Vanya Graham
Eyota,MN
Summary
Dynamic and results-driven Human Resources professional with comprehensive experience spanning recruitment, payroll and benefits administration, employee relations, compliance, and strategic workforce planning. Demonstrated success in streamlining HR processes, optimizing onboarding and training procedures, and partnering with senior leadership to support organizational growth. Proven track record of dramatically improving hiring outcomes and fostering positive workplace cultures.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Human Resources Specialist & Payroll (Remote)
Valley View Recovery Center & Common Ground
Remote
01.2024 - 01.2025
- Managed full-cycle recruitment while supporting payroll administration and onboarding, successfully filling 50+ positions across multiple departments in under 60 days.
- Reduced payroll errors by 20% through payroll audits, process improvements, and employee education on timekeeping and self-service systems.
- Ensured payroll compliance by maintaining accurate employee records, auditing HRIS data, and supporting adherence to federal, state, and company payroll policies.
- Designed standardized onboarding workflows that improved payroll readiness, benefits enrollment, and reduced new-hire time-to-productivity by 30%.
- Conducted employee relations investigations and partnered with leadership to ensure compliant, fair, and well-documented resolutions.
- Developed and maintained digital HR and payroll records, improving data integrity, reporting accuracy, audit readiness, and compliance with employment regulations.
Human Resources Director
Benedictine Living Community
Rochester, MN
09.2022 - 02.2023
- Directed all HR operations, providing leadership and continuous support for a diverse workforce of more than 250 employees.
- Achieved aggressive hiring targets by successfully filling 50+ open positions across multiple departments in under 60 days.
- Effectively reduced employee turnover by championing new wellness and retention initiatives.
- Ensured strict regulatory adherence by maintaining continuous audit readiness and overseeing compliance reporting.
Human Resources Coordinator
Menards
Rochester, MN
11.2019 - 04.2022
- Facilitated high-volume recruiting and onboarding operations, supporting up to 30 new hires per month while ensuring consistency, efficiency, and a positive candidate experience.
- Coordinated and delivered new hire orientation programs, improving early-stage engagement and onboarding satisfaction scores by 25%.
- Managed learning management system (LMS) compliance tracking, ensuring 100% completion of required trainings, certifications, and mandatory regulatory courses.
- Administered unemployment claims processing and represented the organization in hearings, consistently achieving favorable determinations and minimizing organizational liability.
- Supported weekly payroll reconciliation processes by identifying and resolving discrepancies, contributing to a 15% reduction in payroll errors and improving data accuracy.
- Partnered with managers on performance tracking, employee development planning, and workforce support initiatives to strengthen retention and internal mobility.
- Implemented and supported a structured manager trainee development program, contributing to the organization achieving #2 ranking company-wide for manager trainee progression and program performance.
Gift Processing Specialist
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN
03.2008 - 10.2019
- Processed and reconciled high-volume gifts and pledges while maintaining accurate, audit-ready donor and financial records within CRM systems.
- Generated financial and donor reporting, including endowment summaries, supporting leadership decision-making and fund distribution planning.
- Served as CRM Subject Matter Expert (SME), training staff, developing standard operating procedures (SOPs), and improving system adoption and data consistency across teams.
- Supported internal and external audits, annual reporting requirements, and large-scale data integrity initiatives to ensure compliance and reporting accuracy.
- Oversaw processing and tracking of high-value donations and pledges exceeding $5M annually, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely posting.
- Partnered closely with finance and senior leadership on donor reporting, reconciliation processes, and endowment fund allocation and compliance.
Education
Associate's degree - Graphic and Media design
Rochester Community and Technical College
Bachelor of Arts - Graphic Design
Southern New Hampshire University
New Hampshire, OH05.2016
Skills
- Adobe acrobat
- Workday
- UKG
- ADP Workforce Now
- Paylocity
- Paycom
- Dayforce
- BambooHR
- Rippling
- iCIMS
- Greenhouse
- Workable
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Teams
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Microsoft OneDrive
- Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Gmail, Drive)
- Salesforce
- ServiceNow HR Service Delivery
- QuickBooks
- SAP ERP
- Oracle PeopleSoft
- Visio
- Zoom
Certification
- Citizenship
- Driver's License
- Class D
Languages
Bosnian - Fluent
English - Fluent
Serbo-Croatian - Native
Additional Information
Authorized to work in the US for any employer
Timeline
Human Resources Specialist & Payroll (Remote)
Valley View Recovery Center & Common Ground
01.2024 - 01.2025
Human Resources Director
Benedictine Living Community
09.2022 - 02.2023
Human Resources Coordinator
Menards
11.2019 - 04.2022
Gift Processing Specialist
Mayo Clinic
03.2008 - 10.2019
Bachelor of Arts - Graphic Design
Southern New Hampshire University
Associate's degree - Graphic and Media design
Rochester Community and Technical College