Cathy Poliak

About Cathy Poliak

Everyone is unique.Organizations - large and small - are full of people with varying backgrounds, capabilities, and worldviews. When celebrated, harnessed, and incentivized in the right way, with careful attention to detail and diligent follow-through, this rich diversity of thought and experience can catapult companies to new heights.Put another way, the power of an organization resides in the people who work there. At all levels.As both an organizational consultant and HR Director who has built, optimized, and turned around HR departments several times over, I’ve witnessed astounding transformations in team cohesion, employee commitment, worker productivity, and top-line revenue. Change happens from the inside out.Finding the best solutions to people-related issues is an inspiring challenge. The first step is to really understand the problem – to analyze the people, processes, systems, and business goals of the company such that we become clear on our interdependencies, strengths, and vulnerabilities.Only then can we start to reimagine and rebuild, whether we’re deploying a new HRIS platform, redesigning the compensation structure, rolling out a leadership development course, creating a succession plan, or training teams on new labor laws.One thing that sets me apart from other HR leaders is my background. I came through a career in accounting — evidence of my analytical nature and financial savvy. I can not only develop the strategy and execute to plan, I’m also equipped to produce budgets, ROI forecasts, cost models, and variance analyses to keep efforts on task. Great ideas are the beginning, but meticulous execution is what translates ideas into reality.SKILLS & EXPERTISE:Learning & Development, Leadership Development, Training, Employee Relations, Employee Engagement, Recruiting, Performance Management, Coaching, Career Development, Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs), Roles & Responsibilities, Organizational Development, Teambuilding, Success Planning, Compensation, Incentive & Bonus Structure, Payroll, Benefits, Workforce Diversity, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), Fair Employment Practices

Experience

1. VP of HR

   Pet Food Express

   Jan 2023 — Present

Education

• University of Oregon

  BS, Anthropology

• Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business

  MBA, MBA

Skills

• Operations Management
• Start-Ups
• Employee Handbooks
• Talent Acquisition
• Budgets
• Hris
• Executive Coaching
• Non-Profits
• Workshop Facilitation
• Human Resources
• Benefits Administration
• Organizational Development
• Time Management
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Coaching
• Leadership
• Customer Service
• Employee Relations
• Management
• Team Building
• Human Resource Development
• Executive Development
• Integrated Marketing
• Labor Relations
• Change Management
• Management Development
• Onboarding
• Career Development
• Program Management
• Research
• Talent Management
• Strategy
• Marketing
• Interviews
• Leadership Development
• Personnel Management
• Marketing Strategy
• Employment Law
• Legal Compliance
• Resume Writing