Katie Laven
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.Aristotle
Katie loves that human resources touches all aspects of an organization and there is so much to learn and influence to make workplaces better. She loves providing processes and solutions to people to help solve whatever issue they are working through and that each situation is unique.
Expertise
Katie has over 10 years of human resources experience and has held positions as specialist, generalist, and business partner. She has worked with a wide range of government and professional services, including publishing, call centers, and retail organizations. She has worked in union and non-union environments. She also has expertise in compensation, benefits and payroll, employee relations, workforce planning, training and development, regulatory compliance, HRIS systems, payroll, project management, recruitment and retention. With her in-depth experience, Katie is able to provide a wide range of solutions and advice to her clients. Katie holds an PHR certification—Professional in Human Resources and an SHRM-CP— Society for Human Resource Management certified professional.
Key Accomplishments
- Consulted and provided recommendations to managers on complex employee relations situations including corrective actions, performance improvement plans, terminations, investigations, and reductions in force
- Evaluated and led the implementation of a new 401(k) vendor and rollout
- Increased efficiencies and reporting capabilities around the annual compensation processes
- Implemented and rolled out $200,000 in training grant funds for an organization, in partnership with a local university
Education
- Master’s degree in Public Administration from Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN
- Bachelor’s degree in Political science from Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN
Professional and Community Activities
Katie also has certifications in Strategic Workforce Planning and as a Predictive Index-PI analyst. She has been a member and active participant of the local SHRM networking group Southern Minnesota Human Resources Association-SMHRA for many years and is currently a board member as their certification chair.