Her Story
About Kristen
Kristen Guy is a seasoned human resources executive with more than two decades of experience helping organizations build strong cultures, develop talent, and drive business success through strategic people leadership. Currently serving as Assistant Vice President of Human Resources at Evenflo Company, Inc., she leads initiatives focused on talent management, employee relations, organizational development, leadership growth, and workforce engagement. Known for her collaborative leadership style and commitment to fostering inclusive workplaces, Kristen partners closely with executive teams to align people strategies with organizational objectives while creating environments where employees can thrive.
Kristen's journey into human resources began during her time at Penn State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Psychology. While exploring career opportunities beyond traditional counseling roles, she was mentored by Richard Washington, a guidance advisor who helped her discover the broad career possibilities available through her degree. Through the Enroads internship program, Kristen was placed on a corporate human resources track and gained hands-on experience at Verizon Wireless. That pivotal opportunity introduced her to the HR profession and laid the foundation for a career dedicated to supporting both people and business growth. Over the years, she has held progressive leadership positions across higher education, healthcare, nonprofit organizations, and consumer products, consistently delivering impactful solutions in employee relations, talent development, succession planning, performance management, and organizational effectiveness.
At the heart of Kristen's work is a passion for ensuring employees have the support, resources, and opportunities they need to succeed. Her expertise is rooted in employee relations and organizational development, with a particular focus on talent management and creating high-performing workplace cultures. Each day begins with a leadership practice called "Win the Day," a focused team discussion centered on priorities and goals, setting the tone for collaboration and accountability. From advising business leaders and supporting workforce initiatives to enhancing employee engagement and guiding strategic HR programs, Kristen serves as a trusted partner who helps keep the organization moving forward. Her dedication to people, leadership development, and organizational excellence continues to make her a respected and influential leader in the human resources profession.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kristen
01What do you attribute your success to?
Being flexible to learn is something I attribute my success to. Even though I've been in the industry for 20 years, there are still things that I can learn. Being able to take guidance and feedback is important, but it's also important that you're able to stand up for and be firm with what you know to be true in order to be a good contributor. Having that balance to be able to receive feedback, but also making sure that you're giving input that could be of value to someone else, is key. And just do better for yourself every day - not necessarily being able to prove to someone else, but each day if you can say, hey, I did my best and I did better for me, then it will also shine through to everybody else.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is about networking and collaboration. Making sure that you are always connecting, and then also collaborating. You may not always see eye to eye with your teammates or even externally, however, just keeping an open mind and having that spirit of flexibility to get to root causes and middle ground in order to do what's best for the organization will always make you a successful colleague. Building your network and always keeping in connection with people, and also internally, just being a great business partner and being a collaborative colleague, always brings success.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be agile. Be able to learn, be able to be vocal, but also be receptive of feedback. Find good partners and allies in your organization - just someone that you can have a thought session with, that can validate things that you might not understand, but also validate things that you know are the right direction. Building that network and having a collaborative spirit goes a long way, but also being able to be flexible and receptive to all types of feedback, whether it's constructive or positive. And just do better for yourself every day. Not necessarily being able to prove to someone else, but each day, if you can say, hey, I did my best, and I did better for me, then it also will shine through to everybody else.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I feel like being a good colleague in the sense of collaboration is important. Honesty and transparency is one that I lean on a lot. Also, having empathy - being able to have empathy for anyone. There are so many conflicts and conversations going on in our society right now, so to be able to just have an open mind, an open ear, and to empathize with people's experiences is an important value that I like to display all the time.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.