After graduating from Ohio University with a BS in Legal Communication, Jenn spent the early part of her career working for large organizations like Lehman Brothers and AT&T, where she gained a wealth of HR experience. She eventually found her true passion at ADP, while consulting for smaller companies. Consulting led Jenn to SentryOne where she eventually joined full-time and led the HR function during their highest growth. While there, she was recognized as the HR Leader of the Year by the Charlotte Business Journal, and SentryOne was recognized by Gallup as one of the Best Places to work in the US two years in a row. Most recently, she went back to consulting after S1 was acquired and is focused on helping non-profits and founder-led organizations go from pirate ships to navy ships. She believes long-term success is achieved when you align people to their strengths and rally around the same vision, and she is passionate about helping organizations achieve this.
What words of advice and encouragement would you give to someone just starting out in HR?
As an HR professional, remember to establish yourself as a business person, not just a people person. Dig into the business, learn what keeps the CEO up at night and be able to talk about how the initiatives you want to work on will impact performance!