Human resources has quietly become one of the most consequential functions inside modern organizations. What was once viewed as an administrative or compliance-centered role now sits squarely at the intersection of strategy, culture, risk management, and execution. Few roles translate executive vision into operational reality as directly—or as continuously—as HR leadership.
Against that backdrop, Women We Admire has announced its list of The Rising Star Women Leaders in Human Resources for 2025, recognizing a new generation of HR leaders already carrying enterprise-level responsibility and earning deep trust within their organizations.
This year’s honorees stand out not only for their titles, but for the scope of influence they command: overseeing global workforces, guiding transformation, embedding learning into operations, and navigating the human side of growth, restructuring, and compliance in increasingly complex environments.
Why Rising HR Leaders Matter More Than Ever
The timing of this recognition is telling. As organizations contend with skills shortages, AI-driven change, distributed workforces, and rising regulatory scrutiny, HR leaders are no longer support players. They are central to workforce planning, talent strategy, employee experience, and organizational resilience.
Today’s HR executives are expected to:
-
Align people strategy with business growth
-
Lead change execution during uncertainty
-
Balance compliance with culture and engagement
-
Translate executive intent into day-to-day reality
The women recognized by Women We Admire exemplify this shift—operating at scale, influencing outcomes, and redefining what leadership in HR looks like early in their careers.
Jennifer Budveit: Global Leadership at Enterprise Scale
Among this year’s honorees is Jennifer Budveit, Senior Director and Global Head of Leadership Development at PVH Corp., the parent company of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.
With more than 25 years of experience across global retail, luxury, healthcare, supply chain, and technology sectors, Budveit brings rare breadth to her role. At PVH, she leads the company’s first global leadership development strategy, shaping leadership capability for more than 26,000 employees worldwide.
Her impact is measurable. Budveit launched PVH’s enterprise digital learning hub and signature leadership programs, delivering results that include a 182% increase in skill confidence and a 93% return on investment. In an era when learning leaders are under pressure to justify outcomes, those numbers stand out.
More importantly, her work reflects a broader HR trend: leadership development as a strategic lever, not a discretionary benefit.
Christine (Meehan) Miller: Scaling People Strategy for Modern Workforces
Also recognized is Christine (Meehan) Miller, Senior Director of Global Human Resources at IronCircle, whose work exemplifies the demands of HR leadership in fast-growing, distributed organizations.
Miller is known for building scalable talent and culture strategies that support growth without sacrificing inclusivity or rigor. She has led high-volume hiring initiatives—recruiting hundreds of employees in compressed timelines—while also delivering results in specialized, hard-to-fill roles.
Her approach blends data-driven recruiting with inclusive hiring practices, including veterans’ hiring initiatives that improved both recruitment outcomes and long-term retention. In a market where hiring speed often competes with quality, Miller’s results demonstrate that the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
Beyond her corporate role, she contributes to the profession itself through board leadership with Maryland SHRM and local SHRM chapters, reinforcing HR’s role as both a business function and a professional community.
Dorene Henley: Embedding Learning Into the Business
The list also honors Dorene Henley, Director of Learning Development and Operations at Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), whose work illustrates how learning can become an operational asset rather than a standalone function.
Henley has been instrumental in transforming DFA into a learning organization, building enterprise-wide development programs that support employee growth, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement across a complex cooperative structure.
As leader of DFA’s learning platform, DairyU, she oversees regulatory, compliance, professional, and leadership training—while championing a culture where learning is embedded into everyday work. Her consultative leadership style and focus on inclusive development have helped empower employees across roles, locations, and career stages.
In industries where operational excellence and compliance are non-negotiable, Henley’s work shows how learning strategy directly supports business performance.
A Broader Class of Rising HR Leaders
Beyond individual spotlights, the 2025 Rising Star list reflects the diversity of environments in which HR leadership now operates—healthcare systems, global manufacturers, public sector organizations, Fortune 500 companies, and fast-growing enterprises alike.
This year’s honorees include leaders from organizations such as:
-
MITRE
-
CVS Health
-
PwC
-
Anheuser-Busch
-
Cox Enterprises
-
Compass Group USA
-
Duke University
-
State of Louisiana
-
City of Chicago
-
Omnicom Media Group
-
Bon Secours Mercy Health
The breadth of industries represented reinforces a key point: HR leadership is no longer industry-specific. The core challenges—talent scarcity, workforce transformation, inclusion, compliance, and leadership readiness—are universal.
The Throughline: Trust, Scope, and Execution
What unites this year’s Rising Star Women Leaders in HR is not just achievement, but trust. These leaders are entrusted with sensitive decisions, enterprise-scale programs, and initiatives that directly affect organizational stability and growth.
They operate where strategy meets execution—often navigating ambiguity, resistance, and competing priorities. Their influence is felt not only in policies and programs, but in how work gets done every day.
Women We Admire’s recognition highlights an important reality: the future of HR leadership is already here, and it is being shaped by leaders who combine analytical rigor with human judgment, operational discipline with empathy, and long-term vision with day-to-day execution.
Why This Recognition Resonates Now
As HR continues its evolution into a core strategic function, visibility matters. Recognizing rising leaders sends a signal—to organizations, boards, and future talent—that HR is a place where leadership careers are built, impact is delivered, and enterprise outcomes are shaped.
The 2025 Rising Star Women Leaders in Human Resources are not waiting for permission to lead. They are already doing so—quietly, consistently, and at scale.
Join thousands of HR leaders who rely on HRTechEdge for the latest in workforce technology, AI-driven HR solutions, and strategic insights
