Her Story
About Kimberly
Kimberly John-Burns, PHR, is a human resources professional serving as an HR Admin Project Analyst with Grifols, where she supports projects across HR operations, onboarding, pre-employment processes, payroll, HR technology, and employee communications. Her work focuses on improving accuracy, compliance, efficiency, and the overall employee experience. She collaborates with Employee Relations, Compliance, Benefits, Recruitment, HR Technology, IT, and other stakeholders to implement and improve HR processes and systems.
Kimberly brings extensive professional experience spanning human resources, business analysis, operations, financial services, and process improvement. Before joining Grifols, she spent more than nine years as a Human Resources Analyst with Movement Matters Rehabilitation, where she supported HR operations, payroll, employee performance processes, technology implementation, and workflow improvements. Earlier in her career, she spent 18 years with Morgan Stanley as a Business Analyst, working across capital markets operations, process management, reconciliation, training, and cross-functional coordination. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Long Island University and holds the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification from HRCI and the Professional Scrum Master™ I (PSM I) certification from Scrum.org.
Beyond her professional responsibilities, Kimberly is committed to community service and youth development. She serves as Vice Chairwoman of the Board of Directors for Heads Up For Our Youth, where she helps lead initiatives including annual back-to-school and holiday programs, fundraising activities, and professional development opportunities for young people. She also founded Common Stake Group in 2018, focusing on financial education and budgeting guidance. Kimberly credits her success to the support of her family and emphasizes continuous learning, intentional career choices, and personal development. Her professional approach is grounded in family, faith, self-care, learning, and a commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for others.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kimberly
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the support of my family. They had become accustomed to seeing me work behind the scenes, but my husband, in particular, consistently encouraged me to recognize that I was capable of doing much more. That support gave me the confidence to step outside of my comfort zone, pursue entrepreneurship, and put myself out there professionally in ways I had not done before.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
As I have grown older and gained more experience, I have learned that I do not have to say yes to every opportunity or assignment. I have become much more mindful and selective about the work I take on, focusing on opportunities where I know I can give 100 percent of my effort and where I am genuinely passionate about the work. My experience in entrepreneurship and coaching helped reinforce the importance of being intentional about where I invest my time and energy.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would encourage young women entering human resources to never stop learning. Take advantage of the classes and development opportunities offered by your organization, but also pursue external courses and education on your own. Human resources is such a broad field with many different specialties and areas of expertise, so continuously expanding your knowledge can help you broaden your perspective, strengthen your skills, and discover new opportunities within the profession.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I see significant opportunities in talent acquisition, while employee retention continues to be an ongoing challenge. Addressing retention requires organizations to consistently listen to their employees through surveys and other forms of feedback, understand their needs, and provide meaningful opportunities for learning and professional growth. Turnover will always be a challenge in human resources, so organizations need to remain attentive to employee needs and continually look for ways to create an environment where people want to stay and grow.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My most important values are family, my belief in God, and self-care. Everything I do is ultimately connected to my family and my desire to make decisions that benefit them. I also strive to put God first in everything I do while making sure that I take care of myself along the way. Maintaining that balance is important to how I approach both my personal life and my professional responsibilities.
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