Heather Russell
About Heather Russell
Heather Russell serves as the Head of People Programs at Handshake, where she develops scalable solutions for employee learning and development. Previously, she worked at Carta as a People Strategy & Projects Manager and holds a Bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies & English and a Master's degree in Organizational Leadership from California Baptist University.
Current Role at Handshake
Heather Russell serves as the Head of People Programs at Handshake, a position she has held since 2022. In this role, she focuses on developing scalable solutions for learning and development programs aimed at employees worldwide. Her responsibilities include creating a comprehensive People infrastructure that standardizes processes for onboarding, performance goal setting, tracking, reviews, and compensation.
Previous Experience at Carta
Before joining Handshake, Heather Russell worked at Carta as the People Strategy & Projects Manager from 2019 to 2022. During her three years at Carta, she contributed to various projects that enhanced the company's people strategy and operational effectiveness.
Educational Background
Heather Russell completed her Bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies and English at California Baptist University, where she studied from 2014 to 2015. She later pursued a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership at the same institution, achieving her degree in 2019 after 11 months of study.
Professional Focus and Passion
Heather Russell has a strong passion for aligning business needs with people strategies to enhance organizational performance. Her work emphasizes the importance of integrating employee development with overall business objectives, ensuring that both the workforce and the organization thrive.