Chapter Leadership
President
Heather Kissack, PH.D., CTP
Heather brings more than 20 years of progressive human resources leadership experience across diverse industries. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Human Resource Development and is a Certified Training Professional (CTP). Throughout her career, Heather has served as a Chief Human Resources Officer and senior HR leader, where she provided strategic oversight and operational guidance across all major HR functions, including learning and development, policies and compliance, performance management, talent acquisition, total rewards, employee relations, coaching, and job classification and compensation structures.
Heather is the founder and principal consultant of Kissack HR Consulting, where she partners with organizations to strengthen their people strategies and align human resources practices with overall business objectives. Her work focuses on building effective, compliant, and people-centered organizations through practical, results-driven HR solutions.
Contact: President@csshrm.org
President-Elect
Jenée Bargy, M.S. HRM, SHRM-CP, PHR
Jenée holds a Master of Science in Human Resource Management from Colorado State University Global and is a SHRM-Certified Professional (SHRM-CP), with a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification from HRCI, and a SHRM Workplace Investigations Specialty Credential.
Jenée currently works in Talent Acquisition at CDW as a University Recruiter, where she focuses on recruiting, mentoring, and developing early-career professionals. Her professional passion centers on advising college students and emerging talent as they navigate career pathways and opportunities. She regularly presents in university classrooms, coaches student organizations, leads professional development workshops, and supports community youth and career-readiness initiatives. Jenée also shares recruiter insights and career guidance on LinkedIn and has been recognized as a Top Content Creator on Handshake.
At CDW, Jenée serves as Co-Chair Director of the PRIDE Business Resource Group’s Professional Development Committee, helping foster a culture of support, inclusion, and professional growth for coworkers. Continuing her commitment to leadership and service, Jenée is a member of the Junior League of Colorado Springs, and serves as a Member and Ambassador of the Golden Key International Honour Society. Outside of her professional work, Jenée volunteers with Happy Cats Haven, a nonprofit cat shelter, where she supports fundraising, community outreach efforts, and manages HCH’s Instagram social media presence.
Contact: PresidentElect@csshrm.org
Immediate Past President
Mikki Gates, SHRM-SCP
Mikki is the VP of Administration at iDE, where she champions people-first leadership with a global twist. With a passport full of stamps from 50+ countries, Mikki brings international flair to every room she enters. She's also a TEDx curator, DisruptHR speaker, and Fractional CHRO who believes in breaking boundaries and powering people. Former luxury retail leader turned global HR exec, Mikki mixes strategy with soul—and probably has a playlist or travel tip ready for any occasion. Ask her about PTO policies, Ethiopian coffee, or her latest wild idea. Spoiler: it's always fun.
Contact: Foundation@csshrm.org
Secretary
Nina Woodard, MBA, SHRM- SCP
Ms. Woodard serves currently as the President and Chief ‘N’ Sights Officer for Nina E. Woodard & Associates. Ms. Woodard strives to heighten confidence in business leaders as they move into the Indian and other foreign marketplaces, help them increase their understanding of the cultural nuances influencing business in foreign markets, and engage in more meaningful and productive communications with their new colleagues; all to increase business results. In addition to her consulting practice, Ms. Woodard is a Lecturer at UAGC and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. She founded her consulting company after a 32-year banking career with 25 years of emphasis in Human Resource Management at the Executive Level. After being an SHRM member and leader for many years, she launched the SHRM India office as the first Managing Director in 2006, after experiencing the opportunity while on an international assignment.
She has a bachelor’s degree in Management and an MBA and is certified as a Senior Certified Professional by the Society for Human Resource Management and an SPHR/GPHR by HRCI. She serves on the National Global Expertise Panel for SHRM and the California State Council of SHRM as a part of the continuity committee. She is a Business Advisor for Husys Consulting in India and to the Board of Directors for JBS and their VetCTAP program. On July 1, 2022, Nina became the Chair of the Board of Directors for Colorado Springs-based Safe Place for Pets (www.safeplacepets.org) She is the Past President of San Diego SHRM, and following her move to Colorado, she is a member of the Colorado Springs SHRM Chapter. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of Skill Beyond Boundaries as UK based startup.
Contact: secretary@csshrm.org
Treasurer
David Gohn, SHRM-CP
David began his HR path when no one else was willing to take responsibility for the necessary tasks of the position within the organization. This occurred over 25 years ago and started the journey toward constant education and development to become a strong HR Manager for multiple companies in Southern Colorado. With a diverse background in multiple industries, David is able to use an outsider-looking-in mindset to help organizations step up to succeed.
Specializing as an HR of One (even in a company with more than 400 employees), with strong abilities in Benefits and HR systems, he can bring organizations into the digital age and strives to create packages that truly have value to employees. Currently working for Pate Construction Co. in Pueblo, David represents the company as a Board member to the National Utilities Contractors Association Colorado Chapter.
Outside of HR, David works with his wife and daughter in the family insurance agency, GOHN AIS Medicare & More, specializing in Medicare and Individual Health Insurance. His love for his native Colorado and adopted home of Pueblo for more than 30 years, is prevalent in his hobbies and activities in the outdoors including Golf, Fly Fishing, and Trap Shooting.
David holds a Business Administration degree and a Bachelor’s Degree in HR Management from Northern Arizona University. He also holds a SHRM-CP certification along with Licenses for Health & Life Insurance.
Contact: treasurer@csshrm.org
Director of Programs
Emily Buford, SHRM-CP
Emily Buford is a bilingual, SHRM-CP–certified people and programs leader with 13+ years of experience driving organizational effectiveness, talent strategy, and large-scale change. She brings a systems-level perspective to board service, ensuring programs are aligned with mission, people, and long-term sustainability.
A trusted thought partner to senior leaders, Emily has led strategic workforce planning, program design, and enterprise-wide training initiatives that improved engagement, performance, and scalability across multi-site organizations. She is known for building strong stakeholder relationships, leveraging data and analytics to guide decision-making, and coaching leaders through complex change. As Director of Programs, she offers strategic oversight grounded in clarity, inclusion, and measurable impact.
Contact: programs@csshrm.org
Director of Membership
Tammy Truax, MSA, TS, SPHR
Tammy is a strategic HR leader with a diverse background across corporate, government, and military sectors. She specializes in employee relations, benefits and wellbeing, talent development, and workforce planning. Known for aligning people strategies with organizational goals, she has led culture transformation efforts and partnered with senior leaders to build inclusive, high-performing teams.
A retired U.S. Air Force officer, Tammy has served in roles ranging from executive HR leadership to U.S. Senate Fellow, contributing to policy development and strategic workforce initiatives. She holds master’s degrees in International Administration and Strategic Studies, is SPHR-certified, and earned a Certificate in Legislative Studies from Georgetown University. She is passionate about helping others grow and continues to support the HR community through local leadership and volunteer service.
Contact: membership@csshrm.org
Director of Certifications
Patricia Harvey, SHRM-CP, PHR
I’m Patricia Harvey, and I’m excited to share a glimpse into my background. I’ve been a Senior HRM Manager at a large insurance company for the past 22 years. Throughout my career, I’ve been certified as an HR professional and have dedicated 13 years to the field. I’m passionate about certification and believe it’s a valuable tool for career growth and development.
I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to serve as your Certification Director for SHRM SOCO.
Contact: certification@csshrm.org
Director of Technology & Social Media
Kirsten Ellis, SHRM-SCP
Kirsten is an experienced HR and operations professional. She has experience in nonprofit, government contracting, and sports management industries. Kirsten has worked in all facets of HR and considers herself a true generalist. Her areas of passion include learning and development, mentoring, benefits, and compliance.
Kirsten currently works at Employers Council as an HR consultant. She enjoys the problem solving aspect and variety of industries she is able to serve to strengthen the HR community.
Kirsten holds a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from San Diego State University. She is also certified as a Senior Certified Professional by SHRM.
Contact: technology@csshrm.org
Director of Belonging
Jade Johnson-Masuen, SHRM-SCP, PHR
Jade currently works in the Community Development Financing Industry (CDFI) as a Director of People & Culture for Colorado Enterprise Fund (CEF). CEF works to create meaningful impact in Colorado’s communities by providing equitable and affordable business financing for entrepreneurs who cannot access bank loans or other financial resources.
Prior experience includes work in defense, medical, logistics, and with National Governing Body (NGB) of sport employers in the local Colorado Springs area. Jade’s areas of focus include employee relations, labor relations, full-cycle recruiting, engagement, DEI, benefits administration, performance management, and change management.
Jade holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. She also holds her SHRM-SCP, PHR, adult and youth mental health CPR certifications.
Contact: diversity@csshrm.org
Director of Government & Legislative Affairs
Donna Carlson
Donna is a business network architect with 35 years of business and member development experience. Her superpower is connecting business leaders to catalyze greater outcomes together than we can accomplish alone.
She is the founding chair of the Colorado Springs Women Presidents Organization and founding collaborator of the Colorado Springs Community Forum on Mental Health at Work, the subject of her first book, Crazy as Usual, published in 2023.
Today she’s channeled that passion into helping CEOs and HR professionals design employee benefits programs that optimize the human advantage, which is also the subject of her LinkedIN newsletters.
Her view of the community is like a grove of Aspen – interconnected, nourishing each other, and collaborating to raise up the whole community. The proud mom of three daughters who are way smarter than her, Donna lives in Colorado Springs with her husband, Jeff, and her only son, Riley, the eternal puppy.
Contact: legislation@csshrm.org
Director of College Relations
Leah Dolan-Kelley, SHRM-CP
Leah transitioned into the HR role in 2019 at USA Ultimate and earned her SHRM-CP in 2021. She had an untraditional path to HR, having a screenwriting degree and then working in TV Production and Post Production before transitioning to USA Ultimate and a career in HR. Leah loves to rally, encourage and bring people together and loves creating a positive working environment. When Leah's not working you can find her on the trails riding her mountain bike or hiking with her husband and dog.
Contact: collegerelations@csshrm.org
Director of Workforce Readiness
Emma Fig, SPHR, PMP
Emma is the current Director of Workforce Readiness of SHRM SOCO where she is bridging the gap between HR professionals new to the field, transitioning from military and government fields or graduating from college. She previously was an U.S. Air Force Officer, now an IMA Reservist, specializing in the HR career field, holding a master's degree in HR as well as her SPHR certification. She is currently a Senior Resource Manager navigating Government Contracting leveraging 9 years of HR and project management skills. Emma is familiar with VA benefits that can help you fund your SPHR or SHRM certification-reach out now!
She believes the key to success is to always continue learning whether it be personal or professional growth and a vital resource to be inspired is using your network. Please reach out to her on Linked In-she loves to connect with other professionals and learn about what YOU do and how she can help! Ask her about her favorite coffee networking spot, best fiction or self-help book, snowboarding/hiking hobbies, or how to leverage your Linked In! LinkedIn
Contact: workforce@csshrm.org
Director of Southern Colorado Affairs
Toni Martin, SHRM-SCP, SPHR
Toni is currently the Chief Human Resource Officer at the San Luis Valley Behavioral Health Group which is a non-profit organization in Alamosa, CO. The organization has been in existence for 50+ years and works primarily to improve the quality of life for the residents of the San Luis Valley.
Martin has been with the organization for thirty-one years and served in several capacities during that time. Her longest held positions were spent as the organization’s controller and in Human Resources. As the organization grew in size, Martin created the Human Resource department, as it became more evident that there was a need to have this specialty in the ever-changing world of laws and regulations.
Having a passion for change and serving people, she has found her true calling in life. Human Resources is a place she is truly happy. She has worked to get her Senior HR certifications through both SHRM and HRCI and currently holds those certifications along with an Ergonomic evaluation certification as well as a Life Coach certification. During this time, the Human Resources Department has grown and developed into a full-time staff of 4. The total team also includes staff for an on-site café of which Martin supervises. Martin serves as one of 5 members of the Executive Leadership (C-Suite) Team.
In her spare time, she is a mother of 2 and grandmother of 6 and enjoys playing the piano and organ and leading a great choir. She also loves gardening and being outdoors.
