13 North Bay human-resources leaders

HR professionals are listed alphabetically. The companies responded to a North Bay Business Journal's invitation to tell us something about their HR leaders. Participants were also given the option of responding to a question about issues important to employers.

Shane Anderies

Founding partner, Anderies & Gomes, LLP, 601 Montgomery St., Suite 888, San Francisco, 94111, 415-217-8802, www.andgolaw.com

Shane Anderies is a founding partner at Anderies & Gomes, LLP, an employment law firm with offices in Santa Rosa and San Francisco. He is the current president of Marin HR Forum and past president of the Professional Association of Sonoma County, both local, nonprofit organizations dedicated to the education and advancement of human resources professionals.

Anderies handles all aspects of workplace law and related litigation throughout California. His practice also includes advice and counsel, training, and investigations regarding a number of workplace related subjects, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, breach of contract, wage and hour compliance, disability accommodation, leaves of absence and trade secret disputes.

Anderies received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of San Francisco. He has authored numerous articles in a variety of publications and frequently speaks on legal issues facing California employers.

Beth Baldwin

Chief people officer, BPM, 110 Stony Point Road, Suite 210, Santa Rosa 95401, 415-677-3300, www.bpmllp.com

Beth Baldwin has been an HR professional both in global companies and at BPM for the last nine years. She believes our motto, Because People Matter, drives many of the decisions that affect our employees lives. Some of our more popular perks and programs are summer hours, BPM FLEX, smart casual dress, global exchange, and our wellness program.

Jan Becker

Senior vice president for human resources, Autodesk, 111 McInnis Parkway, San Rafael 94903, 415-507-6101, www.autodesk.com

Since joining Autodesk in 1992, Jan Becker has held a number of senior-level Human Resources roles. A member of the CEO executive staff, Becker is responsible for worldwide human resources, corporate real estate, facilities, travel, safety and security. As Autodesk's senior vice president of human resources, Becker leads organizations that partner with the business to accelerate organizational transformation, encourage innovation and learning, enhance ways in which employees communicate and collaborate across the globe, and create award-winning facilities that showcase Autodesk's products and solutions.

Over the past few years, for example, she oversaw the transformation of the company's Human Resources systems and platform, the employee learning portal and completely overhauled the global performance management process. Throughout her tenure at Autodesk, Becker has been passionate about shepherding and enhancing the company's culture. Through her leadership, the company has adopted innovative programs to enhance employee training and development, evolved employee recruitment strategies that are leading edge in their innovative use of social media, and transformed many other HR approaches to better attract and retain top talent. These programs have earned Autodesk recognition as one of the Top 100 Places to Work by Fortune for five years, with similar recognition also earned in China, Switzerland, Germany, and Canada.

Before joining Autodesk, Becker held a variety of senior management positions at Sun Microsystems, Activision and Digital Equipment Corporation in Europe. She began her career at Hewlett-Packard. Becker, a Chicago native, graduated from San Jose State University with a bachelor of science degree in business administration.

Barbara Davis

Human resources and safety manager, Star Staffing, 3820 Cypress Drive, Suite 2, Petaluma 95494, 707-762-4447, www.StarHR.com

Barbara has been an HR professional with the additional responsibility for safety and workers' comp for more than 25 years. Her experience in food manufacturing and light industrial has provided a strong support for Star Staffing Clients in safety training, accident prevention, ergonomics and facility inspections. Star Staffing has always placed employee safety high on the list in regard to approval of clients and the assignment of temporary employees. We continue to involve our employees in positive interaction regarding their safety both at work and at home.

How has you're company drug test policy changed, with regards to employees and new hires, who use medical cannabis?

Star Staffing continues to adhere to our Drug Free workplace policy and expect employees to perform their duties to the best of their abilities at all times. In order to ensure safe work environments, we must insist on drug-free employees.

Kristina L. Derkos

Senior vice president of administrative services, Redwood Credit Union, 3033 Cleveland Ave., Santa Rosa 95403, 707-545-4000, www.redwoodcu.org

Kristina L. Derkos, SPHR, is the senior vice president of administrative services for Redwood Credit Union. Derkos has more than 20 years of experience in human resources/training & development in the private and public sectors in both union and non-union environments.

Prior to joining Redwood Credit Union in 2006, Derkos was the Northern California human resource manager for Waste Management, Inc., which encompassed a span of approximately 4,000 employees. She earned her bachelor's in public administration from the University of San Francisco, and her master of professional studies in human resources and employee relations at Penn State. Additionally, she holds a certificate in human resources management from Sonoma State University and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources with SHRM and HRCI.

Derkos has served on numerous boards including the SRJC Business Office Technology, Northern California Human Resources, and PASCO HR, and currently serves on the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County Board. In her role at Redwood Credit Union, Derkos is responsible for strategically leading all aspects of the HR function including employee relations and employee development, with a current emphasis on leadership development and employee wellness. Derkos also oversees the facilities, financial literacy, and account services functions.

What new issues should employers be concerned about this year?

Employee engagement plays a critical role in helping organizations meet their business goals. To put it simply: employees have too many options in today's market to stay at an organization where they feel disengaged. Engaging employees with the company's mission, values, and culture is arguably one of the most important roles of today's managers, who need strong leadership programs to allow them grow and succeed. Therefore, employee engagement and leadership development programs should be the foundation for retaining and attracting top talent for your organization.

How has your company drug test policy changed, with regards to employees and new hires, who use medical cannabis?

Redwood Credit Union has not changed our position regarding drug testing. Our philosophy is to provide easy access to, and encourage the use of, our employee wellness program, which focuses on all aspects of living well, including physical, emotional, financial, and overall well-being.

Shireen Donaldson

Business human resources vice president, Keysight Technologies, 1400 Fountaingrove Parkway, Santa Rosa 95403, 707-577-5000, www.keysight.com

Shireen Donaldson is the vice president of business HR for Keysight Technologies, the largest company headquartered in Sonoma County. Ms. Donaldson joined the Hewlett-Packard Company in 1997 as an HR consultant, and after HP and Agilent Technologies became separate companies in 1999, she was named HR manager for Agilent's Advanced Networks Division, based in Australia.

She moved to Sonoma County in 2003 to be the HR manager for the Signal Analysis Division in Santa Rosa, and in 2005 was named the company's Wireless Business Unit HR manager. Donaldson was named HR manager for Agilent's Electronic Measurement Group in 1999, and became part of Keysight Technologies in 2014 when it split off from Agilent. In her current role, she is responsible for business HR and global leadership development at Keysight in addition to managing HR activities for the company in the Americas.

Prior to her career at HP/Agilent/Keysight, Donaldson worked as a senior HR consultant for Victoria Legal Aid and served as a senior consultant in the organizational development unit of the Victorian WorkCover Authority, both in Australia. She received a bachelor's degree in applied science from the Phillip Institute of Technology, and an MBA from Monash University.

“Keysight is a leading technology company that helps its engineering, enterprise and service provider customers optimize networks and bring electronic products to market faster and at a lower cost,” said Donaldson. “A hallmark of Keysight is our culture, which is based on empowering people, a high level of trust and respect, and a work environment that promotes creativity and innovation.”

How has your company drug test policy changed, with regards to employees and new hires, who use medical cannabis?

It hasn't changed. Although some states have legalized medical marijuana use, it is still prohibited under federal law. As a federal government contractor and an employer committed to the health and safety of our employees, Keysight complies with the Drug Free Workplace Act. Keysight's drug and alcohol policy is an important component of our compliance with federal government regulations and reinforces our commitment to provide a safe and healthy workplace for our employees.

Michael Fanselau

Human resources leader for Marin-Sonoma service area, Kaiser Permanente, 401 Bicentennial Way, Santa Rosa 95403, 707-566-5800, www.kp.org

Michael Fanselau serves as the human resources leader for the Kaiser Permanente Marin-Sonoma Area – one of the top employers in both counties, with more than 5,500 combined employees.

Fanselau directs a staff of 20, and his primary responsibilities are to serve as a consultant to leadership on all HR issues, ensure the delivery of all HR services to the area's two medical centers, and take actions to promote an effective partnership between labor and management. His duties include overseeing the areas of employee and labor relations, recruitment, HR compliance, disability management, learning and development, and leadership development.

Fanselau joined Kaiser Permanente as associate HR leader in 2014. In June 2016, Fanselau was appointed the human resources leader for the Kaiser Permanente Marin-Sonoma Service Area. Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente, he held director-level positions at a number of health care organizations, including MedicAlert Foundation in Turlock; Kindred Healthcare Hospital Division's Northwest District; San Ramon Regional Medical Center; Mark Twain St. Joseph's Hospital in San Andreas; and the United States Army, where he was assigned to the Army Hospital at Fort Huachuca, Ariz. He also was deployed to Haiti as the HR director for the U.S. Army 131st Field Hospital assigned to a United Nations Mission.

Fanselau holds a master's degree in health care administration from CSU Long Beach, and a bachelor's in health management from CSU Sacramento. He also holds the SPHR and SHRM-SCP certification and is a member of the American College of Health Care Executives, a member of the Society for Human Resources Management and a member of the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration. Fanselau and his family moved to Sonoma County in 2014 and have truly fallen in love with the beauty of Sonoma County.

Sammye Hynes

Director of human resources and compliance, Kavaliro, 5401 Old Redwood Highway, Suite 104, Petaluma 94954, 707-766-1777, www.kavaliro.com

Sammye Hynes has been working in human resources for roughly 22 years and currently works with Kavaliro as the director of HR and compliance. She continues to work in HR because she likes the constantly changing landscape (especially in California). Hynes has a passion for helping employees and providing resolutions to their concerns. Over the years, she has been able to assist individuals in joining the Kavaliro consulting family. She celebrates the contractors and clients success with them and has a compassion unlike others. In 2016 Hynes was awarded the “Excellence in Assurance” award from Kavaliro, for her dedication to those she helps.

How has you're company drug test policy changed, with regards to employees and new hires, who use medical cannabis?

At Kavaliro, we conform to our clients requirements. At this time all of our national clients adhere to the federal laws and regulations. As such, with marijuana usage not legal on the federal level it is not acceptable in any fashion (medical or other) with our clients. As changes take place at the federal level we will adapt our policy to adhere to those regulations in a way that fits each of our Client's needs. We pride ourselves on providing a custom solution for each of our clients this includes a personalized approach to Human Resources.

Lisa Marie Johnson

Vice president of human resources, Nelson, 19080 Lomita Ave., Sonoma 95476, 408-429-7042, nelsonjobs.com/staffing

Lisa Marie Johnson originally joined Nelson in 2004, and during her tenure has served as the vice president of client relations for iWorkGlobal, director of client services for WorkforceLogic, and most currently holds the position of vice president of human resources for the entire Nelson family of companies. A creative and inventive HR executive certified as a professional human resources, and as a Society for Human Resource Management certified professional specialist, Lisa brings over 17 years of experience managing direct hire and contingent workforces in all classifications and in a variety of industries. Partnering with start up's and medium/large sized businesses, all the way to nationally recognized to Fortune 500 companies, Lisa is experienced in successfully managing in-house, VOP, VMS, as well as remote and outsourced HR and customer service teams and client needs. Passionate about her work, Lisa has a reputation for resolving complex HR compliance issues and developing effective training, while also maintaining a thriving and streamlined HR workforce structure.

Lisa Marie has also served as an executive of client services for the HR PEO division of ADP Total Source (TS). Her successful ADP TS division regularly ranked as one of the highest in their region for employee and client retention and satisfaction. Before Nelson and ADP, Lisa was a program manager within Cisco Systems ACCELERATE Recruiting and Training Program.

A member of SHRM as well as the Northern California Human Resources Association, Lisa is a sought after speaker known for her humor as a training tool; she is currently working to launch her own HR Blog called ‘HR Warrior', where humor will meet HR insight as she discusses current hot topics HR executives are challenged by and gives helpful advice and perspective.

Linda Lang

Chief human resources officer, Marin General Hospital, 250 Bon Air Road, Greenbrae, 94904, 415-925-7000, www.maringeneral.org

Linda Lang joined Marin General Hospital from Kaiser Permanente, where she was regional director/employee & labor relations, Northern California, overseeing the organization's labor relations and bargaining strategy with a workforce of over 65,000. She joined Kaiser in 2010 from Millennium Hotels and Resorts, where she was vice president, human resources for the hospitality firm's North American Region. Prior to that, Lang was a human resources regional director at Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Worldwide. A 1990 graduate of San Francisco State University, Lang went on to earn a J.D. at the University of San Francisco Law School in 1999. Lang practiced labor and employment law for several years with a major firm before returning to a senior HR leader role.

How has you're company drug test policy changed, with regards to employees and new hires, who use medical cannabis?

Given the nature of our business and our dedication to the safety of our patients, we do not hire anyone who tests positive for illegal substances, including marijuana. The drug policy at Marin General Hospital has not changed. We continue to follow federal law and do pre-employment testing for new hires.

Dawn Lesley

Senior branch manager, Volt Workforce Solutions, 3700 Old Redwood Highway, Suite 105, Santa Rosa 95403, 707-547-1660, www.volt.com

Lesley is responsible for the continued development and profitability of the Volt Workforce Solutions organization by determining the strategic priorities and sales direction for the Recruitment and Sales teams.

Lesley has extensive knowledge in recruitment, including temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct placement across a number of skill sets. These include light industrial, customer service, administrative, and accounting.

“When I started working for Volt in 2003 I thought that I knew what staffing agencies do,” she said. “My perception was they help you find an entry level position or that they would help find a short term employment solution for the temporarily unemployed. My perception was wrong, we do fill a lot of entry level positions, but these days most mid-sized to large companies rely on firms like ours for all of their hiring needs.

“Finding top talent in our market is a challenge. Your first call should be to a staffing agency; hiring is our business. Partnering with a staffing professional can be very a very efficient way to hire without costing your company lost time or money by making the wrong hiring decisions. A job-seeker can find themselves feeling frustrated that their resume is lost in the black hole of online submittals. As a candidate sometimes working with a staffing expert is the best way to get a foot in the door with a large company that may not even be advertising for their open position.

“What do you have to lose by exploring some of these options? You may find your next top performer or you could land a job that you love.”

Melissa Von Bima

Human resources manager, Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital, 30 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa, 95403, 707-576-4000, www.suttersantarosa.org

Melissa Von Bima is the human resources manager for Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital. She was a key partner in staff training and logistics around personnel relocation to the Mark West Springs campus, as well as the human resources transition to a new service model.

Von Bima has been with Sutter Health for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of human resource roles including recruitment, employee/labor relations, and workers compensation.

Von Bima has served as the area business partner in the integration of the centralized human resources and payroll service center model, which is responsible for 55,000 employees. She currently oversees affiliate human resource functions for Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital, and partners with members of the Sutter Health system human resources teams. Von Bima is a Santa Rosa native, and studied business at Sonoma State University.

Lori T. Zaret

Senior vice president for human resources and development, Exchange Bank, 545 Fourth St., Santa Rosa 95401, 707-524-3000, www.Exchangebank.com

Lori's educational background includes a bachelor of science from the University of Connecticut and postgraduate studies completed at the Universidad de Sevilla. She also holds a senior professional in human resources certification.

Lori has more than twenty years of human resources management experience in the insurance, banking, telecommunications and manufacturing industries. She is currently the senior vice president of human resources and development at Exchange Bank headquartered in Santa Rosa.

Her prior employment includes JDS Uniphase, Fireman's Fund, Zurich Insurance Company, American Express, and John Alden Life Insurance Company.

Lori specializes in employee relations and talent acquisition and development, and has an extensive knowledge of compensation and benefits design and administration.

Her work in professional organizations includes serving on the board of Cinnabar Theater, the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce, the Alliance of North Bay Chambers, The Ceres Community Project HR Committee and the National Association of Independent Insurers HR Forum.

Lori served for eight years as vice president programs and workshops on the PASCO Board (Professional Association of Sonoma County). She also has been a member of SHRM, NCHRA, the Employment Advisory Council, the HR Banking Roundtable, and the Insurance Personnel Association.

Lori has spoken at national conferences on various HR topics and has represented the HR perspective on various panel discussions. Additionally, Lori serves on the leadership committee for Petaluma's annual Relay for Life benefitting the American Cancer Society.

Lori resides in Petaluma with her son Joshua, a firefighter/paramedic in Sonoma County. She has a daughter, Rebecca, who graduated Southern Oregon University with a master's in education and teaches special needs students in Eagle Point, Oregon. Lori's interests include theater, cooking, travel, sports and family.

How has you're company drug test policy changed, with regards to employees and new hires, who use medical cannabis?

Exchange Bank conducts extensive pre-employment background investigations, however we have chosen not to do drug testing and we have not experienced any negative impact resulting from that decision. Substance abuse has not been a problem within our workforce. When someone is using alcohol or drugs at work, including prescribed medication that could include medical cannabis, it typically shows up as impaired behavior that affects the individual's performance. On the rare occasions that we encounter this, we provide performance coaching and, when appropriate, we offer no-cost counseling services to support them in overcoming any substance abuse issues.

We work with individuals who, due to a medical condition or disability, may need an accommodation to work safely and perform their jobs up to our high standards.