Some of this I conceived and built myself. Much of it I did in partnership — coaching leaders, facilitating across teams, and bringing the right people into the room at the right time. Partnering has run through my whole career — grant-funded programs, nonprofit fundraising, and C-suite support across investor relations, business development, and clinical operations. Kristen Baldwin, our Chief People Officer at Selecta and my mentor, showed me how to carry that into HR: how to partner with business leaders from within the people function. Samples available upon request.
Partnership · Workforce Reduction
Leading people through a workforce reduction
Selecta’s reduction was staggered across six phases, and each one was planned in layers. We met with the executives first and coached them on leading the conversations, then worked through the logistics together. I built every separation package and arranged outplacement, resume, and job-search support for the people affected. On the day, I was in the room as the HR delegate — delivering the news to each group alongside the CEO and that group’s executive leader. Afterward, I kept communication steady for the people who stayed.
Six staggered reductions, each with executive coaching, separation packages, and transition support in place before the first conversation. The people who left were treated with dignity. The people who stayed had clarity.
Partnership · Change Leadership
Bringing a new leadership team into a public company
After the reverse merger, Cartesian’s legacy leaders came from a private company with no HR function, compensation or promotion process, or public-company compliance experience. Rather than importing systems wholesale, I started with the people — mentoring leaders through the cultural and structural change first, then adapting Selecta’s talent, performance, and culture frameworks to the new organization’s own fundamentals.
Formal HR systems and compliance standards introduced after leaders had been brought along — built around the new culture rather than imposed on it.
Compliance · Payroll · Benefits
Restoring compliance after an SEC-reportable error
Asked to return to Cartesian to restore People Operations after a high-stakes compliance failure that occurred following my first tenure. Remediated an SEC-reportable payroll violation and rebuilt the HRIS to full SEC/SOX compliance standards — correcting data accuracy across 60+ employee records. Simultaneously renegotiated the benefits renewal, reducing projected cost growth from 13%+ down to 3% through broker negotiations and market analysis.
SEC-reportable violation remediated. HRIS rebuilt to SOX compliance. Benefits cost growth cut by 10 percentage points — protecting significant projected spend for plan year 2026.
Manufacturing HR · Workforce Restructuring
Redesigning an organization to scale production
When Cartesian needed to expand to 7-day manufacturing production, I led the full HR side of that buildout — redesigning the team structure and org chart in partnership with Manufacturing leadership, running end-to-end recruitment to hire the additional staff needed for new shifts, and building the shift work framework from scratch in both the HRIS and payroll systems to ensure accurate scheduling, compliance, and compensation processing across all shifts. Delivered expanded capacity without disrupting existing operations or team continuity.
New shift structure operational with compliant HRIS and payroll setup — all hiring, onboarding, and compensation frameworks delivered without production disruption.
Systems Strategy · Cost Management
Using what we already had
Identified that employees were navigating four separate HR platforms, creating friction and administrative burden. Rather than proposing new software, I recognized that iSolved — the system already in place — could be expanded to cover the full employee lifecycle at lower per-user cost than the fragmented status quo. I built the business case from scratch, ran the cost comparison, presented it to leadership, and managed the vendor relationship with iSolved that made expansion possible.
Proposed consolidating from $7/user/mo (fragmented tools) to $6/user/mo (unified HCM), saving money while improving employee experience — by using what we already had, creatively.
Culture · Performance · Employee Experience
Culture & Performance Programs
Co-ran the Culture Ambassador program across four workstreams at Selecta — including launching the company's first annual Pioneer of the Year recognition award at the all-company kick-off meeting. At Cartesian, designed and delivered the company-wide performance management rollout, introducing a quarterly check-in cycle through Small Improvements and coaching managers through the process. Also authored the company's integration communications newsletter (INFORM) during the post-acquisition period, coordinating equity sessions, 401(k) onboarding, and IT office hours.
Performance management launched Feb 2024 across the full organization; culture ambassador program ran for the full 2022–2023 calendar year with structured roadmaps and four active workstreams.
Policy Design · Compliance
Writing the policies people actually live by
Wrote the policies that governed how Cartesian's employees worked — not revised templates from counsel, but substantive, employee-facing documents I authored and owned. Included: the Flexible Vacation Policy (with manager and employee guidance, blackout period rules, and abuse frameworks), the Parental Leave Policy and Manager Guide, the Travel & Expense Policy Guidebook, the Tuition Reimbursement Program, and the Time Reporting and iSolved implementation policy for multi-state and NIH grant compliance.
Policies ranged from operationally complex (multi-state sick time compliance, NIH grant time tracking) to culture-forward (flexible vacation with no accrual cap, parental leave at 100% wages for 12 weeks).
Employer Brand · Creative Direction
Employee Spotlight & Brand Rehaul
Conceptualized and produced an employee spotlight video series in partnership with the external creative firm I hired to lead Selecta's brand and website rehaul. I identified the need, sourced and selected the vendor, directed the creative brief, and shepherded the project from concept through final production — giving the organization a visual identity and narrative that could attract talent and reflect the culture we were building.
One of several deliverables from a full brand and website refresh I led. The spotlight series brought employee voices to the forefront as a recruitment and culture tool.
Leave Management · Compliance
FMLA & Parental Leave Administration
Managed FMLA administration from initial request through return-to-work certification, including coordinating concurrent STD and parental leave, tracking eligibility, requiring medical documentation, and advising managers throughout the process. Authored Cartesian's complete Parental Leave Policy and Manager Guide — covering paid leave entitlements, FMLA interplay, pay and benefits continuity, and a six-step framework for managers on handling parental leave with empathy and compliance.
Policy and manager guide completed April 2025; covers 12 weeks paid parental leave at 100% wages, FMLA eligibility, documentation process, and manager preparation steps from planning through return.
Total Rewards · Benefits & 401(k)
Benefits Administration & 401(k) Oversight
Owned benefits open enrollment and renewals end-to-end — coordinating with brokers and carriers, communicating options to employees, and managing all enrollment data. Served as the 401(k) Plan Administrator for the company's Fidelity retirement plan, which included executing plan document amendments, managing the ADP-to-Fidelity transition, conducting employee information sessions on plan mechanics and account setup, and ensuring DOL compliance.
Coordinated 401(k) information sessions for the full employee population post-acquisition, organized equity grant distribution and E*Trade activation, and executed plan document amendments with Fidelity directly.
