Working World 101

Bridget Graham is a human resources manager and consultant for several companies in the Southern California area. She is a former regional human resources where she was responsible for 5 states in the Midwest region, 2,500 employees, 90 store managers and 6 district managers. She has hired and trained key individuals, developed and facilitated corporate leadership programs, and has also mediated employee conflict within organizations such Nordstrom, Inc., Klein Construction Group, and USCC (a distribution company with clients such as Mars Candy Company). She's been in the think tanks with board members and in the trenches with powerful customers and has always held her own. She loves to speak to large groups and has served as a trainer for hundreds of people in corporate orientations and development sessions.Bridget returned to school in the midst of a successful career to earn a master's degree in communication at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. A native of Chicago, she moved to West Los Angeles a few years ago and has learned an entirely new culture. She strengthened her ability to meet people, connect, network, and develop relationships. While pursuing her studies as a full-time student, Bridget began to work for Malibu Times Magazine and quickly became the editorial assistant and is now, in addition to consulting in human resources, the part-time assistant editor as well as a freelance writer for both the magazine and its sister newspaper. She is also cofounder and editor of TheSavvyGal.com, a website magazine.Part of her assistantship at the university was working with undergraduate students in the journalism department. Whether it was writing for the student publications, coaching new writers on style techniques, or editing work, Bridget developed a sense of who those students are and what they are looking to achieve. A member of Society for Human Resource Professionals, National Communication Association, and the Society of Professional Journalists, Bridget also writes various employee publications such as handbooks, appraisals, and codes of conduct for several companies.