Erin Mies brings more than twenty years of experience in human resources. She began her career with General Mills, where she spent ten years working in HR leadership and then transitioned to leading campus recruiting for corporate functions. Erin moved back into HR leadership when she joined Land O'Lakes, in the Purina Animal Nutrition business. It was during this time when Erin's interest in agriculture was sparked. Erin is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's School of Labor and Employment Relations where she teaches change management in the.Erin holds her Bachelor of Arts in Music (Harp) and Economics from Wittenberg University (Ohio), and her Master of Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She and her husband, Joe, reside in Minnesota with their three children, Evan, Grant, and Josselyn. Kristen Ireland has more than twenty-five years of experience consulting and coaching executives, leaders and managers in both for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. She spent more than eleven years at Land O'Lakes cultivating her HR experience. She held roles as HR leader for the crop inputs business, international business, and international development. Additionally, Kristen worked in Organizational Effectiveness focusing on leadership development and organization-wide change initiatives. Kristen earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is also a certified Change Practitioner from PROSCI and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's School of Labor and Employment Relations, where she teaches change management. Kristen lives in Minnesota with her husband and family.
"""The People Spark(R) will help you understand and unlock this timeless secret: Your employees and your company culture are the biggest determiners of success. Kristen and Erin's approach to creating an engaged workforce is simple, attainable, and scalable. - Chris Rupiper, CEO, Prairie State Tractor ""The People Spark (R) is a practical, easy-to-follow roadmap for developing a values-based culture for your organization. As a 30-year veteran of the retail industry, I have absolute confidence that Kristen and Erin keenly understand real-world business dynamics and know what it takes to transform your business culture."" - Michelle Gronek, Retail Solutions Manager at a large agricultural cooperative ""Erin and Kristen are uncommonly good at what they do: leveraging their decades of wisdom and experience for your business success. The People Spark(R) helps leaders identify where change is needed and, most importantly, shows how to implement those changes. My advice? Keep this book on your desk and refer to it often."" - Tom Bressner, Executive Director, Wisconsin Agri-Business Association ""Building an impactful culture is the most important aspect of any successful team or business. It is often the most difficult thing to do. Erin and Kristen do an excellent job outlining what it takes to build a transformational and lasting culture. A tremendous read for leaders at all levels of business as well as future leaders."" - Brian Gier, Vice President Sales Alltech"