Jennifer Wood, Principal Consultant, is a senior human resources leader with over 15 years of experience partnering with organizational leadership to optimize their workforces and differentiate their organizations through training, coaching, change leadership, succession management, assessing and improving employee engagement, strategic planning, and organizational communication. She has been certified by various entities as a trainer/facilitator for leadership and service topics, DISC behavioral training, and mindsets & behaviors required for optimal performance and change management. She is also certified as a Senior Professional in HR Management (SPHR) through HRCI. Jennifer has worked across a variety of industries from manufacturing to biotech to food ingredients in small to mid-sized organizations and Fortune 100 companies. She has helped her companies achieve recognition by the local Chamber of Commerce and the Great Places to Work Institute as one of the “Best Mid-Sized Companies in America.”

Human Resources Leadership Summary

Jennifer has over 15 years of HR leadership experience including roles as Director of Human Resources of Glanbia Nutritionals Ingredient Technologies, Human Resource Manager for DuPont Industrial Biosciences (formerly Genencor, A Danisco Division), and Director of Human Resources for Freedom Plastics, Inc. Throughout her career, she has had overall HR responsibility for manufacturing, leadership/admin, and sales teams at multiple locations, and has lead cross-functional and global teams. Jennifer gets involved outside of the traditional scope of HR by taking on projects in operations and manufacturing; she believes that an understanding of the business priorities is integral to any successful HR work. She is proud to have contributed directly to the success of these organizations. Some of her achievements include:

• Development of core values & guiding principles to align organization towards achieving long term vision
• Establishment of a rotational Management Trainee program to address long term staffing needs to achieve strategic growth plans
• Implementation of employee engagement survey with action planning based on survey results and connected to strategic direction
• Development and implementation of succession planning processes and leadership potential assessments
• Development of leadership talent development and engineering learning programs
• Connecting and energizing employees around the world through organization’s first-ever global challenge
• Contributing to efforts to earn Genencor’s #11 spot on the Best Medium-Sized Places to Work in America list, as named by the Great Place to Work Institute in 2011
• Improving community presence & visibility resulting in Genencor receiving Beloit’s “Manufacturing Business of the Year Award” in 2009 and a nomination for the Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Award from the Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce
• Leading Six Sigma Green Belt project to improve consistency in early stage of technical production process
• Coordination of DuPont acquisition integration activities including core values, benefits, compensation & reward systems, performance management, implementation of DuPont Production Systems, and transition to shared services environment
• Introduction of benefit plan changes resulting in reduction of annual increases while maintaining competitive benefit package; implemented HSA compatible HDHP
• Prepared and submitted grant proposals resulting in awards of $50,000 in 2006 and $20,000 in 2007 – 2008 for development of on-site training center and workforce education

Credentials:

• BBA in Human Resource Management, University of Wisconsin – Whitewater
• SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) Certification, Human Resources Certification Institute
• CPLP (Certified Professional in Learning and Performance) Exam Successfully Completed, Association for Training and Development
• Six Sigma Black Belt Training, DuPont Industrial Biosciences
• Certified Trainer, Achieve Global
• Certified Trainer, Burke-Cleaver DISC
• Certified Trainer, DuPont TRACC Mindsets & Behaviors

Professional Affiliations:

• SHRM National Member
• Blackhawk HR Association Member
• Forward Janesville Member
• Association for Training and Development (ATD) Member

Community Leadership:

• Community Action Inc. Board Chairperson & HR Committee Chairperson (2011 – present)
• YWCA HR Committee Member (2013)
• Blackhawk HR Association (local SHRM Chapter) Board of Directors Past-President & multiple board positions (2000 – 2009)
• Blackhawk Technical College Business Management Employer Advisory Committee Member & Past-Chairperson (2005 – 2014)