Maria James

Maria James, MBA, has an extensive work experience in the field of human resources. Maria currently holds the position of Director of People Services at Lakeshore Learning Materials, where they assist leaders in optimizing people, strategy, structure, and process. Maria provides coaching, consulting, and advice on various aspects of people services and supports talent management initiatives.

Prior to their current role, Maria worked at Vance & Hines as the Human Resources Director and Manager. Maria was responsible for handling employee relations, labor management, and maintaining HRIS databases.

Before that, they served as an Executive Team Leader and HR Manager at Target for over a decade. Maria'sresponsibilities included delivering excellent service to clients and employees, resolving problems, and managing labor and employee relations issues.

Maria's early career includes working as a Human Resources Generalist at Teledyne Technologies Incorporated. In this role, they were involved in talent acquisition, new hire orientations, managing HR metrics, and providing support to HR management.

Overall, Maria James brings a wealth of experience and expertise in people services and human resources.

Maria James completed their Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a specialization in Business Administration and Management, and a minor in Human Resources from the University of Redlands in 2009. Prior to that, they earned a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Business Administration with a focus on Human Resources Management from California State University-Long Beach - College of Business in the years 2002-2006. Maria has also pursued additional certifications, including the Hispanic & Latino Executive Leadership Program from McKinsey & Company, to be obtained in 2024, and is currently working towards obtaining the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) Certification.