Stacey Berger, MBA
Founder of Be The Place To Work. HR executive, U.S. Coast Guard veteran, and certified coach and assessment practitioner.
Stacey Berger is an executive-level HR professional with 30+ years of experience in talent strategy, organizational performance, and operational excellence across highly regulated and mission-driven environments.
She has led talent management at Blue Cross of Idaho and directed people experience at PEAK6 Investments and Valiant Integrated Services, where she served as HR business partner to executive leadership. Earlier, she held operations and program leadership roles at Cubic Global Defense and HR, employee relations, and learning and development roles at HSBC. She began her career as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard, serving on active and reserve duty.
The name of the practice reflects the work she has focused on throughout her career: helping organizations become a place where people want to work, grow, and stay. At Valiant she led the Best Place to Work campaign and culture development. At Blue Cross of Idaho her talent management function is focused on making the company a destination employer of choice.
Her experience spans start-ups through large enterprises, and her background in program management, operations, and contingency planning shapes a practical, organized approach to HR work.
Industries
Career history
A summary of leadership roles and selected results.
- 2023 to present
Director, Talent Management
Blue Cross of Idaho- Leads the organization's talent management function, with the objective of making the company a destination employer of choice
- Talent reviews and succession planning; culture, engagement, and change management initiatives
- Leadership and employee development programs; talent management program development
- Talent technology, including AI adoption; performance management design; vendor management
- 2022 to present
Director, People Experience
PEAK6 Investments- Leads the parent-company Center of Excellence for talent acquisition and HR across seven lines of business, including trading, FinTech, EdTech, insurance, and e-sports, with ongoing acquisition activity
- HR business partner to executive leadership
- Workday implementation lead for firm-wide training and talent
- Talent Acquisition Strategic Plan and Head of Recruiting for the firm
- Developed and facilitated leadership development and management training programs, including the six-week Manage Like A Boss program
- Employee engagement baseline survey, stakeholder survey, and performance management process
- 2018 to 2022
Director, People Experience
Valiant Integrated Services- Led the Center of Excellence for People Experience for a 5,500+ employee base, covering talent acquisition, organization design, recruiting, communications, learning and development, and strategic initiatives
- HR business partner to executive leadership
- Developed the Talent Acquisition Strategic Plan, DEI Strategic Plan, Executive Selection Process, Succession Planning Process, Performance Management Process, and Compensation Program
- Built the NextExec high-potential program, Leadership Mastermind, mentoring program, 360 feedback, management training curriculum, and Valiant University
- Led the Best Place to Work campaign and culture development
- 2009 to 2018
Operations Director; Program Manager
Cubic Global Defense- Operations lead for about 3,200 employees and about $300M in operating revenue, covering operational and financial reporting, communications, recruiting of key personnel, executive meetings, and proposal management
- Led the 2018 relocation to a new Valiant site as key decision maker and employee change manager, managing 40 vendor relationships and finishing on time
- As Program Manager and CBRNE Homeland Defense Analyst, managed an agricultural defense program for the Department of Homeland Security and the State of Texas: 110 deliverables, 60 resources, completed ahead of schedule and within budget
- 2001 to 2010
Assistant Vice President, HR Manager and Senior Employee Relations Consultant; Assistant Vice President, Learning and Development Manager
HSBC (Household Finance)- Nationwide Employee Relations Specialist for a 55,000-employee U.S. base; conducted hundreds of employee relations investigations
- Managed a confidential reduction in force of more than 900 employees
- Executed 10 performance management processes for 2,300 employees
- Managed five incentive design cycles producing 200 plans; administered 75 active plans that paid more than $300M in incentive compensation
- Led learning and development for about 1,500 employees in five locations with a $1M budget, and was awarded a $1.9M California Employment Training Panel contract
- Selected for the inaugural 17-month Accelerated Management Program, with rotations across HR, L&D, risk management, underwriting, sales, collections, and financial accounting
- 1997 to 2007
Lieutenant, United States Coast Guard
National Strike Force (active duty) and Sector San Diego (reserve)- Managed 30 active duty and 30 reserve personnel, a $10M inventory, and a $1M budget
- Trained more than 700 federal, state, and local agencies worldwide on the Incident Response System
- Authored a published paper on fatigue in emergency responders for the 2001 International Oil Spill Conference and implemented the first USCG HAZMAT fatigue standards
- Served as local Civil Rights Officer; certified instructor, facilitator, and Port Security Officer
Education and certifications
Formal education in business and science, combined with certifications in strengths, behavioral, and leadership assessment.
Education
Certifications
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