Kathy Wolkner – SHRM-SCP-
-Farmington, CT
Career History
Over 15 years of HR Management experience with SHRM-SCP certification. Responsible for all aspects of
the Human Resources function, including: setting and executing HR organizational design strategy;
department planning/budgeting; mergers and acquisitions; payroll; benefits planning and decisions;
training; employee relations and engagement; HRIS technology and vendors; talent acquisition and
retention; career development; succession planning; retention; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion strategies;
leadership development; vendor/third party relationships (i.e. 401k Provider and Third Party
Administrator, Workers Compensation claims, HSA Provider, drug and background Screening, etc.);
working with legal counsel as needed; knowledge of multiple state laws; and employee
levels/benchmarking/compensation including bonuses, incentives, and commissions programs.
SmartCommerce, Remote, US
10/2023 – Present
Vice President of Human Resources
Highest HR role in Company, report to CFO and CEO
SaaS - Start-Up Environment – Growth Path for M&A, PE Backed
• Improved Employee Retention by over 50% YOY.
• Established brand-new opportunities for employee engagement including new training and
leadership development programs.
• As a result of bringing in a new broker for Health Insurance, have saved over 15% of previous
year’s benefits costs, as well as providing more comprehensive benefits. This cost savings for all,
plus better benefits improved employee morale and saved company over $75,000.
• Created improved talent acquisition and onboarding process to create a more positive
experience for new and current employees.
• Initiated Performance Review process and began consistent HR reporting.
• Eliminated unnecessary roles and costs resulting in savings of over 60% for the HR Department.
Superior Network of Companies, Milldale, CT
10/2022 – 9/2023
Director of Human Resources
Highest HR role in Company, reported to President/CEO - Position Eliminated
Retail, Ecommerce, Distribution - Established Business – M&A Activities
• Led Human Resources activities related to M&A/new markets/regions/states and responsible
for all issues, including administration, taxation, legal and compliance concerns, payroll,
company set-up, hiring, benefits and handbook changes.
• Led a team of 3 Human Resources roles with a coaching mentality.
• Used social media to boost applications and conducted in-person hiring events to increase
candidates by 45%.
• Responsible for creating and aligning compensation levels for employees to ascertain pay bands.
• Vetted and chose Benefits provider (including the CEO and CFO in the process) and ensured that
all aspects of open enrollment and new employee participation were conducted seamlessly.
• Designed and implemented brand new training programs (“Management Leadership Training
Program” for current selected managers and “Rising Stars” for leadership development in
quality employees) after multiple employee discussions across all levels of the organization
indicated a strong desire for this.
Kathy Wolkner – SHRM-SCP-
•
•
-Farmington, CT
Introduced branch visits on a strict cadence to ensure HR was visible to those who were not at
the main location, resulting in improved communication and employee engagement.
Created a “playbook” for newly acquired businesses in order to ensure consistency for all HR
processes and procedures.
KLS Resources, Remote, US
7/2022 – 10/2022
Consultant
Various HR Projects on a consultancy basis
The Next Street, Middlebury, CT
7/2020 – 4/2022
Director of People, Heart and Pulse (Director of Human Resources) - Position Eliminated
Highest HR role in Company, reported to President/CEO
Service and Education Industry - Start-Up - Explosive Growth, M&A Activities
• Created the Human Resources function from the ground up for the company during the height
of COVID-19 and had to pivot several times due to CDC and state guidelines- this was very
complicated for us since our business required in-person contact.
• Led a team of 3 Human Resources roles.
• Created compensation levels for employees to ascertain pay bands to ensure pay equity.
• Responsible for all cultural initiatives to drive employee satisfaction, engagement, and
retention, collaborating with all company departments and internal stakeholders.
• Created brand new programs (Leadership-in-Training and Mentorship) for training opportunities
to create better experiences for employees who felt they had nowhere to go in their careers.
• Automated and greatly improved Performance Reviews.
• Due to market expansion into two new states and in three different divisions of the company
(new Education division- Remote Education Pods Learning Environment, Adaptive Driving
Program Expansion to two new states, Driver Education expansion to two new states) had to
significantly ramp up hiring in new markets, while maintaining strategic talent plans for existing
markets.
• Leveraged data from TinyPulse (now Limeade Listening) and improved our already great
employee engagement by 10%.
Paradigm Precision (now Pursuit Aerospace), Manchester, CT
12/2017 – 2/2020
Talent Acquisition Manager/Human Resources Manager - Position Eliminated
Reported to Area Director and VP of HR
Aerospace Manufacturing - Medium/Large Size Company, PE Backed
• Developed, planned and executed recruiting plans and projects and conducted full life cycle
recruiting for various levels of exempt and non-exempt roles for all CT sites and supported
Human Resources functions at these sites; sole recruiter for 6 sites (5 in Manchester, CT; 1 in
Berlin, CT) and was asked to assist with 2 additional sites (Malden, MA and Peabody, MA).
Global experience with teams in Poland, Mexico, Canada, and the UK.
• Reduced company spend for 3rd party agencies for my locations by 75% in 2019.
• Increased our direct labor force within 6 months to create a more robust 2nd shift (increasing
plant output by more than 25%).
Kathy Wolkner – SHRM-SCP-
•
-Farmington, CT
Initiated a new relationship with the State of Connecticut in order to properly establish our
Apprenticeship Program to receive state funding.
Other Roles:
Stanley Black and Decker, Southington, CT
10/2016 – 11/2017
Talent Acquisition Specialist-Hand Tools, Accessories and Storage Division (Reported to Talent Acquisition
Director and VP of HR - Position Eliminated
Very Large Company
Educational Playcare, Windsor, CT
8/2015 – 10/2016
Director of Recruiting
Start-Up – Fast Expansion/Growth
Other previous roles in HR, Sales, Retail and Customer Service
• Solidus and Accubranch – Marketing, Construction
• Bestchoice Recruiting – Consultant- Recruiting Focus
• Walt Disney World College Program – Retail, Merchandising Hostess
• Chili’s – Foodserver, Trainer
Technology:
HRIS experience includes Gusto, Greenhouse, Workable, Paycor, Proliant, ADP Workforce Now, Ultipro,
Taleo, ClearCompany, UKG/Kronos, Rippling, and others. Tech-savvy with software experience including
Microsoft Office Suite including Microsoft Teams, Google Products, Slack, Zoom, Social Media (i.e.
Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, and various ERP and CRM software programs
(i.e. Salesforce, database products).
Education:
Charter Oak State College; Bachelor of Science Degree- Psychology
Governors State University; Illinois State University; State University of New York College at Buffalo
Escola Secundária Sebastião e Silva; Oeiras, Portugal
