Building trust
Executives need an advisor who tells them what is true. Employees and unions need a partner who follows through. I learn the CEO's vision, core values, and service standards first, then frame every conversation around them.
People & Culture Executive
Building trust. Bringing structure to change. Keeping the human connection.
I'm Jodi Cohen, an HR leader with 26 years of experience advising CEOs on workforce strategy, employee relations, M&A integration, and California employment risk across distributed, multi-site organizations. I run a department like an owner: hands-on, accountable, and trusted by employees and executives alike.
HR Director · Director of People and Culture · VP of HR
Santa Rosa, CA · Open to relocation
What leaders say
Words from the executives I've worked for. Full letters of recommendation are available on request.
“In a relatively short period of time and with very little formal training, she worked diligently to stabilize processes, address outstanding issues, and bring greater structure and organization to the HR department.”
“While she is attentive to details, stays up to date with the ever-changing California labor law, and is consistent in her expectations and policies, she is so much more than a typical HR professional.”
How I lead
A title gets you a seat at the table. How you treat people is what gets them to follow you there. I lead as a servant leader, and three commitments shape how.
Bringing structure to change
Mergers, sales, and rapid growth strain people systems first. I build the infrastructure that keeps operations steady.
Keeping the human connection
I lead with compassion and empathy first and policy second, because policies only work when people understand them and feel respected by them.
Selected projects
Real situations I've walked into, what I did about them, and where the same approach could help your business.
Stabilizing HR from day one
Redwood Oil Company, 2023
Challenge
Joined after the sudden departure of the previous HR leader, with the payroll specialist going on leave the same day. Store managers no longer trusted HR to answer calls or emails.
What I led
With no assistant, visited all 24 stores from Cotati to Crescent City in the first month. Brought in temp support, learned Paycom in 10 days, and ran an error-free first payroll. Then rebuilt the basics: a 24-hour response standard, new progressive discipline forms, payroll and data audits, and accurate, uniform job descriptions, with pay scales then adjusted alongside the VP of Operations.
Result
Managers went from avoiding HR to calling at all hours, in a good way, to talk decisions through, and said they finally had a partner. With payroll accurate, data clean, and compliance back on track, the department was ready when the CEO and CFO took the business to market roughly two years into the role.
Relevant if your HR function has lost its leader, your teams have stopped trusting HR, or payroll and compliance need to be steady again fast.
From merger to closeout
Redwood Oil Company
Challenge
The CEO and CFO sold the company through a merger-and-acquisition process. Stores transferred to new ownership in groups over roughly a year while legal and compliance issues were resolved, and each store had to continue operating until its scheduled transfer.
What I led
Once the deal was announced, served as the people-partner lead through the workforce transition. When the assistant went on leave as the first stores transferred, handled the entire HR closeout alone while continuing to run HR for the stores that remained. This included payroll, California-compliant final pay, garnishments, workers’ compensation claims, the 401(k), benefits plans, and employee records, including archived Paycom data.
Result
Final pay and compliance paperwork were completed group by group, with no errors found. When the last store closed, the CEO walked in with flowers and “The Final Countdown” playing.
Relevant if you are acquiring, merging, or selling and need someone to protect employees and records through the change.
Cutting grievances through labor partnership
United Markets
Challenge
Four formal union grievances had been filed the year before, and the CEO wanted a proactive relationship with the union rep and employees who felt taken care of.
What I led
Became the key labor liaison and built a working relationship with the union rep. Settled issues early, documented outcomes, and made sure employees felt heard and had accurate, on-time schedules and pay.
Result
Formal union grievances fell from four the year before to one in the first year (a 75% drop), and only two over the entire tenure.
Relevant if you have a union workforce and want fewer formal disputes and a steadier relationship with labor.
Faster, more compliant payroll
Redwood Oil Company
Challenge
Payroll took three days to send into Paycom.
What I led
Worked with District Managers to find what wasn't working, then built a faster process. Employees approve their own timecards, managers approve next, and the payroll specialist gives a final review of hours worked, California meal breaks, clock-out times, and consecutive days worked.
Result
Payroll went from three days to 1.5 days, with wage and hour compliance checked every cycle.
Relevant if your payroll runs slowly, timecard errors are caught too late, or you need wage and hour compliance built into the process.
Making benefits easy to understand
Redwood Oil Company
Challenge
Benefits onboarding in Paycom was set up in a way that confused managers and employees alike.
What I led
Worked with the benefits broker to build a guide that explained all seven plans in depth, and hired Paycom to load them accurately. Trained all 24 store managers to walk through the guide and book a one-on-one with each team member to enroll or waive coverage, so each employee's decision was documented in case of an audit.
Result
Health plan enrollment rose from 68 to 102 employees, a 50% increase, even though many employees waived for financial reasons. Short-term disability enrollment rose from 60% to 90%, including employees who declined our health plans.
Relevant if open enrollment confuses your employees, participation is low, or your benefits process needs to be audit-ready.
Building HR through COVID and a DOL investigation
Wolff Contracting
Challenge
Joined a construction firm in June 2020, in the middle of California's COVID lockdown. An office manager handled basic HR tasks without formal HR training, and the CEO wasn't sure the company was fully following the law. As the pandemic wound down, it was served with a Department of Labor wage and hour investigation.
What I led
Built the HR department from scratch and coordinated COVID exposures, time off, and required paid leave through the pandemic. When the investigation arrived, hired an attorney first, then worked with them to respond to the DOL and represent the company legally. Manually scanned and sent three years of paper timecards, matched them to paychecks, and gathered pay stubs, handbooks, and policies, much of it predating the role.
Result
Zero compliance penalties, from an investigation most HR professionals never face.
Relevant if you need HR built fast in a crisis, or you face an audit or investigation and need calm, clean documentation.
Areas of expertise
What executive leaders can expect from me in an HR leadership role.
Executive partnership
Advising CEOs and executive teams, and turning business priorities into practical people plans
Employee and labor relations
Union contracts, grievances, and investigations
Compliance and risk
California and federal wage and hour, FMLA/CFRA, PAGA, workers' comp
HR operations and systems
Payroll, benefits, Paycom, and HRIS
Change and M&A
Sale readiness, merger transitions, and closeouts
Culture and talent
Onboarding, training, engagement, and performance
Experience
Roles in retail, construction, hospitality, and gaming, from single-person HR departments to enterprise-scale programs.
Director of People and Culture
Redwood Oil Company, Rohnert Park, CA
May 2023 – May 2026
- Full-scope HR leadership. Ran employee relations, payroll, benefits, compliance, and HRIS for a multi-site retail operation, and advised the CEO and executive team.
- Rebuild, merger, closeout. Stabilized the department after turnover, led the people side of the merger, and closed out HR operations. Details are in the projects above.
Human Resources Manager
United Markets, San Rafael, CA
October 2021 – June 2023
- Labor liaison. Served as the main contact between management and a unionized workforce, resolving employee relations matters through constructive discussion.
- Contract compliance. Audited payroll and benefits across multiple union contracts for a 120-person workforce, keeping them in line with CBA terms, FLSA, and California law.
Human Resources Director
Wolff Contracting, Santa Rosa, CA
June 2020 – May 2021
- HR from scratch. Built structure and consistency as a department of one for a construction firm.
- Crisis leadership. Guided the company through COVID-19 and a Department of Labor investigation.
Active Business Owner and Partner
Sonoma Cutlery, Santa Rosa, CA
2000 – Present
- Owner's view. Co-own a retail business and lead daily operations, workforce strategy, and P&L priorities, including hiring, onboarding, performance management, and employee relations.
Corporate Trainer
Graton Resort & Casino, Rohnert Park, CA
October 2013 – May 2019
- Enterprise training. Designed and managed training and a corporate onboarding framework for a high-volume, highly regulated hospitality and gaming workforce.
Credentials and learning
Current certifications in California employment law and workplace safety.
Education and certifications
- SHRM California Law CredentialSociety for Human Resource ManagementJuly 2026
- OSHA 10-Hour General Industry TrainingOSHAOctober 2025
- SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP)Society for Human Resource ManagementJuly 2022
- Human Resource Management CertificateUniversity of GeorgiaMay 2021
- BA, Public AdministrationUniversity of San Francisco2011
Professional development
- Certified Instructional DesignerLangevin Learning ServicesJanuary 2019
- Disney's Approach to Employee EngagementDisney InstituteMay 2017
- Disney's Approach to Quality ServiceDisney InstituteMay 2017
- Positive Discipline FacilitatorParent education and positive behavior frameworks2009 – 2013
Beyond work
I'm a firm believer that good HR starts with a well-rested human. Beach time, family time, and animal time keep me grounded in what matters, which comes in handy when your day job is serving people.
Sunsets are my weakness, and I'll happily drive a long way for a good one. Sunrises happen closer to home, on the morning walk with the pups, who run a tight schedule and take zero questions. I'm looking forward to finding my next favorite view.
My longest-running partnership is with my high school sweetheart: 28 years married, 33 together, and not a single formal grievance filed. We also raised two sons who are now grown, so I've already done a few rounds of change management at home.
Travel is my favorite continuing education. Nothing builds adaptability like a new city and a map held the wrong way up. I've run a small business for years, so I know the owner's side of the desk too.
Let's talk about the people side of your next stage.
I'm open to HR Director, Director of People and Culture, or VP of HR roles, and I'm open to relocating. The label matters less to me than the work. I love walking into a business, learning the lay of the land, and helping it run better. When I join a company, I own every function in my department as if the business were mine, because running a small business for years taught me to. I'm a hands-on leader who leads by example, builds trust quickly with employees, and works to be a steady, trusted voice for the CEO.
Email Jodi- EmailJodi.Cohen.HRD@gmail.com
- CVAvailable on request
- LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/jodi-cohen001
- LocationSanta Rosa, CA. Open to relocation.