About

Transformational talent strategies deliver sustainable results

Talent Synchronicity is the momentum established when business and talent strategies intersect. When clarity of vision and collective action work together to advance efforts toward sustainable results.

I founded Talent Synchronicity to support organizations in their desire to define and deliver competitive, resourceful, and successful talent solutions.  During my own journey, I discovered that my passion was in leading talent functions and influencing strategy through a broader and more holistic reach, perspective and framework.  In October, 2010, I returned to an organizational leadership position to head up talent acquisition, university recruitment, internal talent management, and diversity.

Aligning the talent and business functions to deliver value, competitiveness and stability in the context of corporate talent strategies is at the core of my beliefs and passion. Developing solutions that are value-added, differentiated and sustainable has been cultivated through experiences with businesses of varying size, structure and industry.  The Talent Synchronicity blog will continue as a platform to share thinking and engage in conversation.  I can be contacted directly at talentsynchronicity at mac dot com.

“Susan is an expert in the field of talent / recruiting / retention – her capability goes so far beyond just that… she recognizes issues, understands how they tie to business issues and then is able to provide actionable recommendations (at all levels) to make the work immediately impactful. Great thinker and partner.” Jay Woffington, CEO – Bridge Worldwide

A short journey through my professional experience……..

Reimagining and crafting a path to the future
Worldwide Talent Acquisition Leader for Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, the second largest privately held PR agency.

“Susan is a talented staffing and recruiting professional who brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the acquisition of talent and workforce planning. Her leadership in guiding the Agency’s Advisory Board through a workforce planning strategy advanced our staffing capability to positively impact the business. Susan is smart, strategic and results-oriented.”
Daniele Joudene, SVP People Services, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide

Leadership of the global talent attraction and acquisition function. Developed a workforce planning model and sourcing strategy that delivered increased predictability across the Agency. Provided guidance to the Agency’s Executive Board around talent strategies and decisions. Design of adaptive techniques, a new vision and future-focused path allowed the Agency to realize improvements in staffing efficiencies, reduction in time-to-hire, talent utilization, and third-party recruitment cost reductions as part of the talent acquisition strategy.

Vision, Leadership and Change
Operating Vice President of Employment Initiatives and College Relations for Federated Department Stores (Macy’s Inc)

“Susan is an exceptional leader. She is a dedicated individual to staying the course and ensuring everyone has a common vision. Working with numerous personalities is not a challenge to Susan; it is a required ingredient to the success of the project. She ensures everyone knows their role in the process and is always willing to lend support and guidance. She maintains a positive outlook, even during the most difficult of times.” Mark McDevitt, HR Director – Macy’s

Contributions included selection, development, deployment and utilization of recruitment technologies, employment brand development, SEO, marketing, change management, and talent-centric initiatives to further educate and align our key constituents. Leadership and the work of many dedicated distributed team members established a platform for continued growth and expansion of talent attraction and acquisition strategies. The company’s branded employment platform Retailology.com, which included macysJOBS.com and bloomingdalesJOBS.com, among others, was developed and transitioned the organization from 100% paper to digital in 2001 and within a short period of time would serve as a channel for over 40% of all hires. Developing a Recruitment Leaders Conference for director and VPs responsible for talent strategies became a significant tipping point to engagement and adoption across myriad constituencies. The format evolved to a regional conference and was implemented across the corporation, resulting in continued increases in engagement and adoption.

Leadership and contributions led to Federated’s college relations program being recognized by Business Week as one of the Top 50 employers for new college graduates.

But it all started with the business of talent…
Prior to transitioning into the human resources function, I held leadership positions directly at the heart and intersection of talent and business. As general manager for department stores in southern California I was responsible for annual sales volumes of $30 and $40 million and between 200 and 350 employees. Prior to that I held assistant store manager roles during three unique assignments encompassing a reinvent project, new store opening in a new market, and a full-scale remodel of the #1 volume store. In the end, its all about talent…..