1. Barbara J. Willever, PHR, SHRM-CP
(480)784-7772
bnb2715@gmail.com
About Barb:
I would label myself as a collaborative people artist because the majority of my Human Resources career, I
have expressed a passion for working with people to resolve problems. I truly believe that people are the
'manufacturing line' of any business and should be treated with care and respect. My passion for
connecting with people carries over into into my personal life as well where I spend time coaching and
mentoring as a volunteer and teaching people how to breathe in yoga. My approach is always the same, I
am a conduit to help people help themselves as the best decisions come from our own self reflection. Oh,
also, while I am at work, I seem to excel at conducting investigations, managing conflict, and facilitating
problem resolution processes. I don’t know exactly why this comes easy for me, but I have a unique
ability to quickly discern complex information and extrapolate facts. Aside from that fun, I love to
facilitate interactive training, be organized and structured, and engage in positive intellectual discussions.
Generally, I also have found that people, like myself, prefer inclusion and I strive to work for an
organization and a manager that exhibits similar values. :)
IKEA (2006 – Present)…that is 10 years!
Industry Type: Global Retail Home Furnishings Stores, Call Center, Distribution, Trading and IT
Employee/Co-worker Relations Specialist, US HR Team: September 2008 - Present
 Lots of legal stuff, investigations and a mixture of sad and happy stories
 Talking, analyzing and deciphering issues with my work peeps at every level of the organization
 Spending time on projects and other assignments where my structured side gets balanced amidst people chaos
 Recognize and serve 13,000+ co-workers across the US who all wear yellow
Human Resources Site Manager, Tempe, Arizona: April 2006 – September 2008
 Everything HR in a big box store where they also let me play Duty Manager once a week
 Improved some crazy KPI’s that were out of control upon my arrival
 Got to do lots of leadership training and watch with amazement as people developed
 Had a great team of four direct reports
Human Resources Manager Training – US HR Team: January 2006 – April 2006
 Had fun for a few months just surfing the IKEA intranet and visiting locations - I was learning
The Sports Authority (2004 – 2006)…a little under 2 years, what an experience!
Industry Type: National Retail Sporting Goods Stores & Distribution
Regional Human Resource Manager, Northeast: 2005 - 2006
 Pretended to be a business partner to 87 stores in 12 states while driving my car everyday
 Oversaw all things HR with two direct reports and a multitude of district managers and store managers
 Responsible for working through a myriad of problems and complaints resembling a reality show
Human Resource Manager, Distribution Centers: 2004 - 2005

2.  Exhibited managerial courage daily to ensure that safety was a real priority
 Expanded my HR competence and support to benefit the Northeast and Midwest distribution centers
 Aside from the typical HR duties, I also had fun with NJ State training grants and an on-site temporary agency
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. (1995-2004)…almost 10 years!
Industry Type: National Beverage Manufacturing; Agriculture, Operations & Logistics
Human Resource Specialist/Generalist: 2000 - 2004
 Lots of recruitment, hiring and on-boarding to meet the demands of American juice needs
 Delved into the world of entitled employees and engaged the workforce in ADR, surveys and focus teams
 Wrote my very own Affirmative Action Plan and was able to enjoy an OFCCP desk/compliance audit
Administrative Team Resource: 1995 – 2000
 As the Plant Manager’s assistant, I got to do so much stuff in the operation
 I was trusted to be a main liaison with legal counsel during a Teamster’s unionization attempt - we won
 Got to work in HR a lot covering for multiple HR Specialist absences and was the Cranberry Festival Chair
Other Positions (here are some other places I worked and was given a job title)
Chiro-Med, Office Manager - 1990-1995
Eastern Dental Center, Front Desk Supervisor - 1986-1990
Old Borough Savings & Loan, Operations Assistant - 1984-1986
Education: SHRM-CP Certification - Society for Human Resources Management - 2015
Life Coach Certification – Southwest Institute of Healing Arts – 2012
PHR Certification – HRCI/Society for Human Resource Management - 2004
HR Certification – Villanova University - 2004
B.S. Management – GPA 3.9; University of Phoenix – 2003
A.A. Liberal Arts – Dean’s List; Burlington County College - 2001
Other educational life experiences include being a Girl Scout Leader, Soccer Coach, yoga teacher and Miss Poppy
What Else: I can move back to the Phoenix area, I really like Arizona - lots of friends and family
I can stay in California, but hate traffic, so need to be living near my workplace
My Mom would love for me to move to the Tampa area
I really love the Big Island of Hawaii, and the other islands are good too
I will not work for a company that produces anything bad for the environment or healthy living
I don’t find work travel fun, occasional is okay, but not routine or frequent