Her Story
About Karli
Karli Kohler is a seasoned human resources executive with more than 20 years of progressive experience spanning recruiting, training and development, employee relations, and senior HR leadership. She currently serves as Senior Vice President of Human Resources at J.C. Hart Company, Inc., where she oversees core HR functions including talent acquisition, performance management, benefits administration, payroll, and risk management and legal compliance. She also serves as fiduciary for the organization’s 401(k) program and leads enterprise-wide wellness initiatives that have significantly increased employee engagement. Her career began in recruiting with Kelly Services before she transitioned into a Training Specialist role at J.D. Byrider, where she spent over a decade advancing through increasingly senior HR positions, including HR Generalist and Regional HR Manager. In that capacity, she supported multi-site operations, managed complex employee relations, and developed training systems and engagement programs that improved communication, onboarding, and team performance. Her work consistently emphasized building scalable HR infrastructure while strengthening workplace culture and operational efficiency. Karli holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from The Ohio State University, graduating summa cum laude, and later earned an MBA from Bowling Green State University. Throughout her leadership at J.C. Hart Company, she has helped support significant organizational growth and contributed to the company being recognized multiple times as one of Indiana’s Best Places to Work. Her professional approach centers on aligning business needs with employee wellbeing, guided by values of integrity, passion, accountability, and gratitude.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Karli
01What do you attribute your success to?
Honestly, I attribute my success to never taking the easy path. Personally and professionally, I've navigated significant challenges that have made me a much more wise and resilient individual.
Throughout my career, I've consistently stayed curious and hungry and thrive on being a continuous learner.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is just having courage. It's easy to complain or let things fester, but if you have the courage to hit it head-on or have a tough conversation, that makes all the difference. If nothing changes, nothing changes. You can sit back and watch it happen or complain, or you can have the courage to get in front of it, even if you might upset some people along the way.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Trust your own voice and have confidence in what you bring to the table. I’ve learned that staying grounded in your values and focusing on what truly motivates you is more important than being influenced by external expectations or setbacks. Growth often comes through experience, including mistakes, and each challenge is an opportunity to learn and improve. My advice to young women entering this field is to stay authentic, remain open-minded, and move forward with persistence while staying true to who you are.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Work-life balance is a significant challenge, especially for customer-facing roles that can't offer remote or hybrid options. Managing generational differences and expectations is another challenge. Managing the high cost of healthcare benefits has been another significant challenge over the past several years.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity is at the core of everything I do, meaning I strive to do the right thing and I believe in holding myself and others accountable. Passion is equally important to me—I seek out passionate people in my work and aim to bring that same energy and enthusiasm in everything I do. Gratitude is also essential; I make a conscious effort to stay appreciative, even on difficult days, because I’ve learned it’s hard to sustain happiness without it.
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