Lucinda Kenning led the Human Capital Management division of the State of Oklahoma for seven years. Lucinda assumed this leadership role at a time of extensive change in the organization of the state’s executive branch agencies as legislation that merged and consolidated administrative functions took effect. Ms. Kenning’s experiences in facilitating and leading the structural reorganization and cultural shift have made her passionate about sharing her experiences and best practices that she learned from the vantage point of a human resources practitioner.
Ms. Kenning’s experience as a change agent begins prior to her tenure in state government. She began her career working for Wal~Mart Stores, Inc. as a Loss Prevention District Manager during a time of rapid growth and regional expansion. Lucinda oversaw and opened multiple stores in the Tampa Bay Area, a new market for the company. At the time, the cultural norm of the company was summed up in their motto, “we can do the difficult today and the impossible tomorrow.” Today, Lucinda models this energetic and optimistic approach in her business consultations.
Lucinda graduated with High Honors in both her undergraduate (1999) and graduate (2005) Business Administration programs at Oklahoma City University. She has been praised for her ability to apply academic principles to real-word environments with solutions that are both evidence-based and implementable.
Ms. Kenning is a seasoned leader in human resources professional organizations and respected mentor. Lucinda is active in the International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR) serving on national-level committees and holding multiple offices, most recently President, of the Southern Region. Ms. Kenning was also a member of the National Association of State Personnel Executives (NASPE), where she served on the Executive Council and received the 2017 President’s Award.
Ms. Kenning is an in-demand speaker at human resources conferences and trainings. Her speaker evaluations applaud her for the enthusiastic and instructive delivery of content that is practically applicable. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor in higher learning institutions and professional seminars teaching in the areas of management ethics, strategic decision making, organizational negotiation, and business communication.
Lucinda is an innovative leader whose mission is to be a catalyst for positive change in the public sector!
Publications: Meltabarger, L., (2016) HR2020 Shifting Perspectives: A Vision for Public Sector HR, Primary Author: Leadership (pp. 7- 9), http://ipma-hr.org/hr2020.
Meltabarger, L., HR News Magazine – IPMA-HR, July 2016, Taking Steps Along the Pathway to Organizational Leadership as an HR Professional, https://www.ipma-hr.org/stay-informed/hr-news-issues/hr-news-issue/hrnews-february-2017, page 5