HR Leader · People Strategist · Lansing, MI
Vicky
Cannizzaro
PHR, CPC
People-first HR leader with 10+ years building the systems, cultures, and processes that let organizations and their people do their best work.
HR Leader · People Strategist · Lansing, MI
People-first HR leader with 10+ years building the systems, cultures, and processes that let organizations and their people do their best work.
HR is not a compliance function bolted onto the side of a business. It is the connective tissue between what an organization is trying to build and the people responsible for building it.
Vicky Cannizzaro
About
I came to HR through workforce development, coaching, and organizational leadership. That path shaped how I see the work: HR done well is invisible because everything just works -- people are supported, managers are equipped, and the organization can focus on what it is actually trying to build.
I have spent my career in the room where it gets complicated. Employee relations. Investigations. Hard conversations. Accommodation needs that do not fit a template. I bring calm, clarity, and genuine care to those moments alongside the technical grounding to handle them correctly.
I am also a systems thinker. I look for patterns before they become crises. I build processes that reduce the need for heroics. And I believe the best HR work happens when people barely notice it.
People are the work, not the obstacle
Every policy question and performance issue is a human situation first. I bring that lens to every interaction, including the hard ones.
Structural causes over surface symptoms
I look for the pattern underneath the incident. Solving the real problem prevents the next three from happening.
Compliance and compassion together
The best HR outcomes protect the organization and the employee. I have learned how to hold both without compromising either.
Good systems reduce heroics
I build processes that create consistency and free people to focus on their actual work.
Expertise
Employee Relations & Investigations
Escalated ER case management, workplace investigations, PIPs, corrective action, and separation processes. Impartial, documented, legally defensible, and human.
HR Compliance & Employment Law
FMLA, ADA, FLSA, multi-state compliance, work authorization, and benefits administration applied across nonprofit, private, and consulting environments.
People Operations
Employee lifecycle management, HRIS administration, onboarding and offboarding, payroll coordination, and HR process design built for consistency and scale.
Talent Acquisition & Onboarding
Full-cycle recruiting, ATS configuration, hiring workflow design, evaluation scorecards, and structured onboarding programs that reduce ramp time and improve early retention.
Organizational Development
Change management, workforce planning, succession planning, performance management, and org design. Building structure where it is missing in a way that actually holds.
Coaching & Manager Development
Certified Professional Coach with a trauma-informed approach and a track record of developing managers through honest feedback, individual coaching, and practical tools.
Credentials
I am actively exploring HR leadership and people operations roles in the greater Lansing area. If you are building a team and looking for someone who leads with both heart and operational rigor, I would love to have a conversation.