Sam Thayer

Sam Thayer, SPHR, serves as the VP of Human Resources for Compass Group, a major food service and facilities management company, since December 2001. In this role, Sam leads People Operations and Analytics, focusing on government reporting, data mining, and predictive modeling to uncover trends and opportunities within a workforce of over 305,000 employees across North America. Prior to this position, Sam held roles including Senior HR Specialist at Suburban Lodges of America and Branch Manager at Kelly Services, where responsibilities spanned employee relations, safety compliance, and operational management. Early career experience includes working as a Financial Analyst at MCI Telecommunications. Sam holds a Master’s degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a BBA in Finance from the University of North Georgia.