Kendra Hutchins
Kendra is an accomplished Human Resources professional with more than seven years of experience leading HR operations, employee relations, and benefits administration within fast-paced manufacturing and operations environments. Currently serving as HR Manager for a multistate organization supporting more than 170 employees across three locations, she oversees all facets of human resources as a department of one, including recruitment, performance management, compliance, employee engagement, management coaching, and benefits strategy. Known for her approachable leadership style and strong employee advocacy, Kendra has built a reputation for creating a workplace culture where employees feel supported, respected, and empowered. Her career journey reflects resilience, adaptability, and a passion for serving others. After re-entering the workforce as a single mother determined to build a meaningful career, Kendra transitioned from administrative support into HR leadership by consistently taking initiative and expanding her responsibilities. Through hands-on experience across office management, operations, onboarding, and employee counseling, she developed a comprehensive understanding of organizational leadership and people management. Her ability to balance compassion with accountability has made her a trusted resource for both employees and executive leadership teams. Prior to her current role, Kendra held leadership and HR positions with organizations including Alpha & Omega Mounted Patrol and 8th Wonder Events & Promotions, where she managed daily operations, staffing, compliance initiatives, and employee programs. She also played a key role in developing workplace policies, leading COVID-related operational protocols, and supporting organizational growth in highly dynamic environments. Passionate about changing the perception of HR as an intimidating function, Kendra is committed to fostering transparency, communication, and servant leadership in every aspect of her work.
• The Woodlands High School
• University of Phoenix
• SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management)
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to a few key things. First, there's the younger me who knew that helping people somehow was - I don't want to say my calling, that sounds so cliche, but truly, that's what I feel like. I just didn't know what that looked like back then. I had several customer service gigs in my younger days, but I was also raised to have exceptional work ethic and those good old Southern values where a person's word meant more than anything. Second, my husband has been instrumental - he pushed me to take the leaps when I was scared to death to take on new roles that scared me, but those opportunities have helped shape my career and molded me to who I am today professionally. And finally, the first person who saw the potential in me long before I did when I landed my first full HR position - that person's belief in me made all the difference.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received came when I was in management before moving into HR, and I was really struggling to have hard conversations with people. They made me uncomfortable, and it totally showed - I would come across brash and really matter-of-fact just to get them over with, which wasn't well received by my subordinates. I brought this up with my VP at the time and asked if he had any advice for me. He told me, 'Kendra, remember, sometimes the delivery of the message is sometimes more important than the message itself.' I never forgot that. Since then, I've had to have plenty of hard conversations - those never stop in my field - but I've learned to not only implement that in my tougher conversations with people, but I've also tried to teach that to our managers and first-line supervisors with their subordinates as well. People are open with you when you have more compassion, because compassion can take you places with people that a strong arm and a hammer can't.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
First, HR is not for everyone, and not everyone is for HR. I think people that are in my field, it's one of those if-you-know-you-know kind of things, it's not for everyone. It takes a very special type of person to be in that field.
But I will say this:1) Put yourself in the room with people smarter than you. Put your ego aside and listen. 2) Watch the successful people that you're affiliated with, how they move, be a sponge, and then build on that. 3) But just be yourself. People can see right through you if you're not being your authentic self, and sometimes I feel like you get less respect for that. Those are three really good pieces of advice.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I work in a very blue-collar, male-dominated industry, so working with other male managers and people in the company presents some challenges being one of 12 females in the entire company, and I'm just one of just a few in a position of some sort of authority. The biggest challenge is making sure that I'm approachable enough to come to me as the HR person when they're feeling very vulnerable or have things that are very uncomfortable to talk about, but also be taken seriously enough when it matters. I feel like I've earned the respect from my colleagues, but that does not happen overnight. Building relationships with your colleagues and taking the time to listen and make them feel heard and advocate for them when needed is so crucial in addition to serving the company.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Compassion is incredibly important to me. Not only do I have a very demanding career, but I'm also a mom and a wife with a teenager who just turned 14 and twin 2-year-old toddlers. Being able to balance managing a full-time career and growth with really big things at work, and then coming home to clock into my second shift with all the extracurriculars my daughter's involved with - we're very busy folks. I think remembering that I'm not the only one that does this helps me in my career on the human side of things. I remember that a lot of my colleagues also have their own families and things going on that I may not have any idea about, so compassion just goes a long way in the workplace and outside of the workplace. I also think just really considering other people is so important. Even if it's not at work, you don't know what kind of day someone is having. Someone cuts you off on the road, someone may be ugly to you at the store - you just never know what that person is going through. So I feel like compassion and doing the right thing, integrity - those things are just so important, not just in the workplace, but just in general, every day-to-day life.