Capable leaders are working hard to solve people problems, but growth has moved faster than the systems around them.
Sometimes the pieces are there but were built in the wrong order. A company introduces performance reviews before managers have clear expectations. It invests in recruiting while people are leaving because onboarding and management are inconsistent.
Two organizations can have the same number of employees, operate in the same industry, and still need very different solutions. I start by learning how the business actually works. Then I help leadership decide what needs attention now, what can wait, and what the organization can realistically support.
Good HR builds a productive partnership between the business and its people. Employees, managers, and leaders all have responsibilities. My job is to bring clarity, consistency, and practical judgment to the decisions that affect them.
I do not arrive with a standard package. I listen, assess, recommend, and stay involved long enough to help make the work real.
I have led HR inside founder-led companies, nonprofits, healthcare and human-services organizations, and one of the nation's largest cannabis operators. At the largest, I led HR strategy as the organization grew to approximately 7,200 employees across multiple states. I have also worked in highly regulated and union environments where compliance, labor agreements, and sound employee relations practices all mattered.
I am also comfortable working with AI as a practical business tool. I use it to improve HR workflows, documentation, policy development, and planning while keeping confidentiality, context, and human judgment at the center of people decisions.
What Sets My Work Apart
Not every organization needs every HR solution right now. I'll be direct when something isn't worth your time or budget at your current stage.
I work directly with leadership, then stay involved to help turn decisions into systems people can actually use.
My experience includes multi-state compliance, labor agreements, union settings, and complex employee relations matters.
I ask how decisions are made, where work gets stuck, and what the organization can realistically support before recommending a solution.
I can help improve HR work with AI while protecting confidentiality and keeping people accountable for the decisions technology supports.
I'll tell you when I think a decision will create a bigger problem. Good advisory relationships require honest feedback, not just validation.
Track Record
Payroll costs reduced through workflow redesign and operational restructuring at a multi-unit professional services firm, without reducing headcount.
Recruiting process redesign at Trulieve that reduced time from open req to offer across a multi-state operation with thousands of annual hires.
Retention improvement driven by onboarding, manager development, and consistent performance processes across a large, multi-state workforce.
Grievance reduction at Springfield Partners through policy modernization, manager training, and more consistent application of labor agreement terms.
Built the HR infrastructure to support Trulieve's entry into the Massachusetts market, including compliance, hiring, onboarding, and employee relations in a new regulatory environment.
Compliance and audit performance improvement at Springfield Partners through systems modernization and policy redesign across HR, payroll, and benefits.
Experience
Serving as a fractional HR executive and trusted advisor to growing organizations across cannabis, healthcare, nonprofit, and professional services. Building HR infrastructure from the ground up, modernizing people operations, and helping leadership teams make smart decisions about where to invest in HR.
Led HR strategy and operations as one of the nation's largest cannabis operators grew to approximately 7,200 employees across multiple states. Directed a $12M HR budget. Built HR infrastructure to support Massachusetts market entry. Reduced time-to-hire by 25% and turnover by 17%. Provided executive HR leadership through multiple periods of organizational change.
Led all HR functions for 175 union and non-union employees in a residential, outpatient, and special education services environment. Negotiated union contracts and managed complex employee relations matters.
Created the organization's HR department and built the policies, systems, and practices needed to support its workforce. Reduced union grievances by 50%. Increased HR audit scores by 20% and overall compliance outcomes by 11%.
Progressed through increasingly responsible roles at Zimmerman, including Associate Director of HR, and later transferred to subsidiary Beacon Industries as Director of HR & Internal Operations. Managed Beacon's HR function while aligning its practices with Zimmerman and Omnicom requirements. Reduced payroll expenses by $55K/month and supply costs by 24% through workflow redesign. Maintained full Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.
Established and led the personnel function for a municipal government. Navigated union negotiations, SOC requirements, and state organization standards.
SPHR (HRCI), 2022–2025 · PHR (HRCI), 2008–2022 · SHRM-CP, 2015–2021 · Nationally Certified ROMA Implementer, 2017–2020
Workday · SuccessFactors · Paylocity · Paychex · Gusto · Isolved · ADP · Breezy HR · LinkedIn Recruiter · Microsoft 365 · Google Workspace
B.S. International Business & Marketing, Florida Atlantic University
Some clients need a one-time assessment. Others benefit from ongoing fractional support. Let's figure out what makes sense for your organization.
Start the Conversation