Experience

BOxD | Better Organizations by Design

• United States
• Business Consulting and Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• CEO and Founder

  • Jan 2020 - Present

  San Francisco Bay Area BOxD powers the people side of your business growth and guides you through the most challenging points of your change journey. We align the three layers of change (organizations, teams, leaders), equip them to be at their best, and embed equity and inclusion in how they work. Organization Design | DEI Consulting | M&A Integration | Exec and Leader Development | Team Coaching & Facilitation



50/50 Women on Boards

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Co-Chair - Silicon Valley Chapter

  • May 2023 - Present

  50/50 is the leading global education and advocacy organization dedicated to advancing gender balance and diversity on corporate boards



City of Sunnyvale

• United States
• Government Administration
• 400 - 500 Employee

• Commissioner, Human Relations and Equity Commission

  • May 2023 - Present

  We advise City Council on matters related to equity, access, inclusion, justice and belonging.



Leadership Sunnyvale

• United States
• Education Management
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Board Member and President

  • Jul 2020 - Present

  LS educates residents, business owners, local employees and leaders on the workings of a city ecosystem in order to create engaged, invested, and informed civic leaders. I am also a graduate of the program.



GSD Venture Studios

• United States
• Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Advisor - Organizational and Team Effectiveness

  • Feb 2020 - Present

  GSD Venture Studios travels to every corner of the globe inviting resilient teams to establish partnerships that ensure organizations grow the right way, without games or gimmicks. Unlike traditional investors, we take senior operational (often co-founder) roles in these companies, capitalizing on our trusted reputation, experiences and network to drive explosive growth.



Cisco

• United States
• Motor Vehicle Manufacturing
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Internal Consultant - Organization Design and Effectiveness

  • 2015 - 2020

  San Francisco Bay Area Consulted with senior business leaders (VP to C-suite) to proactively determine implications of their strategy on their organizations. Re-designed organizations to realize business and cultural transformations, including creating more diverse, equitable and inclusive organizations Designed and led strategic offsites to enable senior leadership teams to increase alignment, make critical decisions, and increase team effectiveness Designed and led teams through fully… Show more Consulted with senior business leaders (VP to C-suite) to proactively determine implications of their strategy on their organizations. Re-designed organizations to realize business and cultural transformations, including creating more diverse, equitable and inclusive organizations Designed and led strategic offsites to enable senior leadership teams to increase alignment, make critical decisions, and increase team effectiveness Designed and led teams through fully tailored workshops focused on large-scale change

• Innovation mentor and coach

  • 2015 - 2020

  Coached multi-disciplinary teams through both public and in-house innovation challenges

• HR Leadership Program

  • 2012 - 2015

  Rotation program for high potential HR Talent, dedicated to creating the next wave of HR leaders

• Manager, Future of HR Tech

  • 2014 - 2014

  - Co-piloted a pioneering, integrated ecosystem that tied together skills assessments, learning, internal mobility, and workforce planning. - Co-piloted organizational network analysis. STICKY LESSON: Informal networks are both a lever and measure of change, equity, culture, and organizational performance.

• Employee Listening Consultant

  • 2013 - 2014

  Partnered with business leaders to identify and prioritize interventions based on employee feedback and organizational trends STICKY LESSONS: 1. You can make data tell you anything you want it to. 2. What is not said and whose voices are not heard are just as important as what is said and captured.

• Total Rewards Manager

  • 2012 - 2013

  - Launched the first peer recognition program and platform at Cisco, which included driving adoption and coaching leaders on how to drive behavioral change on their teams. - Provided insight to leaders on the true pay experience of various employee populations and what actions to take STICKY LESSONS: 1. Cognitive biases can help and hinder the adoption of certain behaviors. 2. Rewards can have unintended consequences in terms of behaviors and employee experience



Beyond Borders

• Netherlands
• Management Consulting
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Co-Founder

  • 2009 - 2015

  We took traditional textiles that were fading into history to new, urban markets, keeping the craft alive while providing income and opportunity to the weavers. I knew we had succeeded when our weavers' children began asking their parents to train them and when the weavers stopped leaving their looms to help harvest crops. SKILLS I LEARNED: - Gathering customer feedback and observing how people interact with the product - Managing partner dynamics - Persuading and… Show more We took traditional textiles that were fading into history to new, urban markets, keeping the craft alive while providing income and opportunity to the weavers. I knew we had succeeded when our weavers' children began asking their parents to train them and when the weavers stopped leaving their looms to help harvest crops. SKILLS I LEARNED: - Gathering customer feedback and observing how people interact with the product - Managing partner dynamics - Persuading and influencing a wide spectrum of stakeholders from corporate buyers to older weavers based in rural areas I successfully exited the company, but it continues today. Show less



JG Summit Holdings Inc.

• Philippines
• Investment Management
• 300 - 400 Employee

• Senior Human Resources Manager

  • 2011 - 2011

  Philippine conglomerate: airline, food, retail, real estate, banking, telco, publishing, chemicals As part of the parent company’s HR Center of Excellence, I set standards, provided thought leadership, and partnered with business leaders and their local HR teams. I moved across HR as the “FIXER” when progress had stalled or as the “PIONEER” to establish critical programs. (See roles below) TOP LESSONS FROM MY TIME HERE: 1. People are people across industries, but each business is unique because of their strategy and culture. 2. Leaders have an outsized impact… Show more As part of the parent company’s HR Center of Excellence, I set standards, provided thought leadership, and partnered with business leaders and their local HR teams. I moved across HR as the “FIXER” when progress had stalled or as the “PIONEER” to establish critical programs. (See roles below) TOP LESSONS FROM MY TIME HERE: 1. People are people across industries, but each business is unique because of their strategy and culture. 2. Leaders have an outsized impact on culture. I witnessed firsthand how founder transitions change the soul of the company. 3. Perfect processes don't lead to perfect outcomes. For a process to be effective, it has to human-centered. It can look great on paper, but it is us flawed human beings that have to execute. 4. Sometimes change has to be incremental to be accepted. And sometimes it has to be a big bang to be believed.

• HR Information Systems

  • 2010 - 2011

  Led a cross-functional and inter-subsidiary team through a foundational step of our digital transformation. I translated the HR strategy to technical needs, negotiated conflicting stakeholder opinions, and drove the change management strategy.

• Organizational Development

  • 2009 - 2010

  Bolstered organizational resiliency by establishing two critical initiatives: - Scalable succession planning that balanced subsidiary-specific needs with group-wide standards of rigor - A traineeship program to create a ready pool for critical roles in middle management

• Talent Acquisition - Critical Roles

  • 2008 - 2010

  Directly handled our most critical roles, from executives to hyper specialists. Single-handedly created a database for hard-to-find talent. Improved overall TA effectiveness across business units by a) training recruiters on best practices I learned from my executive search days and b) changing interview practices, account management, and database management.

• Employee Experience

  • 2008 - 2009

  As part of creating a more intentional corporate culture, I defined our employee experience strategy and led cross-functional teams across our largest business units to: - Truly understand employees' very different needs - Deliver events that became hallmarks of their local cultures - Shift communication patterns and practices



ZMG Ward Howell

• Philippines
• Staffing and Recruiting
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Executive Search Consultant (VP to C-level)

  • 2006 - 2008

  Leading executive search firm in Asia I worked with clients in companies in consumer goods, semiconductor, and retail to fill critical VP to C-level roles. I constantly exceeded my goals because I got to know companies and their needs extremely well, and my candidates trusted me because they knew I would always do right by them. TOP LESSONS FROM MY TIME HERE: 1. The power of the right questions This was pre-Linkedin days, but I was a very creative (but never unethical) detective and information sponge who… Show more I worked with clients in companies in consumer goods, semiconductor, and retail to fill critical VP to C-level roles. I constantly exceeded my goals because I got to know companies and their needs extremely well, and my candidates trusted me because they knew I would always do right by them. TOP LESSONS FROM MY TIME HERE: 1. The power of the right questions This was pre-Linkedin days, but I was a very creative (but never unethical) detective and information sponge who built a database of players in the industry and mapped out the full organization maps of my clients' competitors. 2a. Companies who embrace their employees as humans with lives outside of work will win the war for talent. 2b. A "good" role is about more than just the work and the business’ trajectory. The team and culture directly impact how right it is for you. Story seared into my mind: Choosing between two similar roles, a candidate ultimately accepted my client’s offer because we structured it to include various support for his family member with special needs. He felt seen and supported and went on to do his best work with them. Show less