Dorian A. Quezada
Bilingual HR Leader
Bakersfield,CA
Summary
Strategic, bilingual (English/Spanish) HR leader with 10+ years driving workforce performance, California compliance, and operational efficiency across agriculture, education, staffing, and government sectors. Proven expertise in full-cycle HR — from recruiting and onboarding to employee relations, payroll, and HRIS optimization. SHRM-CP and AI+HI certified with an active Secret Clearance and a Pepperdine MSHRM in progress. Trusted advisor to executives and managers on sensitive investigations, policy development, and people strategy. Equally effective as a corporate HR Manager or fractional HR partner for growing organizations.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
3
3
Certification
Work History
Sr. Human Resources Generalist
Hartnell College Foundation
Salinas, CA
08.2024 - Current
- Direct all HR operations and employee relations for a 130-person workforce, maintaining a compliant, high-performance workplace culture in a California-regulated environment.
- Process full-cycle payroll with zero error rate, coordinating 4 payroll staff through regulatory updates and ensuring timely, accurate compensation every cycle.
- Redesigned employee handbook and annual benefits communications, increasing staff comprehension of 401(k) and insurance options and reducing HR inquiry volume.
- Led internal investigations into harassment and policy violations, resolving sensitive cases while protecting organizational culture and minimizing legal exposure.
- Managed workers' comp, unemployment claims, and benefits administration, streamlining workflows and reducing processing time.
- Oversaw full-cycle recruiting and hiring, collaborating with managers to identify top candidates and reduce time-to-fill across all departments.
Human Resources Generalist
Ocean Mist Farms
Castroville, CA
05.2023 - 06.2024
- Managed full-cycle onboarding and pre-employment screening for a 300+ employee workforce, designing orientation programs that accelerated new-hire integration and reduced early turnover.
- Processed weekly and bi-weekly payroll for 3 departments (304 employees), updated 6 SOPs, and maintained 100% EEOC compliance with zero payroll discrepancies.
- Conducted compensation and salary benchmarking for 95 staff using PayScale HRIS, ensuring internal pay equity and market competitiveness across all roles.
- Drove 90% participation in the annual employee engagement survey, generating actionable insights that informed leadership decisions and improved retention strategies.
- Audited safety logs and DOL compliance records for 25 workplace injuries in partnership with the OSHA coordinator, maintaining full regulatory compliance.
Human Resources Generalist
Graham Personnel Services / Ennis-Flint Industries
Bakersfield, CA
01.2021 - 03.2022
- Managed full-cycle recruiting and daily HR operations for 30 employees, maintaining consistent staffing levels across client accounts through proactive sourcing and relationship management.
- Partnered with hiring managers to establish salary benchmarks and job specifications, improving candidate quality and reducing mis-hires.
- Updated 6 Job Safety Analyses (JSAs) with plant managers, identifying workplace hazards and achieving measurable improvements in safety compliance.
- Delivered monthly individual and group training sessions, supporting staff development, onboarding transitions, and California compliance education.
- Administered new-hire processing including background checks, drug testing, and I-9 verification, streamlining onboarding from offer to day one.
Recruiter
U.S. Census Bureau
Bakersfield, CA
01.2019 - 11.2020
- Developed and executed new recruitment strategies that significantly expanded the candidate pipeline for diverse organizational roles across 2 counties.
- Achieved 100% of hiring goals for both counties, completing the 2020 recruitment campaign on schedule despite pandemic-related disruptions.
- Organized regional hiring events and partnered with local businesses as the Census community liaison, reaching underrepresented talent populations.
- Analyzed applicant data and developed targeted marketing tools to match candidates with appropriate roles and resources.
Human Resources Specialist
United States Navy Reserves
Alameda, CA
05.2008 - Current
- Oversee HR operations and staff relations for 150 personnel, maintaining accurate documentation and resolving internal discrepancies through updated procedures.
- Serve as benefits coach for 50+ veterans and families, translating complex naval and civilian training, education, and benefits resources into actionable guidance.
- Trained a 15-person cross-functional team on HRIS systems and resource management, improving department-wide technical literacy and cross-unit collaboration.
- Coached 17 supervisors and managers on conflict resolution, performance documentation, and workplace problem-solving best practices.
- Processed FMLA, ADA, and military leave requests in full compliance with applicable federal regulations.
Education
Master of Science - Human Resources Management
Pepperdine University
12.2026
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration
Fresno Pacific University
Skills
- Employee Relations
- Investigations
- Full-Cycle Recruiting
- Talent Acquisition
- Compensation Benchmarking
- Pay Equity
- California Labor Law
- Federal Compliance
- Payroll Administration
- FMLA
- ADA
- Workers' Comp
- Onboarding
- Engagement
- Training
- Development
- HR Metrics
- Analytics
- Policy Development
- SOP Development
- ADP Workforce Now
- Salesforce
- Oracle
- PayScale
- People Element Survey Platform
- Microsoft Office Suite
- HRIS Platforms
- AI-Powered Workforce Tools
Certification
- SHRM-CP
- SHRM AI+HI
Languages
English
Spanish
Certifications And Clearance
- SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP)
- SHRM AI+HI Specialty Certification
- ADP Workforce Now (WFN) Certified
- Payroll Certification
- People Element Survey Platform
- SurveyMonkey
- Microsoft Suite
- Active U.S. Secret Security Clearance
Timeline
Sr. Human Resources Generalist
Hartnell College Foundation
08.2024 - Current
Human Resources Generalist
Ocean Mist Farms
05.2023 - 06.2024
Human Resources Generalist
Graham Personnel Services / Ennis-Flint Industries
01.2021 - 03.2022
Recruiter
U.S. Census Bureau
01.2019 - 11.2020
Human Resources Specialist
United States Navy Reserves
05.2008 - Current
Master of Science - Human Resources Management
Pepperdine University
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration
Fresno Pacific University