Denise Hardy
Roswell,GA
Summary
Transformational Operations Leader with 20+ years of leadership experience improving performance, strengthening teams, and driving measurable results across automotive, finance, insurance, and service industries. Known for strong priority management, meeting tight deadlines, and leading large-scale, multi-functional operations with a focus on customer impact, compliance, and financial results. Strong background in HR management, talent development, claim adjudication systems, QA programs, and SOX compliance. Known for developing high-performance cultures with meaningful metrics that support collaboration, innovation, and long-term growth.
Recognized for coaching and mentoring teams at all levels and directing complex projects from concept to completion. Skilled in SaaS-enabled operations, workflow automation, compliance oversight, and data-driven reporting. Experienced in IT project management, Kofax OCR integration, international operations, and large-scale revenue and cost optimization.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Overcame Church
06.2024 - Current
Provide operational, administrative, and people leadership across staffing, finance, technology, and strategic planning. Direct contractors and staff members while building scalable processes and digital systems that support organizational growth.
Achievements:
- Built a performance-focused culture with clear metrics and accountability.
- Designed workflows that reduced onboarding time by 40%.
- Implemented centralized systems that improved communication and volunteer engagement.
- Led launch operations across staffing, logistics, and outreach.
- Expanded community reach through aligned branding and outreach.
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS (Promotion)
Safe-Guard Products International
01.2022 - 02.2024
Led 90+ employees across GAP adjudication, payment processing, cancellations, and support operations. Oversaw major OEM client programs and partnered with executive leadership, IT, accounting, HR, and legal.
Achievements:
- Secured $10M+ in annual savings through an end-to-end GAP subrogation process.
- Reduced cancellation turnaround from 15 days to 1 day with no increase in staff.
- Managed a virtual credit card payment process improving rebate revenue by $1M annually while serving as the vendor Relationship Manager.
- Eliminated over $150K in temporary labor and overtime.
- Saved more than $57K by identifying and correcting payment errors through strengthened controls and oversight.
- Coached and developed multi-functional professionals across operations, QA, compliance, and customer support, strengthening leadership pipelines and elevating team performance.
- Enhanced workflow automation through Kofax OCR technology, dashboards, and SaaS tools.
- Strengthened Canada operations by standardizing processes and ensuring compliance across markets.
SR. OPERATIONS MANAGER (Promotion)
Safe-Guard Products International
01.2021 - 01.2022
Managed cross-functional teams across GAP and vehicle service contract operations while strengthening regulatory compliance, QA, and leadership development programs.
Achievements:
- Reduced audit findings by 30% through a refreshed compliance framework.
- Authored enterprise-wide audit and compliance training.
- Increased engagement and operational competency by 10% through coaching and leadership development.
- Honored with the 2021 Women and Automotive Profiles in Leadership award (pages 11 & 14).
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Safe-Guard Products International
03.2019 - 01.2021
Managed a 29-person high-performing team and redesigned workflows which established a new internal standard for GAP claims processing within the organization.
Achievements:
- Improved turnaround from 21 days to 3 days within 90 days, then sustained 1 to 2 days.
- Achieved a 95% error-free rate through QA checkpoints and coaching.
- Reduced processing times by 50% through cross-functional collaboration.
SR. BUSINESS OPERATIONS MANAGER (Promotion)
CarMax Auto Finance
01.2014 - 03.2019
Led 50+ employees across repossessions, insurance processing, records management, SCRA, and GAP programs. Partnered with HR and Risk to strengthen compliance and training.
Achievements:
- Sustained 95% or higher audit compliance and passed all internal and regulatory audits.
- Increased efficiency by 15% through workflow improvements.
- Improved retention by 25% by developing employees into leadership roles.
- Supported $250M in annual transactions across business units.
- Created an audit metric maintaining a 99.83% accuracy rate across document audits.
Education
Business Administration And Management
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VASkills
- Kofax TotalAgility (KTA)
- Kofax OCR
- Power BI
- SQL
- JIRA
- Looker
- Microsoft 365
- Smartsheet
- Slack
- Google Workspace
- Rhythm Systems
- Teamwork
- SaaS Workflow Tools
CORE EXPERTISE
- Process Optimization
- Continuous Improvement
- SaaS-Enabled Operations
- Project and Program Management
- Leadership Development
- Priority Management
- Stakeholder Management
- Risk and Compliance Management
- Financial Oversight
- Talent Development
- Quality Assurance
- HR Operations
- SOX Compliance
- Technology-Enabled Efficiency
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Change Management
CAREER SNAPSHOT
- Directed the largest department at Safe-Guard Products, leading 90+ employees across multiple operational teams.
- Transformed GAP claims processing from 21 days to 1 to 2 days and eliminated over $150K in temporary labor and overtime.
- Introduced strategic cost-saving measures that secured over $10M in annual savings and recovered an additional $600K through improved subrogation workflows.
- Established leadership pipelines and coached 45+ individuals into senior roles, reinforcing a culture of accountability and performance.
- Managed U.S. and Canada operations, leveraging SaaS and automated tools to improve accuracy, reporting, and operational visibility.
EARLIER CAREER EXPERIENCE
- Corporate Credit Manager, CarMax Auto Finance (2013–2014) – Led 15 remote Credit Analysts and managed 5,000+ monthly credit applications. Improved cash flow by 15% and reduced risk exposure by 10% through strengthened risk controls and scorecard enhancements in partnership with IT.
- Sr. Business Operations Manager, CarMax Auto Superstores (2007–2013) – Managed retail, wholesale, and auction operations across 65,000+ annual transactions and $350M+ in revenue. Directed all vehicle documentation, titling, quality control, and audit workflows while ensuring regulatory and process compliance. Strengthened operational processes across sales, appraisal, accounting, and auction functions to improve accuracy, turnaround, and profitability.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND SPECIALIZED TRAINING
Executive Leadership Training | Situational Leadership | MAVDI Problem Solving | Agile Project Leadership | SOX Compliance Reinforcement | QA Program Development
ADDITIONAL SKILLS AND STRENGTHS
- Priority management, tight-deadline delivery, and complex project oversight
- Visionary leadership with a people-first approach
- High-level communication and relationship building
- Building cultures that promote collaboration, accountability, and innovation
- Passion for developing teams and empowering future leaders
- Strong understanding of SaaS platforms in modern operations
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
- Women & Automotive Profiles in Leadership (2021) – Recognized by Auto Remarketing Canada for operational leadership, business impact, and contributions to the automotive industry.
- Featured Leader, Safe-Guard Products website (2023) – Selected by executive leadership and featured on the company website for company-wide impact, including reducing GAP claim time-to-close and elevating customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
Timeline
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Overcame Church
06.2024 - Current
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS (Promotion)
Safe-Guard Products International
01.2022 - 02.2024
SR. OPERATIONS MANAGER (Promotion)
Safe-Guard Products International
01.2021 - 01.2022
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Safe-Guard Products International
03.2019 - 01.2021
SR. BUSINESS OPERATIONS MANAGER (Promotion)
CarMax Auto Finance
01.2014 - 03.2019
Business Administration And Management
Liberty University