Human Resources Professional

MICHELE M. LYONS, MS Ed.

***Woodcliffe Lane Home: 740-***-****

Lancaster, Ohio 43130 Cell: 740-***-****

Email: acfchc@r.postjobfree.com

OBJECTIVE and QUALIFICATIONS

Executive Management / Areas of Expertise

A proven and results-oriented talent and team builder with progressive management and leadership

experience; adept at strategic organization planning and execution of talent project initiatives with

superb collaboration, relationship building and influencing skills. Masters Degree

Organizational Design Support / Strategy Communication / Influence Skilled

Talent Succession Planning and Growth Leadership Coaching /

High integrity, Credibility and Ethics Consultation

Individual Development Planning (IDP) P&L / Budget / Forecasting

Performance Management & Education Start Up Operation Experience (3)

Employee Relations Expert / Collaboration Corporate Policy Development

Culture Shaping and Change Management Multi-Site Environment Leadership

Exceptional Relationship Building

Skills

EXPERIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

BENCHMARK BRANDS.COM, FOOTSMART.COM, Atlanta, GA 2014–

Present

($200 million leading specialty retailer and producer of branded premium footwear and foot health

products marketed under Footsmart.com and Benchmark Brands).

Sr. Director, Talent Management. Reporting to the CEO of a an entrepreneurial organization, a

demonstrated Senior Talent Leader with a creative drive and passion for building and inspiring

exceptional people based solutions that define and support company success and growth.

Responsible for the strategic development and delivery of talent initiatives including

performance management, succession planning, policy development and management,

organizational leadership review, talent acquisition, onboarding and culture development in a fast

paced and dynamically changing organization.

Selected Accomplishments:

Leads an HR team of 6 direct reports and a total team of 15 with a sense of urgency to

provide strategic solutions that complement the needs of the business.

Trusted advisor to executives, supporting leaders to build effective/credible

relationships across the organization.

Lead the annual employee satisfaction and engagement survey including

dissemination and interpretation of results, action planning and pulse survey processes;

on-going culture shaping that aligns with corporate values and accountabilities.

Handles complex, challenging HR issues in a dynamic and growth-oriented

environment.

Develops, manages and ensures sustainability of a high-performance work culture

that successfully attracts, engages and retains exceptional talent.

Leverages organizational health and talent management metrics to drive business

improvements.

Ensures exceptional on-boarding and orientation processes that quickly and

effectively bring new talent up to speed.

Leads implementation of HR policies, processes and practices that maximize human

capital development.

Implements strategic talent plan that drives annual process improvement, efficiency and

performance management through metrics.

Manages organizational design and staffing structures and sources and recruits top

quality talent.

Talent Succession Planning / on-going evaluation of bench strength for a strong talent

line.

Page 1 of 4

MICHELE M. LYONS, MS Ed.

241Woodcliffe Lane Home: 740-***-****

Lancaster, Ohio 43130 Cell: 740-***-****

Email: acfchc@r.postjobfree.com

HARRY AND DAVID OPERATIONS CORP, Hebron, OH 1997–

2014

($500 million multi-channel specialty retailer and producer of branded premium gift-quality fruit,

gourmet food products and other gifts marketed under Harry and David, Wolfermans and Cushman

brands)

Director, Human Resources. (2001-2014). Reporting to the SVP, Human Resources, a

demonstrated leader of people based solutions that support company preparedness for growth.

Responsible for annual high volume strategic talent acquisition for operations in Eugene, Oregon,

Medford, Oregon and Hebron, Ohio and a key talent leader for the organizational design,

leadership development, change management strategies, work safety/security, conflict management

solutions, succession planning, performance management, mentoring and culture shaping,

attracting/retaining top talent, benefits/compensation, policy development and HRIS Support.

Supported corporate, remote, retail stores, B2B, wholesale, distribution and contact center

environments.

Selected Accomplishments:

Lead a corporate team of 5 direct reports and a total seasonal team of 65.

Valued member of the Hopewell Senior Management Committee for the company.

Ensured top sourcing strategies to attract diverse and effective top talent.

Promoted positive employee relations. Developed, communicated, interpreted and

applied policies and procedures to ensure equitable treatment of employees. Provided

guidance, direction and disciplinary action and termination recommendations.

Created annual strategic plan to drive process improvement, efficiency and

measurement.

Talent succession planning and on-going evaluation of bench strength for a strong

talent line.

Leadership support resulting in effective and credible relationships across organization.

On-going culture shaping that aligned with corporate values and accountabilities.

Performance Management, Individual Development Plan (IDP) program for

development.

Annual seasonal hiring of 8,500 + associates in three month period.

Provided training and education to improve the leadership and employee skillsets.

Safety initiatives and program participation improving safety and reducing cost.

Manager, Employment and Employee Relations (1997 – 2000). Responsible for annual

advertising campaign and holiday hiring of 2000+ seasonal associates, talent on-boarding process,

performance management, employee relations, conflict management solutions, associate events

and HRIS Support.

Selected Accomplishments:

Creative advertising campaign attracting 4,000+ applicants in three month period.

Empowered seasonal Hiring Team to professionally handle significant applicant

volumes.

Talent Succession Planning resulting in bench strength to ensure future talent pipeline.

Positive employee experience for significant holiday returnee rate and top talent

retention.

Annual strategic plan that drives process improvement, efficiency and measurement.

CENTRAL BENEFITS, Inc. Westerville, OH 1996 –

1997

(National insurer and benefits administrator)

Page 2 of 4

MICHELE M. LYONS, MS Ed.

241Woodcliffe Lane Home: 740-***-****

Lancaster, Ohio 43130 Cell: 740-***-****

Email: acfchc@r.postjobfree.com

Manager, Employment and Development. Responsible for sourcing and staffing professional

positions within the organization and leading the employee education initiatives for this privately

held insurance company.

Selected Accomplishments:

Implemented Caliper profile as part of hiring process.

Improved hiring process and reduced fill time for open positions.

Rolled out Situational Leadership course for professional and leadership staff.

FED-EX GROUND, Denver, CO 1988 – 1996

(Billion dollar non- union small-package ground transportation Company; formerly known as

Roadway Package System, Inc.)

Regional Human Resource Manager (1992 – 1996). Demonstrated effective and legally

compliant remote Human Resource management practices that included recruitment, staffing,

Affirmative Action planning, employee relations and education/development in an eleven (11) state

area.

Selected Accomplishments:

Awarded corporate “Human Resource Excellence Award”.

Proactively met 100% of Affirmative Action Hiring Plan for Mountain Region.

Created Company Orientation program and reduced non-exempt turnover by 57%.

Developed annual Human Resources Business Plan, identifying strategic

improvements.

Led Employee teams in Challenge Resolution and Improvement Processes.

Provided and coordinated legal support and counsel on a variety of HR related issues.

1995-1996 Columbus Director, HR, Roadway’s Spartan Express, Central

1993-1994 Denver Regional HR Manager, RPS, Inc.

1989-1992 Toledo Recruiter and HR Generalist, RPS, Inc.

1988-1989 Columbus Operations Coordinator, Distribution, RPS, Inc.

EDUCATION

Masters of Education, Human Resources Development and Training

University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Minor in Political Science

Miami University, Oxford, Ohio

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MICHELE M. LYONS, MS Ed.

241Woodcliffe Lane Home: 740-***-****

Lancaster, Ohio 43130 Cell: 740-***-****

Email: acfchc@r.postjobfree.com

PROFESSIONAL

MEMBERSHIPS

Member, Outstanding Performance Award Committee (OPAC)

President, Human Resource Management Association, Licking County (HRMA) 2001-2003

Member, Human Resource Management Association (HRMA)

Member, Society Human Resource Management (SHRM)

First Vice-Chair, 2006-Current, Ohio Safety Congress and Expo Committee

Board Member (5 years), House of New Hope Foster and Adoptive Care and Treatment Center

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