Mindy Stone-Szabo
Camas,WA
Summary
Performance-driven Vice President with 25+ years of experience aligning systems with business requirements, policies and regulatory requirements. Passionate about applying excellent organization and communication skills to manage and lead teams. Results-oriented individual well-versed in interfacing and consulting on business processes to drive results based on sound overall business judgment. Demonstrated record of success in building successful teams and process optimization.
Overview
29
29
years of professional experience
3
3
Certifications
Work History
Vice President, Culture & Engagement
Papa Murphy's Int'l: : $126 Million Retailer
01.2023 - 02.2024
- Oversaw highly engaged team of OD professionals, including Human Resources, Learning & Development, Strategic Communications, and Portfolio Management Office.
- Established performance goals for department and provided methods for reaching milestones to support corporate strategies with annual budget of $4.6 million.
- Identified opportunities to improve business process flows and productivity, creating the company's first-ever PMO.
- Led restructuring of large departments including process and role re-engineering for savings estimate of 1.4 million.
- Created and directed world-class coaching and Emerging Leader Program to support mid-management through Executive Vice President levels.
- Oversaw design and implementation of talent management strategy, processes, and systems to ensure top talent was in place to support significant growth plans of 200+ employees.
- Leveraged partnerships with key leaders to ensure successful change management before, during, and after $190M acquisition from Canadian company MTY Food Group,
- Partnered with IT to translate multi-million dollar systems efforts into change management scope; directed OD Project Managers responsible for all aspects of Business Readiness.
- Oversaw Learning Services and Communications campaigns of >30 projects annually.
- Ensured right mix of content, delivery method, and reporting necessary to support and track 15,000 employees' learning, while achieving 91% effectiveness and satisfaction from learners.
Vice President, Learning & Development
Papa Murphy's Int'l
12.2021 - 01.2023
- Reduced turnover, improved food and labor costs via internationally recognized career-path training program, proving positive impact to franchise owners’ profitability by $12M per year.
- Aligned and collaborated with franchise and corporate teams across 36 states, Canada, and United Arab Emirates to implement and foster adoption of comprehensive training curriculum, focused on adult learning theory.
- Coached senior and executive leaders and 30+ managers on how to conduct risk assessments and realized numerous project KPIs and ROIs that were previously not being tracked.
- Led creation and implementation of company's first learning management system that included coaching and development for 15,000 employees and their managers, reporting 125% ROI.
- Conducted needs assessment, design, delivery, and measurement of scaled on-demand, self-paced, and live classes in 10 separate learner journeys for corporate and franchise employees at all levels.
- Designed and facilitated 100+ courses (both face-to-face sessions and virtual webinars) reaching 1,750 employees on topics ranging from Profitability & Driving Transactions to Psychological Safety in the Workplace.
- Forecasted, planned, and managed L&D budget of $2.25M, $500,000 more than the previous year due to positive results, performance, and executive feedback.
Senior Director, Learning & Development
Papa Murphy's Int'l
12.2020 - 11.2021
- Collaborated with HR and analytics team on selection of assessment methodology for performance management and growth, developing sufficient pipeline of appropriately skilled talent and reducing turnover by 4.95%.
- Launched organization’s first-ever Emerging Leaders' Program, building cross-functional mentorship experiences across all 73 brands, three new company-wide DEI initiatives, and cross-brand job shadowing.
- Instituted best practices for recruiting, hiring, onboarding, training, and employee retention, increasing number of employees trained 240% year over year.
- Instrumental in improving scores by average of 11 points across 4 categories in annual employee engagement survey by fostering culture of learning, listening, diversity, and inclusion.
- Streamlined annual/mid-year reviews for 160 corporate employees and trained average of 35 managers each year to engage in continuous feedback and review processes.
- Orchestrated a seamless onboarding experience and counseled new employees and new franchise owners to 30-60-90 day proficiencies.
Director, Learning & Development
Papa Murphy's Int'l
12.2018 - 12.2020
- Managed all aspects of learning and development programs, including program design, delivery, and evaluation.
- Developed and implemented leadership development programs to build leadership capabilities and succession pipelines.
- Designed and delivered training programs on topics such as technical skills, soft skills, and compliance training.
- Led RFP process for learning management systems (LMS) to streamline training administration and tracking.
- Conducted training needs assessments to identify learning priorities and develop annual training plans.
- Managed relationships with external training vendors and consultants to deliver specialized training programs.
- Provided coaching and support to managers and employees on professional development opportunities.
- Developed and maintained learning metrics and dashboards to track program effectiveness and impact.
Sr. Manager, Training
Papa Murphy's Int'l
11.2015 - 12.2018
- Designed and delivered onboarding programs for new hires to ensure successful integration into the organization.
- Developed and delivered leadership development programs to build leadership capabilities at all levels.
- Facilitated workshops and training sessions on topics such as communication skills, team building, and conflict resolution.
- Coordinated with internal and external trainers to deliver specialized training programs.
- Managed training budgets and resources to ensure cost-effective delivery of training initiatives.
ELearning & Multimedia Specialist
Chipotle Grill
01.2015 - 12.2015
- Used InDesign, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to create design courses and upgraded programming in the learning management system, reaching 45,000 employees.
- Developed 12 customized learning modules from storyboards in compliance with SCORM standards in Articulate Storyline.
Content Development & Instructional Designer
Independent Consultant
12.2013 - 10.2015
- Produced 14 unique programs for adult educators based on research with an emphasis on practical strategies and techniques.
- Created 50+ online and printable aids, demonstrations, and quick-reference guides and assessed training needs to develop new training programs and/or offer recommendations to existing programs.
Professional Development Specialist & Educator
Cherry Creek & Douglas County School Districts
08.1995 - 03.2013
- Created and led workshops and sessions for 500+ educators
- Ensured alignment to all curriculum, school, and state requirements, assessed student needs and adjusted resources to struggling students and exceptional achievers, expanded teacher networks.
- Consulted and negotiated with various levels of management and stakeholders to determine training priorities and needs.
- Planned and promoted organizational changes by working with management teams to develop departmental training strategies.
Skills
- Organizational Design & Process Improvement
- Change Management
- Human Resources Strategy
- Performance, Talent & Succession Management
- Team and Client Relationship Building
- Data Analysis & Metrics Tracking
- Leadership Coaching and Development
- Strategic Communications
- Portfolio & Project Management
- Operations Management & Efficiencies
Certification
- CCMP (Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner)
- Hogan Advanced Leadership Coach
- CPTD (ATD Certified Professional in Talent Development)
Education
Master of Arts - Instructional Design & Curriculum Development
University of Denver
Denver, CO05.1995
Bachelor of Arts - Behavioral Psychology
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ05.1993
Accomplishments
- CLO Talent Management Spotlight webinar: From Resistance to Acceptance: How to Implement Change Management
- Association of Talent Development Int’l Conference Panelist: Talent Management & Succession Planning Best Practices
- CLO Breakfast Club Panelist: Wellness in the Workplace
- MTY Convention Speaker: Strategies to Build Psychological Safety in your Organization
- Peace & Possibilities Podcast guest: How to Stay Happy in Your Career
- Portland Women Leaders’ Association Summit Panelist: Transitioning into the New Normal: Your Team After COVID
Awards
- ATD BEST Award Winner for Outstanding New Employee Onboarding Program, 2021
- MTY Excellence Innovation Award for Virtual Franchise Leadership Summit, 2020
- ATD BEST Award Winner for Outstanding Training Curriculum, 2019
Timeline
Vice President, Culture & Engagement
Papa Murphy's Int'l: : $126 Million Retailer
01.2023 - 02.2024
Vice President, Learning & Development
Papa Murphy's Int'l
12.2021 - 01.2023
Senior Director, Learning & Development
Papa Murphy's Int'l
12.2020 - 11.2021
Director, Learning & Development
Papa Murphy's Int'l
12.2018 - 12.2020
Sr. Manager, Training
Papa Murphy's Int'l
11.2015 - 12.2018
ELearning & Multimedia Specialist
Chipotle Grill
01.2015 - 12.2015
Content Development & Instructional Designer
Independent Consultant
12.2013 - 10.2015
Professional Development Specialist & Educator
Cherry Creek & Douglas County School Districts
08.1995 - 03.2013
Master of Arts - Instructional Design & Curriculum Development
University of Denver
Bachelor of Arts - Behavioral Psychology
Arizona State University