Mariama Whalen
Mariama Whalen is an employment law and workforce strategy leader with more than a decade of experience guiding organizations and employees through complex labor relations, compliance, and conflict resolution. She is the founder of PCE WINS, LLC, where she provides fractional HR leadership, grievance and arbitration advocacy, and strategic workforce solutions for businesses, nonprofits, and public agencies. Her work centers on translating legal complexity into clear, actionable guidance while fostering equitable and high-performing workplace cultures.
Throughout her career, Mariama has held senior roles in labor and employee relations, including Chief Labor Negotiator, Labor/Employee Relations Officer, and Employee Relations Manager. She brings extensive experience in collective bargaining, policy development, employee coaching, investigations, and performance management, consistently balancing organizational strategy with fairness and procedural integrity.
In her current role as Human Resources Director at UWC-USA, Mariama oversees HR operations and workforce strategy, ensuring policies, working conditions, and institutional practices align with legal standards and ethical best practices.
Mariama also integrates creativity into her professional voice through her podcast, Working with Demons and Witches, where she explores workplace dynamics, power structures, and employment law through storytelling and thoughtful commentary.
She holds a Juris Master in U.S. Law from Liberty University and a Master’s in Organizational Leadership from Claremont Lincoln University. Guided by principles of compliance, consistency, and compassion, Mariama is committed to building sustainable workplaces rooted in trust, accountability, and long-term organizational health.
• Certified Arbitrator
• Certified Labor Relations Professional
• Liberty University- J.M.
• Claremont Lincoln University- M.A.
• Liberty University- Bachelor's
• Society of Human Resources
• NPELRA (National Public Employee Relations Association)
• Skills for a Cause
• PCE WINS Consulting,LLC.
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to sustained engagement in workforce strategy, a deep commitment to continuous learning, and a service-oriented mindset that allows me to meet the needs of both organizations and employees with compliance, compassion, and consistency. I am particularly inspired by the principles of humanocracy, as articulated by Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini, and strive to cultivate workplace systems that elevate human potential while maintaining accountability and operational rigor.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received is that work and money are intimate forces in people’s lives that must be handled with intention and care. I was encouraged to operate at the level I aspire to, not the level I’ve been assigned and to go where I am celebrated, not merely tolerated.
Above all, I was taught that influence carries responsibility; to impact my community in a positive way, and be kind on purpose. Success without integrity is hollow, but leadership grounded in both competence and character creates real change.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
To young women entering this industry, I would say: be intentional about your network and unapologetic about your boundaries. Build relationships with other women leaders, share your experiences, and collaborate generously, but never sacrifice your unique lived experience.
Practice empathy and discernment. Give yourself permission to say no when something compromises your values or your capacity. Longevity in this field requires both competence, courage and the confidence to know you belong in every room you enter.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges in HR and employment law today include navigating limited visibility around nontraditional career pathways, managing intergenerational workforce dynamics, and addressing the complex intersection of race, gender, and power in workplace experiences. These issues require both legal precision and cultural intelligence.
At the same time, there is tremendous opportunity. We have the ability to elevate these conversations through storytelling, data-informed strategy, and stronger professional networks. By centering equity, transparency, and accountability, HR leaders can help redesign workplaces in ways that are both compliant and genuinely human-centered.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Compassion, compliance, and consistency anchor both my professional and personal life. I believe structure without empathy can feel rigid, and empathy without structure can feel unstable. Leadership requires both!
My commitment to this work is rooted in lived experience. I have faced my own workforce challenges and understand what it means to need guidance and not have it. That perspective drives me to create clarity where there is confusion and balance where there is tension. I find real joy in helping people understand not only why policies exist, but also what rights and protections they hold within them. That intersection is where trust is built.
Equally important to me is connection. I value networking with women, sharing experiences, and learning from one another’s journeys. When we exchange knowledge and extend empathy intentionally, we don’t just navigate systems, we strengthen them together.