Jill Cardenas

Senior HR and organizational leader with deep experience navigating complex employee situations, advising executives and managers, and building people practices that support both employees and organizational performance. B.S. in Human Resource Management with experience spanning employee relations, workplace investigations, performance management, HR operations, workplace conflict, organizational change, and executive leadership. As a nonprofit chief executive, owned the full people function for 10 years while scaling annual revenue from approximately $450K to $2.15M and a resource pool of over 100+ skilled practitioners and staff.

Also advised outside organizations when workplace relationships, performance, leadership, or conflict became difficult.

Founder & Principal | HR, Employee Relations & Organizational Advisor - RESOLVE READY™ - Colorado / Remote

(2026)

• Advise leaders and organizations on employee relations, workplace conflict, organizational change, leadership, and people practices; help leaders navigate difficult situations and build practical approaches that support people and performance.

Executive Director | People, Culture & Organizational Leadership - MEDIATION CENTER OF THE COASTAL EMPIRE - Savannah, GA

(2016 - 2025)

• Led a growing nonprofit from approximately $450K to $2.15M in annual revenue and from 4 to 15 staff, supported by 100+ skilled mediators, facilitators, GALs, interns, externs, and AmeriCorps VISTAs.
• Owned the full people function: workforce planning, role design, compensation ranges, recruiting, selection, onboarding, development, succession, restructuring, and offboarding.
• Led compensation, payroll, and benefits end to end, including pay calibration, annual adjustments, total-rewards communication, ADP payroll, and annual benefit/retirement review with brokers and leadership.
• Built an integrated performance and development system with biannual check-ins and annual compensation-linked reviews; aligned expectations, feedback, training, contribution, strategic goals, impact measures, and organizational values.
• Led employee relations, complaints, investigations, accommodations/leave, corrective action, discipline, and terminations; coached supervisors on difficult conversations, documentation, and early resolution.
• Built and maintained the employee handbook and HR/compliance system; partnered with employment counsel and other advisors to validate requirements and manage risk.
• Advised external leaders and teams across local government, nonprofits, schools, healthcare, and business on workplace conflict, perceived retaliation, team integration, leadership challenges, and difficult employee dynamics; designed responses using coaching, mediation, facilitation, training, and team resets.

Community Development Facilitator / National Consultant - NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR COMMUNITY MEDIATION (NAFCM) - Remote

(2020)

• Guide emerging organizations through readiness, governance, stakeholder engagement, leadership development, implementation planning, and sustainability; supported 31 organizations across 23 states through eight cohorts.
• Coach community leads, board members, and core teams through organizational challenges and translate stakeholder feedback into practical roadmaps, milestones, accountability structures, and operating practices.

Founder & Principal Consultant | Interim Executive Leadership - THE MEANING COMPANY - Savannah, GA

(2012 - 2016)

• Provided executive coaching, organizational consulting, facilitation, strategic planning, communications support, and interim leadership to organizations navigating conflict, change, and leadership transition.
• Initially engaged to coach Savannah Children's Choir co-founders through leadership conflict; later served as Interim Executive Director to stabilize operations, maintain continuity, recruit, and transition the next leader.
• Selected as Interim Co-Executive Director of The Creative Coast (Startup Savannah), supporting strategy, funder relationships, operations, and executive transition.

Retail Solutions Manager - ARVATO DIGITAL SERVICES - Sydney, Australia

(2008 - 2011)

• Led a regional team and outsourced vendors across Oceania for Apple, Activision, Electronic Arts, and Sony, coordinating people, client expectations, production, logistics, quality, timelines, and high-profile launches.

Consultant – Arvato Digital Services Engagement - JB CONSULTING - Asheville, NC

(2005 - 2008)

• Supported organizational and operational initiatives for Arvato; client trust and delivery performance led to joining the company directly and relocating to Sydney for an international leadership role.

Organization & Human Performance | Change Management – Consulting Manager - ACCENTURE - Multiple U.S. Locations

(1999 - 2004)

• Led change management for an AT&T/BellSouth technology transformation across 19 small-business call centers, owning communications, training, champions, readiness, testing, adoption, and rollout; named inventor on four related enterprise technology patent publications.
• Supported an international Avaya LMS transformation reaching 1,000+ users across 14 countries, integrating stakeholder needs into process mapping, communications, training, readiness, and rollout.
• At EMC, created a shared visual planning model across Sales/Marketing and Production that exposed constraints and competing priorities, reducing interdepartmental friction and improving shared decision-making.

Bachelor of Science - Business Administration – Human Resource Management - Southeast Missouri State University