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Kara Michelle B

CHRO | VP, People Operations | Senior HR Executive Leading Multi-State Organizations Through Talent

About Me

I’m a senior HR executive and CHRO-level leader focused on building the people strategies and systems that help organizations scale with clarity, discipline, and strong culture. I’ve worked across multi-state, global manufacturing, and AgTech environments where growth and complexity require both structure and adaptability. I partner closely with CEOs and executive teams to translate business strategy into practical people plans—covering organizational design, workforce planning, succession planning, leadership development, executive coaching, and change management. My goal is always to make the people side of the business a driver of performance, not a constraint on it. I’ve led HR organizations supporting 200–5,000 employees across more than 20 states, including publicly traded companies. This includes navigating labor strategy, compliance, and building consistent HR practices across distributed, high-growth environments. I bring deep experience in total rewards, equity compensation, and incentive design that aligns performance with business outcomes and shareholder value. I’ve also led multiple M&A integrations, including four within a 12-month period, with a focus on cultural alignment, operational continuity, and keeping teams stable through change. On the operational side, I’ve reduced turnover by 15–20%, improved time-to-hire by 30%, and led enterprise HRIS implementations (ADP, SuccessFactors, Insperity) that improved efficiency, visibility, and decision-making across the organization. At my core, I care about building organizations where people can perform at a high level because the systems, leadership, and strategy around them are clear and aligned with the business.

Jurisdiction

United States

Experience

Seniority LevelDirector
Years of Experience10-15 years
Current StatusActive
Vice President Human ResourcesLocal Bounti
2023 - Present

Driving enterprise-wide people strategy for a fast-growing, remote-first organization by aligning talent, culture, and operational excellence with business objectives. Trusted advisor to executive leadership across organizational design, workforce planning, leadership development, employee engagement, total rewards, compliance, and change management. Built scalable People infrastructure and high-impact programs that improved retention, strengthened leadership accountability, enhanced employee experience, and supported sustainable growth across the organization. Passionate about building high-performing cultures where people and business results thrive together.

Human Resources DirectorLocal Bounti
2021 - 2023

Hired to strengthen the HR department and help turn the premier controlled environment agriculture (CEA) startup into an Employer of Choice as the company experienced significant growth in a remote-first environment for corporate employees. Lead vision and strategy development for HR operations, including talent acquisition, compensation, benefits, learning, development, and employee engagement.

Skills

Core skills0
Interests0
Languages1

Languages

English