Heather McKendry, M.A.

Where wandering becomes wisdom. Guiding individual and organizational saunters and retreats in collaboration with nature to allow folks to slow down, feel held, and heal. www.gosaunterly.com

Managed and oversaw the successful execution of the Strozzi Institute's Teacher Training program, working closely with staff, faculty teachers and part-time teachers. Organized and coordinated staff logistics and served as the point person for the full-time faculty teachers. Additionally, I lead the development, recruitment, and ongoing implementation of Strozzi Institute for Somatic’s Train-the-Trainer (TTT) program. ➤ Overseeing teacher development plans and assessment processes, enhancing systems to track and support trainer and teacher growth. ➤ Managing full time faculty teachers, in collaboration with the Program Director, to support a healthy and mutually dignifying relationship.  ➤ Holding the standards of diversity and strategic priorities in recruiting/developing teachers. ➤ Coordinating online groups for teacher training, providing support to facilitators, tracking teacher participation, and ensuring professional growth aligned with individual, team, and organizational goals. ➤ Creating and managing relevant budgets, in collaboration with the Operations Director and Finance Manager.

Joined REI Bend's Culture Committee - May 2025

Collaborated with the Director of Organizational Development, HR team, and Manager of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to develop a strategic plan aligned with the company vision and goals. Developed and enhanced programs to attract, acquire, and retain talent. ➤ Partnered with C-Suite executives and senior leaders to develop employer brand and retention strategies, and revamp and overhaul employee onboarding experience, benefits, and wellness packages. ➤ Facilitated change management activities with cross-functional teams using ADKAR methodology. ➤ Conducted needs assessments, developed training, and supported early-stage LMS implementation. Implemented learning solutions to support diverse teams and individual learning styles.

Streamlined organizational development by delivering people-centered human resource management and administration. Oversaw recruitment, onboarding, employee engagement, learning and leadership development, talent management, and cultural stewardship in compliance with legal HR policies. Scaled organizational growth from 36 to 87 employees. ➤ Developed and implemented an HRIS (Bamboo HR) and HR operations process to streamline workflow and scale new employee hiring and onboarding experience 2X within four months. ➤ Championed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts across the organization through the selection and hiring of DEI consultants, training, and formation of Diversity Action Council. ➤ Developed compensation strategy and philosophy, including a redesign of all position descriptions and a well-crafted salary matrix based on the principles of the Oregon Pay Equity Law.

Provided guidance, training, and mentorship to a sales team. Supported them in setting sales quotas and goals, creating sales plans, analyzing data, and assigning sales territories. Led training for an independent sales representative force of 14 people in assigned US/Canada territory. Partnered with cross-functional teams to support strategic and critical account growth.

As a key member of the sales management team, I supported all specialty sales activities toward the achievement of Stanley's North America sales plans. I led a $1.1M sales territory and finished ahead of budget for 2016.

The NW Innovation Resource Center (NWIRC) is a non-profit dedicated to creating economic opportunities and jobs by supporting entrepreneurial innovation. The NWIRC helps start-ups bring their business ideas to life. ➤ Developed and implemented a comprehensive curriculum for a multi-week educational mentorship program, inclusive of workshops, 1:1 and group coaching, and the facilitation of an internal/external resource hub. ➤ Increased NWIRC's client base by 30% in the first four months.

Identified and solved product design opportunities aligned with the business goals and objectives. Built relations with clients, designers, purchasing, production, Asia team members, and staff to solve production issues and achieve clients’ desired goals.

Hired, trained, mentored, and evaluated 35-person staff. Led initiatives to create a company culture that balanced productivity with compassion. Launched employee incentives, mentoring, and career development programs, and managed day-to-day operations. Led employee hiring, onboarding, training, and development.

Education in the theory and application of change leadership in organizations and communities. Developing consultative skills and design skills to to lead systemic and strategic change management. Interdisciplinary focuses include systems, organizations, design, transformation, intervention, leadership, group dynamics, inquiry, global and multicultural perspectives. Academic theory paper focused on the exploration and integration of the shadow in order to live into a fuller, more wholistic human experience.