Shirley is a Senior Consultant with The Hayes Group International, specializing in executive coaching, leadership development, and guiding organizations through complex employment law issues. With over 25 years of experience, Shirley helps leaders and teams improve communication, manage change effectively, and foster legally compliant, high-performing workplaces.
Shirley’s career includes significant leadership roles in human resources and diversity at major organizations such as CIGNA, Coca-Cola, Nordstrom, and Behavioral Interventions. As Director of Employee Relations at CIGNA, and later as Vice President of Human Resources for Nordstrom’s Credit Division, she developed leadership curricula, conducted team-building sessions, and trained hundreds of managers on managing teams and navigating complex HR challenges in legally defensible ways. She has worked extensively with organizations large and small to help leaders manage transitions, particularly in times of change, mergers, or restructuring, improving both team productivity and employee engagement.
Shirley is passionate about helping organizations create healthy, communicative, and legally sound environments. She is a member of the Pennsylvania bar, a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), and certified to lead DISC and Myers-Briggs team-building workshops.
She holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University, a JD from American University, and an LLM in Labor Law from Georgetown University. In addition to her consulting work, Shirley has taught in MBA programs at Seattle University, Mercer University, and the Keller School of Management, further enriching her expertise in leadership and HR strategy.
