About
Valerie leads the global people function to achieve Habitat for Humanity International’s strategic plan and implement its transformation initiatives. She supports HFHI staff and the work of 1000+ U.S. Habitat affiliates and ~70 Habitat-affiliated country organizations in the $2.5B global Habitat network.
Since 2018, she has built and implemented HFHI’s people strategy, leading quarterly international board of directors’ governance committee dialogues on aligning human resources strategy with business strategy. These have included: culture, values, talent management, succession planning, transformational change, organization design, globalization, employee engagement, retention, total rewards, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. She reviews quarterly people progress metrics and co-facilitates the board’s governance committee.
Valerie is a seasoned global transformation leader with over 30 years’ experience in designing and implementing transformational change in large, complex global organizations across several industries, including technology, consulting, communications, financial services, biopharmaceutical, and non-profits. Her change leadership has included merger/acquisition integration, re-branding, technology implementation, globalization, culture, values, organization design/restructuring, HR transformation, and governance.
Prior to joining Habitat, Valerie held global senior leadership roles in talent management, leadership and organization development for Fortune 100 and mid-sized companies, including AT&T, ING, Merck, New York Life, Broadridge Financial Solutions, and QBE Insurance, aligning organizational strategy with business strategy. At IBM, Valerie held line leadership roles in sales, marketing, finance, strategic planning, and consulting. She built and led three IBM business transformation consulting practices, specializing in the human aspects of organizational change, and led over a dozen transformation projects for major corporations.
Over the past two decades, Valerie has been an active board member for two arts organizations (American Repertory Ballet and Rosie’s Theater Kids), and two professional associations (HR People & Strategy and HR Leadership Forum). She has held officer and committee leadership roles and provided HR and strategic transformational change advice in her board work. Valerie co-leads the Program Committee for the Private Directors Association (Atlanta) and is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors.
Valerie is a frequent public speaker on talent management, engagement, communication, and organizational change topics, including recent sessions at NYU and Vanderbilt business programs. She holds her MBA in International Business and has lived and/or worked in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. She speaks French and some Spanish, loves travel, and enjoys musical theatre. Valerie lives in Atlanta and visits New York often.