We are thrilled to welcome Kate Sosa, PhD to the Kittelson team to serve as our first-ever People Operations Leader. Kate will apply her over 15 years of experience in the human resource (HR) development and strategic planning field to guide firmwide activities such as hiring, onboarding, career development, retention, DE&I, leadership development, performance management, compensation and benefits.
Over the years, Kittelson has taken a unique approach to HR functions, relying on our values-driven, servant leadership approach to give all staff an opportunity to influence our company culture. This has taken place through Hiring, Onboarding, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committees; employee resource groups; staff/leadership development programs; task forces to tackle key issues; and more. Our amazing Business Services team has implemented and maintained payroll and benefit programs, compensation systems and benchmarks, and employment legal compliance. As we’ve continued to grow, however, we’ve recognized the value of adding an HR executive leadership role to guide these activities, mentor the staff who are involved, and make sure all staff are getting the support they need, while maintaining Kittelson’s trust-based, people-first environment.
In our search for this position, we were excited to meet Kate and discover an alignment between our vision and Kate’s experience and enthusiasm. Kate believes her personal mission is to utilize her creativity and passion to assist others to reach their fullest potential. Throughout her career, she has worked with Fortune 500 companies (including Walt Disney World), government agencies, and multiple local businesses and universities. Her most recent experience includes running a successful management company, working with the City of Miami Beach and serving as the EVP of Human Resources for a real estate development company. Kate has a doctorate degree in human resource development and a master’s in business administration, is certified as a Franklin Covey Speed of Trust Facilitator, has earned the Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt, and is a certified Life Coach.
As she builds out this new role for us, Kate will work with Kittelson’s Executive Leadership Team to develop and implement a people operations strategy that carries out our firm’s values and overall vision. We look forward to the expertise she will bring to ultimately support Kittelson staff at every level.