T. Tara Turk-Haynes

Fractional Talent Acquisition & People Operations @ Equity Activations

About

I've spent 15+ years building people functions that actually work -- the kind that make companies more equitable, more efficient, and genuinely better places to work.Most recently, I led global People and Culture at Leaf Group, a 400+ person multi-brand organization, where I owned the full people strategy from talent acquisition and HR operations to DEI and organizational development. After seven years there, I moved into fractional work to stretch across sectors -- tech, healthcare, nonprofit, media -- and now I'm open to my next full-time leadership role.I came into this work as a first-generation college graduate and first-generation corporate worker. I know what it feels like to navigate systems that weren't designed with you in mind, and that shapes everything about how I build them now. I hire for potential alongside skill, I use data to make equity visible rather than just aspirational, and I build people functions that serve the business and the people in it equally.On the TA side, I've hired 100+ engineers, led 25+ executive searches saving $500K+ in fees, reduced time-to-hire by 30%, and implemented ATS systems at scale across Greenhouse, Ashby, and Lever. On the people leadership side, I've built scalable people operations, learning & development programs, internal communications programs, compensation structures, and people analytics for Board reporting, with HRIS implementations across BambooHR, Workday, ADP, and Rippling. My DEI work has driven 80% program participation, a 15% improvement in diversity representation in technical hiring, and pay equity reviews and ERG infrastructure built from the ground up.I'm open to Senior People and Talent Acquisition roles at growing organizations where the people function is a real strategic lever, not an afterthought. If that sounds like your company, I'd love to connect: ttarahaynes@gmail.com

Country

City

United States

Industry

Management Consulting

Skill

Global Talent Acquisition, Hiring, Inclusive Team Leadership, Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI), Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB), Training and Development (HR), Talent Strategy, HR Business Partnering, Strategic Planning, Talent Pipelining, Employee Relations, Leadership Development, Strategic Initiatives, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Excel, Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS), Strategic Hiring, Diversity & Inclusion, Recruiting, Key Metrics

Experience

Fractional Talent Acquisition & People Operations

Equity Activations

2023-11 - Present · 2 yrs 11 mos

-Execute full-cycle recruiting for Corporate Operations and Tech functions (Product, Engineering, AI/ML), improving candidate quality and hiring velocity -Design and deliver inclusive leadership training programs, driving measurable gains in employee engagement scores -Partner with C-suite on cross-border talent mobility strategy, optimizing workforce planning and performance management frameworks

Head of Talent and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Leaf Group

2020-9 - 2023-8 · 3 yrs

-Transformed engagement systems: Increased survey participation to 88% and overall engagement scores to 78% -Modernized recruiting operations: Optimized ATS systems and implemented AI/automation tools to reduce time-to-fill and elevate candidate experience -Collaborated with executive leadership to align hiring strategy with market expansion and business growth objectives -Drove DEI initiatives impacting global workforce

Global Director, People, Communication and Culture (Talent Acquisition and Engagement)

Leaf Group

2016-10 - 2020-9 · 4 yrs

Santa Monica, CA

I successfully drove key talent and recruiting initiatives that enhanced organizational effectiveness and employee engagement. • Built equitable talent acquisition program that enhanced candidate quality and experience, had a strategic impact on business initiatives, and created employer branding • Implemented strategic engagement initiatives that boosted company-wide retention and supported succession planning. • Restructured onboarding and employee experience processes, optimizing engagement touchpoints for a seamless transition. • Launched a data analytics program that provided insights for informed hiring and talent management decisions.

DEI Council Chair

Graham Holdings Company

2022-1 - 2023-1 · 1 yr 1 mo

• Chaired the inaugural DEI Council at Graham Holdings, fostering a culture of inclusivity. • Developed equitable best practices that enhanced employee engagement and community building. • Curated library resources to support business strategies, leading to improved team collaboration.

Head of People

Cisco Metacloud

2013-3 - 2016-10 · 3 yrs 8 mos

Pasadena, CA

Built and scaled HR function from the ground up for high-growth startup through Cisco acquisition: -Established full HR infrastructure: benefits administration, talent acquisition, employee relations, professional development, facilities, and workplace programming -Designed comprehensive onboarding and engagement framework that strengthened internal communications and cultural cohesion across distributed teams -Created leadership development program for Senior Directors and Managers, building diverse, high-performing management bench -Integrated people analytics into talent acquisition strategy, improving data-driven decision-making and candidate experience -Led seamless HR integration during M&A transition to Cisco, ensuring continuity for employees and alignment with enterprise systems

Editorial Assistant

Variety

2010-4 - 2013-3 · 3 yrs

Primary Project Manager the Rizzoli book “Variety: An Illustrated History of the World from the Most Important Magazine in Hollywood responsible for rights and clearances, photo research, subject correspondence, and meeting coordination with the publisher Contributor to Power of Women

Senior Recruiting Coordinator

Ticketmaster

2008-4 - 2010-3 · 2 yrs

Sourcing and recruiting for administrative roles supporting C Suite ATS data management Executive level job partner managing candidate and vendor relationships