Laura Woolford
Fractional Chief People Officer
Laura Woolford boasts a transformative career shaping HR landscapes at GoDaddy, Tesla, and GE.
With expertise in Leadership Development, Coaching, and Organizational Effectiveness, she guides teams to uncover purpose, fueling fulfillment and performance.
Laura's strategic finesse translates business visions into tangible people strategies, fostering diverse, skilled teams. Rooted in empathy, she empowers leaders and employees alike, propelling careers and business triumphs.
- Laura Woolford
"People are a company's greatest asset. Invest in them and your business will thrive."
Empathetic Strategist
Laura is a creator and a builder.
Known for tapping into her empathy, she quickly builds trusting relationships with people at all levels in an organization. She believes HR must be able to walk the line between employee advocacy and business partnership on a consistent basis.
Often called “not your typical HR person”, she receives the most satisfaction when she is able to work with leaders and teams, bringing together her strategic thinking and her human-first approach, to guide them on a journey to realize their full potential.
Education
1996-1998
Michigan State University
Masters, Labor & Industrial Relations & Human Resource Management
1991-1995
Purdue University
BA, Sociology & History
Experience
Since 2023
Wisdom HR Group
Founder and Executive Consultant
2021-2023
AlertMedia
Chief People Officer
2019-2021
GoDaddy
VP of Human Resources
Skills
Leadership Development
Organizational Effectiveness
Coaching
Core Competency
Visionary
Laura possesses a visionary outlook that transforms HR landscapes and shapes organizations.
Empathy
Rooted in empathy, she empowers both leaders and employees to thrive.
Strategist
Laura's strategic finesse translates business visions into actionable people strategies, fostering success.
THE
NUMBERS
EXPERIENCE
25+
25+ years in HR with over 17 growing and leading some pretty amazing global teams.
INDUSTRIES
9
including aerospace, SaaS, automotive, transportation, tech, financial, energy
LOCATIONS
13
A self described nomad, Laura has lived in 13 states throughout her life, which enabled her to develop resilience and adaptability which she leverages in her work with clients.
STRENGTHS
5
Empathy, Individualization, Developer, Activator, Strategic. This unique combination of strengths has empowered Laura to deliver amazing results for her clients.
Happy Customers
What they're saying
Laura and I worked together during my time at GoDaddy and she was a fantastic business partner. Laura's vast background and experiences are second to none, and it allows her to provide valuable knowledge and insights into business situations that arise. Laura is strategic, but also tactical, and is someone that can be relied upon, along with her team. I enjoyed every interaction I had while working with Laura, and would highly recommend her and work with her again, without hesitation!
Jerry Gallegos,
Senior Vice President
I had the privilege of reporting to Laura in her role as CPO at AlertMedia. Laura is such a force! She can navigate board and executive conversations while leading a team that has ambitious goals and also is accessible to anyone who may need support. Laura has a deep understanding of business strategy, and I have always been impressed by how she is able to bring best practices into play, while respecting the unique nature of a team or business. Laura is a human-centered leader, and is skilled at rallying a team behind her that crushes goals and asks "what if..." in order to excel beyond the status quo. Laura is so unbelievably smart, engaging, and inspiring, and created a team at AlertMedia that was incredibly high-performing and devoted to the vision! Any company or team would be so lucky to have her expertise.
Charissa Stowers, Senior Director of Learning and Development
Laura is a strong, compassionate people leader. She grew and guided her team at GoDaddy through the Covid pandemic. During that time, I saw many leaders struggle with the pivot to managing remote teams but I didn't experience it myself since I reported to Laura. She's round-table leader where anyone can have the best idea and help build the direction. Laura clearly builds a roadmap and then trusts her people to walk that road to the finish line. In my experience with Laura, I watched her tackle long-term unsolved issues in our organization and create meaningful progress toward success. Laura is widely experienced in the People function and her guidance/leadership will be an asset to any organization she works with.
Rich Van Meter, Senior Director of Customer Service
Laura Woolford
Welcome to a leadership series "A day in the life of a fractional executive". As Fractional executives, our days are dynamic, filled with challenges, but ultimately rewarding when we see our strategies come to life and drive success for our clients.