2026 Winners

People

HR Executive of the Year

Large Organization

HR Executive of the Year

Small and Mid-Sized Organization

Rising HR Star

Cathy Hardin

Chief Human Resources Officer Gwinnett County Public Schools (retired)

Cathy Hardin, Chief Human Resources Officer for Gwinnett County Public Schools, leads the people strategy supporting approximately 24,000 employees across 143 schools. Over the past year, her leadership has strengthened workforce stability, leadership development, employee engagement, benefits, and HR operations while reinforcing the connection between a strong employee experience and student success.

Workforce results have been significant. Teacher vacancies entering the school year remained at 20, compared with more than 230 three years earlier. Completed teacher applications increased to 9,967, paraprofessional applications reached 3,376, and university partner placements grew to 1,468. The district also increased the number of student teachers transitioning into permanent teaching roles, while its Educator Diversity Index rose to 61.6%.

Hardin has also made leadership readiness a priority. Through the Quality Plus Leader Academy, 76 emerging leaders participated in the Aspiring Leader Program, with 66% already serving in leadership roles. Nine leadership coaches supported 173 novice principals and assistant principals. The nomination reports that 100% of first- and second-year principals and 98% of first- and second-year assistant principals earned proficient or exemplary effectiveness ratings. Her team also provided professional learning to 975 school and central-office leaders.

Employee engagement reached 84% on Gallup’s districtwide measure, and GCPS received the 2025 Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award. Hardin also expanded employee support through an enhanced Employee Assistance Program and benefit savings. Her division processed thousands of hiring transactions, contracts, and onboarding activities, while accurate workforce reporting supported approximately $1.286 billion in state education revenue. Her work demonstrates HR leadership at substantial scale with measurable workforce and organizational impact.

Patrick Henley

Director of Human Resources and Risk Management

Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority (CCMWA)

Patrick Henley, Director of Human Resources and Risk Management for Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority, has built a people strategy centered on listening, internal development, innovation, and long-term workforce sustainability. Over the past year, he led organization-wide listening sessions across every department and division, modernized internal communications through a comprehensive SharePoint redesign and expanded video and print capabilities, and strengthened outreach to schools and community groups to introduce future talent to careers in water, HR, and risk management.

Henley has also brought an experimental, business-focused approach to emerging technology. During an organizational AI pilot, he independently evaluated six leading platforms and delivered an enterprise-focused analysis to IT leadership, expanding the scope of the original initiative and helping the organization assess practical workforce applications.

The strongest evidence of his impact is CCMWA’s talent pipeline. Employee turnover has remained below 5%, with prior years below 3%, and more than 90% of management roles have been filled internally. The nomination attributes those outcomes to Henley’s succession planning framework, career conversation programs, and leadership development strategy. CCMWA’s total rewards approach includes compensation reported at 15% to 20% above industry averages, employer-paid health benefits, 100% tuition reimbursement for job-related education through the doctoral level, a defined-benefit pension, paid parental leave, and a voluntary sick leave donation program.

Henley’s influence also extends beyond CCMWA. He has presented at SHRM’s national conference, participated in public-sector and water-industry forums, mentored HR professionals, and taught HR and employment law. His nomination reflects a leader who combines operational results with a sustained commitment to developing people and advancing the profession.

Brianna Williams

Talent & Inclusion Program Manager

IHG Hotels & Resorts

Brianna Williams, Talent & Inclusion Program Manager at IHG Hotels & Resorts, has spent the past year expanding talent programs that connect employees, strengthen development, and improve the experience of new and emerging talent across multiple regions.

Williams launched a redesigned mentoring cohort that grew to nearly 480 participants across the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Canada. The program included 175 one-to-one mentoring relationships, 25 group mentoring pods, and participation from more than 23 senior leaders at the vice president level and above. She also changed the matching process from randomized pairings to participant self-selection, allowing individuals to rank preferences. Satisfaction increased from 86% to 93% following the redesign.

She also led a multi-year onboarding refresh that has supported more than 375 new employees across the Americas since July 2025. The experience includes monthly virtual sessions opened by senior leaders as well as a new Design Center Networking Experience, giving participants firsthand exposure to prototype development, quality engineering, and build and conversion offerings.

Williams has extended her impact into employer branding through IHG’s Story Suite, creating TikTok and LinkedIn content focused on the colleague experience. The nomination reports more than 12,000 views, 4,000 likes, and 6,000 followers associated with this work. She has also contributed to employee journey stories and helped plan IHG’s HR Summit, including the conference app and attendee experience.

Her nomination highlights an emerging HR leader who identifies program gaps, uses metrics to improve design, and creates experiences that are both scalable and personal. Her work has strengthened mentoring, onboarding, leadership visibility, and IHG’s external talent brand.

HR Consultant of the Year

HR People Leader Impact Award

SHRM-Atlanta Volunteer of the Year

Olga Sanchez-Ramos

Associate Director, Human Resources

Harvard University

Olga Sanchez-Ramos serves as a strategic HR consultant to Harvard University’s technology organization, providing embedded HR advisory support to a distributed workforce of more than 750 employees. Working remotely from Atlanta, she partners with senior leaders on workforce strategy, organizational change, employee relations, compensation, performance, and future workforce planning.

Over the past year, Sanchez-Ramos helped lead a multi-phase organizational restructuring involving approximately 40 position eliminations and broader reporting and role changes. She advised leaders on organizational design and implementation while helping maintain consistency, fairness, and operational continuity during a sensitive transformation.

She also developed a data-driven compensation strategy designed to strengthen recruitment and retention of technology talent. The nomination reports a 25% improvement in offer acceptance rates and a 10% decrease in voluntary turnover. Her multi-year workforce planning work also contributed to approximately 10% operational savings while maintaining service delivery.

Sanchez-Ramos strengthened performance management through manager consulting, structured Performance Improvement Plans, and clearer performance differentiation. She also created forums such as an IT Summit and monthly Manager Community Connections to support communication, leadership alignment, and shared learning across a distributed workforce.

Looking ahead, she is leading a Workforce Intelligence Pilot that uses artificial intelligence and job architecture data to identify emerging skill gaps, workforce risks, and development opportunities.

Her nomination reflects an HR consultant who combines analytical rigor, trusted executive partnership, and practical implementation to help leaders navigate complex workforce decisions and position their organizations for future capability needs.

Kim Alfonso

AVP, HR Business Partner

Cox Enterprises

Kim Alfonso, AVP and HR Business Partner at Cox Enterprises, has led through a year of significant organizational transformation by combining strategic business partnership with a deliberate focus on the employee experience. Her nomination highlights her role in guiding a team of 10 HR business partners as they support organizational design, workforce transitions, and enterprise planning during complex change.

When Cox announced the sale of a major operating division, Alfonso helped create the people-side playbook. She shaped workforce communications and manager talking points, coached HR partners through difficult employee conversations, and worked to ensure leaders had the tools needed to support their teams. She has also represented the people perspective in enterprise operating-model and strategic financial-planning conversations, using employee listening insights to inform decisions related to engagement, inclusion, and resilience.

Alfonso has invested heavily in building the capability of her own team. She developed an HRBP Performance Framework with weighted capabilities covering business consulting, executive influence, people leadership and organizational development, and enterprise mindset. Twice-yearly client experience surveys provide feedback that informs development plans and team priorities. She has also championed AI-enabled HR practices, data storytelling, mentoring, coaching, and stretch assignments designed to increase the team’s strategic contribution.

The culture within her team reflects that investment. Co-worker support was rated 9.5 out of 10, and the nomination describes a working environment built on candid dialogue, psychological safety, accountability, and shared learning. Alfonso also supports employee resource groups and inclusion efforts and extends her service beyond Cox through community volunteerism. Her nomination reflects a leader who develops others while helping the business navigate change with clarity, empathy, and discipline.

LaTonya Bowden

Area Human Resources Manager

DHL Supply Chain

LaTonya “LT” Bowden is an accomplished human resources professional with experience spanning the public and private sectors. In receiving the Volunteer of the Year Award, she is recognized as a champion of the SHRM-Atlanta member experience and professional development. She serves as a mentor and thought leader formally and informally and regularly welcomes professionals into the community at events through her role on the Member Engagement Committee.

LT's career includes roles with DHL Supply Chain, Atlanta Public Schools, and the City of East Point, giving her a broad perspective on the challenges of managing people, strengthening organizations, and balancing employee needs with business priorities.

Known for her collaborative approach and practical problem-solving skills, LT brings a thoughtful perspective to complex workplace challenges. Her professional experience includes developing innovative HR solutions, improving processes, and helping organizations make decisions that support both employees and operational goals.

Based in metro Atlanta, LT holds the SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) credential and brings a commitment to effective HR practices and organizational success.

Organizations

HR Team of the Year

Culture & Employee Experience Award

Talent & Workforce Development Award

Grady Health System, HR Operations

Grady Health System’s HR Operations team has spent the past year supporting major organizational transformation while helping strengthen the systems, workforce strategies, and employee experience needed to support Grady’s continued growth.

Among the team’s most significant accomplishments was the successful implementation of a new Human Resources Information System. The initiative modernized key HR processes, improved data accessibility and integrity, streamlined experiences for employees and leaders, and created a more scalable technology foundation for future workforce initiatives.

The team also played an important role in Grady’s expansion across metro Atlanta. HR Operations partnered with organizational leaders on workforce planning, consultation, and change management to support the launch of a freestanding Emergency Department in South Atlanta. The team also helped support the opening and staffing of neighborhood health centers and clinics, initiatives designed to expand access to primary and emergency healthcare services throughout the region.

These expansions required HR Operations to balance strategic workforce planning with the practical demands of identifying, staffing, and supporting skilled professionals across new locations.

At the same time, the team continued focusing on employee experience and leadership support. Through process improvements, responsive consultation, and service-focused HR partnership, the team has worked to strengthen engagement and position Grady as an employer of choice. The nomination notes Grady’s recognition by USA Today as a Top Workplace for two consecutive years based on confidential employee feedback.

Together, these efforts demonstrate a team capable of modernizing HR operations while helping an organization expand its workforce, services, and impact across the Atlanta community.

Emory Healthcare, Human Resources Team

Over the past year, the Emory Healthcare Human Resources Team has advanced a systemwide effort to strengthen culture and employee experience while supporting the organization’s broader mission of delivering exceptional patient care. The work began with a clear premise: caring for patients starts with caring for the people who serve them. In response to employee feedback about compensation, Emory committed $270 million to workforce investment, with 93% of employees receiving pay increases, beginning with patient-facing roles. First-year turnover declined from 40.3% two years earlier to 24.4% in FY26.

The team also helped define and activate a shared Emory culture. In 2025, 150 senior leaders came together to establish four Cultural Beliefs: One Emory, Own It, Lead Change, and People Centered. HR then led a rapid culture cascade across the health system. Within four months, 2,300 leaders completed culture sessions, followed by approximately 18,000 additional employees. The sessions earned a 93% likelihood-to-recommend rating and were delivered internally by learning professionals and frontline culture champions.

Employee survey results provide additional evidence of impact. About 80% of employees reported that their teams demonstrate the new cultural behaviors, 84% would recommend Emory as a good place to work, and intent to stay increased from 66% to 73%. By connecting compensation, leadership behaviors, employee voice, and culture activation, the Emory Healthcare HR Team has created a comprehensive employee experience strategy designed to strengthen retention, engagement, and the care environment. The work demonstrates how HR investment can influence both workforce stability and the broader experience of care delivery.

Emory Healthcare Talent, Culture and Learning Team

The Emory Healthcare Talent, Culture and Learning Team has built an integrated leadership development strategy designed to strengthen organizational resilience after years of workforce instability, turnover, contract labor dependence, and leadership burnout across the healthcare industry. Rather than relying on isolated programs, the team has treated leadership capability as a core lever for culture, retention, succession, and operational performance.

The strategy supports leaders across the full performance spectrum. Leadership Essentials was created for leaders needing the greatest support, providing practical skills, clearer expectations, and focused development. Approximately 250 to 350 leaders participate each year, bringing total participation to nearly 1,000. The nomination reports that unfavorable leader index scores declined from 12% to 5%, while employee intent to stay increased seven points to 73% over two years.

In FY26, 1,405 active leaders participated in internal development programs spanning onboarding, career transitions, culture activation, executive development, and coaching. Participants reported a 94.6% intent to apply what they learned and a 97.6% likelihood to recommend the experience. Culture programming reached 92% of leaders and approximately 18,000 employees, with shared beliefs and leadership expectations embedded into performance, compensation, hiring, and recognition practices.

For high-potential senior leaders, the team created Leadership Elevate Academy, a year-long experience combining assessment, learning, executive coaching, and capstone work on real business challenges. Of the 30 participants, 90% became nominated successors in the FY26 Talent Review. The nomination also reports a 6% increase in top talent, 92% retention of top talent from 2025, and individual development plan completion for 76% of director-level and higher roles. The result is a scalable leadership pipeline tied directly to Emory’s future workforce needs.

Partners

Strategic HR Partner of the Year

Flex HR

LinkedIn - Flex HR

Flex HR is nominated for its work as an outsourced and fractional HR partner helping organizations build stronger people practices while managing compliance, payroll, recruiting, benefits, employee relations, and organizational development. Over 25 years, the company has supported more than 2,000 businesses, with a model designed to give clients access to dedicated HR expertise without requiring them to build a full internal HR function.

During the past year, Flex HR expanded both client service and workforce education. The team hosted HR boot camps, participated in SHRM-Atlanta’s SOAHR conference, and delivered webinars on topics including artificial intelligence in the workplace, remote and hybrid work, payroll tax compliance, workplace violence prevention, and employee retention. One boot camp developed in partnership with VSG has reached more than 400 veterinary practices across the United States through hands-on HR training and support.

The nomination describes Flex HR’s model as a “white-glove” approach in which each client works with a dedicated HR expert rather than a generic service queue. This structure is intended to give consultants deeper knowledge of each organization’s culture, workforce, and business goals. Flex HR estimates that organizations can save approximately 20% to 30% by outsourcing HR functions while still receiving support for mission-critical people responsibilities.

The company’s history includes recognition on Inc. Magazine’s list of fastest-growing private companies and acknowledgment as a promising HR outsourcing provider. In its 25th anniversary year, the nomination emphasizes Flex HR’s continued focus on client relationships, practical HR education, and scalable people solutions. Its candidacy reflects a strategic partnership model built around accessibility, business alignment, and long-term support for organizations across industries.