The Strategy Gap: Why HR Keeps Getting Left Out of the Room

Jackson O. Lynch is the Founder of Talent Sherpa, a leading platform for pragmatic talent strategy. Through his best-selling Substack newsletter, podcast, and executive coaching, he equips senior leaders with the tools to maximize business outcomes through people. Talent Sherpa has grown to more than 6,300 active subscribers and was recently ranked the 6th fastest-growing business publication on Substack. Lynch's human capital insights also reached more than 3.2M annual views on LinkedIn. His podcast, the Talent Sherpa Podcast, delivers candid conversations with executives and thought leaders, while also challenging conventional HR wisdom and equipping CHROs with actionable strategies. In September 2025, Lynch joined Johny C. Talyor Jr. on-stage to kick off the SHRM Executive Network Visionaries Conference. A core part of Lynch's work is coaching new and emerging CHROs. He helps first-time, rising, and even struggling chief people officers thrive by sharpening their executive influence, mastering board and CEO alignment, and delivering required business impact through talent. Lynch recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Sunnova Energy International (NYSE: NOVA), a renewable energy leader navigating strategic restructuring. He strengthened talent density by upgrading leadership teams around top performers, drove clarity of expectations by anchoring leaders on outcomes rather than activities, and accelerated speed to impact by redesigning role architecture, selection standards, and ramp-up processes. Underpinning the transformation was a unified talent philosophy that provided the substructure for rapid transformation.

Rhiana Barr is the Founder of Pinnacle Peak HR, an HR consulting and executive coaching firm built on the belief that great HR strategy is business strategy. With more than two decades of executive leadership experience, she partners with startups, private equity-backed businesses, high-growth organizations, and multinational companies to build the people infrastructure that drives sustainable performance. Known for combining executive-level strategy with practical operating discipline, Rhiana helps organizations strengthen leadership, optimize talent, navigate change, and build cultures positioned to scale. Before founding Pinnacle Peak HR, Rhiana served in Chief People Officer and senior HR leadership roles across global organizations. At Snap Finance, a $2B fintech company, she led a 50-person global HR organization spanning five countries and partnered closely with the Founder and Board on growth strategy. At KushCo Holdings, she rebuilt the executive team, transformed total rewards, and deployed strategies that contributed to a roughly 55% reduction in cash SG&A and the company’s first profitable period in three years, later leading successful human capital integration through its merger with Greenlane Holdings. Earlier in her career, she delivered transformational talent and organizational results at organizations including Cetera Financial Group, Clearwater Paper Corporation, and Nestlé USA. Today, Rhiana serves clients as a Fractional Chief People Officer, executive coach, and trusted advisor on organizational design, leadership effectiveness, compliance, and talent transformation.

She holds an MBA from University of Phoenix and a BS in Business Administration, Cum Laude, from DeVry University, where she also served as an adjunct professor teaching business and management. She is a certified executive coach with advanced training in leadership development, change management, and executive assessment.

Outside of work, Rhiana is deeply committed to family and community. She enjoys cheering on her three children from the sidelines, spending time outdoors, and embracing every opportunity for adventure. She is also actively involved in PTA leadership and volunteer efforts that support families, schools, and her local community.