Deirdre Hargrove-Krieghoff
Deirdre is an experienced HR and Operations professional who has spent more than 25 years serving in various roles in human resource leadership, operations, and development, in both private and nonprofit spaces. She has demonstrated a leadership and collaborative style through her work as an organizational development coach and consultant, HR leader, and diversity and equity advocate.
She most recently worked at the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) where she served as the Chief of HR and Senior Executive for Workforce Development. During her tenure at Madison Metropolitan School District, Deirdre was responsible for developing and executing a human resource strategy that aligned to the district strategic plan, in the areas of succession planning, talent acquisition and retention, change management, organizational and performance management, training and development, and compensation.
She supported several improvement efforts including the redesign of the teacher screening and selection process, principal compensation, employee benefits and the launch of employee affinity groups. During her tenure the HR team increased their department diversity by 30%, district administrator diversity by close to 10% and teacher diversity to 15%.
Prior to working at MMSD Deirdre served as the VP of Workforce Development for the Urban League of Greater Madison (ULGM). In this role, Deirdre guided the league’s initiatives to advance equity, inclusion, and retention of diverse talent in workplaces operating within the Urban League’s service territory. She achieved results by designing programming, training, and development that transitioned ULGM members back into the workforce. Deirdre was able to oversee a 50% increase in client employment opportunities, improved service delivery for training and programming, and the launch of a job ready program for dis enrolled high school students.
Deirdre is a trained Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Examiner. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Communications from Concordia University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.