Melody Thomas, SDEI

Experience

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  US Army

  Sept 2002 - Sept 2006

  42A - HR Personnel Specialist

  Worked with inbound and outbound soldiers on the peninsula of South Korea. I was on a special 8 person team strictly assigned to give soldiers return and leave dates for overseas tour and placing them in units. I was then promoted to work solely with the Command Sergeant Major as his personal Specialist doing the same job as mentioned above, but for ALL the Sergeant Majors and Command Sergeant Majors throughout South Korea.

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  Public Storage

  Sept 2006 - May 2008

  Property Manager

  Customer service, manage over 500+ units, sell merchandise, mail out preliminary lien and final lien notices, conduct space rentals, lease agreements, space audits, inventory, have also helped manage several sites throughout the San Diego and East County area.

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  Sprint

  May 2008 - Jun 2011

  Assistant Manager

  Focused on driving revenue producing results by managing the wireless solutions sales process. Responsible for managing the daily activities for a team of sales associates and key holders and organization to ensure the attainment of established sales objectives. Also, manage the area's direct sales initiatives as well as related sales support programs. I maintained the development of customer relationships and prospective accounts. Lastly the absence or additional assistance that may have been needed per store manager fulfilled that position as well. Show less

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  World Finance

  Oct 2011 - Feb 2015

  Assistant Branch Manager

  Makes effective outside collection calls and reports activities to the Branch Manager, telephones past-due customers, adjusts past-due payment for current slow customers, makes a detailed written description and appraises the value of security and other customer collateral, prepares written comments regarding the condition of collateral, recommends amount and term for loans, assists in making monthly loan volume standards by soliciting loans over the telephone and at the counter, transports money, deposits and computer disks to and from the bank with the appropriate escorts defined by policy, obtains working knowledge of the business by taking training development exercises as directed by the Branch Manager and District Supervisor, submits weekly progress reports, maintains daily tabulation of delinquency report, as prescribed by law, provides customer credit experience to inquiring creditors and credit bureaus, takes and processes credit loan applications, completes loan documents, accepts and posts counter payments, opens and posts mail payments, closes current renewal loans, assists in mailing renewal material to customer, assists in mailing collection material to past-due customers, performs other duties as assigner or required. Show less

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  Augusta Sportswear

  Feb 2015 - Sept 2016

  Credit and Collections Manager

  Place outbound collection calls to customers with past due invoices, place outbound calls regarding overage in credit limits, place outbound calls regarding pending orders. Other duties include but not limited to receiving inbound calls, processing payments over the phone via credit card or ach bank draft, and maintaining an effective professional relationship with our customers regarding the product sold and the payment remitted for quality goods.

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  Bennett International Group

  Sept 2016 - Jul 2019

  Substantiates applicants' skills by administering and scoring tests, schedules examinations by coordinating appointments, welcomes new employees to the organization by conducting orientation, provides payroll information by collecting time and attendance records, submits employee data reports by assembling, preparing, and analyzing data, maintains employee information by entering and updating employment and status-change data, provides secretarial support by entering, formatting, and printing information; organizing work; answering the telephone; relaying messages; maintaining equipment and supplies; maintains employee confidence and protects operations by keeping human resource information confidential, maintains quality service by following organization standards, maintains technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing publications, contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed. Show less Collecting and processing payments, ensuring all work is accurate and completed by the appropriate deadlines, while processing statements and keeping a good line of communication with internal and external customers. Other duties are as follows: follow up,collect and allocate payments, generate and review AR aging to ensure compliance, monitor customer account details for non-payments, delayed payments and other irregularities, print & send monthly statements to customers, communicate with customers, sales team and Retailers regarding billing, collections and other AR issues.Other duties not limited to and done as needed: process adjustments, perform account reconciliations, collect data and prepare monthly metrics, provide support to the team, including assisting with the month-end close processing when necessary as well as participate in improvement activities at department/company level to enhance business performance. Show less

  • HR Assistant Manager and Wellness Coordinator

    Nov 2017 - Jul 2019

  • Accounts Receivable Manager

    Sept 2016 - Nov 2017
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  Best Lawyers

  Jul 2019 - Mar 2022

  In this hybrid role, I have a broad knowledge of human resources functions, from hiring to onboarding and from employee compensation to evaluation. As the HR Manager and Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Leader I take the lead on creating, running, and measuring the impact of cultural programs and initiatives. I am also integral in furthering our company’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. With a passion for HR and a champion of cultural behaviors, I act as an advocate for employees as well as a facilitator of best practices and procedures.My role is far from one-dimensional as there's a wide range of HR tasks, like organizing training, administering employee benefits and leaves, and crafting HR policies. I use a mix of Paycor, Employee Navigator, and internally developed organization systems to ensure all employee records are up-to-date and confidential. The goal is to ensure business and culture compliance to deliver maximum value to the organization as a whole. My expanded focus now includes:•Promote HR and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs to create an efficient and conflict-free workplace•Help expand and empower employee resource groups•Plan and launch company-wide diversity, equity, & inclusion initiatives – i.e. VTO program•Establish and maintain relationships with external organizations that align with diversity, equity, and inclusion objectives•Ability to take on different tasks, including tasks outside of the realm of HR•Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and aptitude in problem-solving•Desire to work as a team with a result-driven approach•Strong influencing skills with the ability to motivate employees •Proactive and flexible nature to pivot fast-moving environment Show less

  • HR Manager and Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Leader

    Jun 2021 - Mar 2022

  • Human Resources Manager

    Nov 2020 - Jun 2021

  • Human Resources Generalist

    Jul 2019 - Nov 2020
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  Saga Education

  Apr 2022 - now

  HR Manager, Employee Relations and DEI&B

  Serving as an integral part of the employee experience, I am responsible for supporting the strategy of ongoing employee engagement throughout the organization from onboarding to offboarding. In my role, I act as a consultant to management on employee relations challenges, create and implement best practices and policies, as well as manage employee recognition and performance management programs. It's imperative I work collaboratively with all department leaders across the organization to ensure a positive and consistent employee experience.As the committee chair for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in support of employee relations concerns, I ensure the resolution is in alignment with Saga’s culture and DEIB framework. Working in congress with an established committee to further initiatives and guide the planning and implementation of local and organization-wide events promotes Saga's mission for its employees and the communities it serves. Show less