Transformational HR Leader | Building Cultures of Trust, Equity & Engagement | VP, People & Culture at Eastern Colorado Bank
The Red Folder
The red folder sat on the edge of the HR director’s desk, thick with complaints, resignations, and a trail of disengaged employees. The company had just weathered its third round of turnover in less than a year. Morale was low. Managers were frustrated. And the CEO wanted answers.
Charlett Warren, newly hired and quietly observant, didn’t open the folder immediately. Instead, she walked the production floor. She talked to employees during lunch breaks. She asked what no one else had: “What would make you stay?”
What she discovered wasn’t a broken policy—it was a broken connection. People didn’t feel heard. They didn’t feel seen.
So she built something different. Not just a process, but a culture. Within months, resignations dropped. Engagement surveys soared. The red folder, once a symbol of dysfunction, was eventually retired.
That fictional moment is drawn from many truths. Time and again, in companies of all sizes and sectors, Charlett Warren has done exactly that: identified root problems, built human-centered solutions, and reshaped entire workplace ecosystems—one conversation at a time.
Finding Her Flight Path
Charlett’s professional roots weren’t planted in a boardroom—they were nurtured at airport gates and check-in counters. During her early years in aviation under the banners of United Express and America West, she mastered the art of customer service under pressure. These weren’t just operational roles—they were foundational lessons in presence, communication, and empathy.
It was this people-first mindset that eventually drew her to the world of human resources. But Charlett didn’t just pivot—she elevated. While working full-time, she pursued higher education, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing and a Master of Management in Human Resources from the University of Phoenix. She later obtained her SHRM-CP certification, building a strong foundation of theory and practice to support her strategic people leadership.
Architecting Culture Across Industries
Charlett’s HR leadership journey has taken her across diverse sectors—healthcare, automotive, manufacturing, communications, and banking—each with its own culture and challenges. In every case, she stepped in with clarity, compassion, and a culture-building mindset.
Before joining CS Wind America, she served as Human Resources Manager at Work Zone Traffic Control, where she reinforced workforce stability, strengthened HR processes, and helped the organization navigate evolving talent needs.
At CS Wind America, she rose as People and Culture Manager, leading retention efforts, refining HR systems, and cultivating a cohesive work culture in a dynamic global manufacturing environment.
At eSquared Communication Consulting, Charlett built the HR department from the ground up—implementing onboarding programs, compensation structures, and employee feedback systems that empowered teams and leadership alike.
At St. Clair Technologies, her culture-shifting efforts resulted in a 50% reduction in absenteeism and a 40% drop in turnover. She launched programs like Employee Appreciation Days and Customer Service Awards, helping create a people-first environment where employees felt recognized and valued.
Today, as Vice President of People & Culture at Eastern Colorado Bank, Charlett leads with strategic foresight and emotional intelligence—aligning people operations with organizational growth while cultivating an inclusive, high-performance culture.
When Culture Becomes a Catalyst
Charlett doesn’t view HR as a function—she sees it as a force. Her consistent approach to blending structure with sensitivity has helped transform traditional workforces into collaborative, engaged teams.
She’s introduced company-wide performance review systems, modernized benefits programs, and built recognition frameworks not just to motivate, but to retain and respect.
“Policies are only as strong as the people who feel protected by them,” she says—a belief that underpins her leadership philosophy. Her open-door approach and hands-on problem-solving have earned her the trust of both executives and frontline employees.
The Future Is Human
Charlett envisions a future where psychological safety, inclusion, and transparency are not perks—they’re the baseline. She’s focused on building environments where innovation stems from trust, where leadership is shared, and where employee experience is the brand.
Her next chapter is rooted in mentoring the next generation of HR leaders, embedding DEI into every level of strategy, and helping companies realize that the best business outcomes start with how we treat our people.
“Leadership is presence—it’s not a title, it’s how you show up,” she often says. And that’s exactly how she continues to show up: as a guide, a builder, a transformer.
Leadership Lessons from Charlett Warren
- “Policies matter. But people matter more.”
- “A thriving workplace isn’t created in a day. It’s created in every daily interaction.”
- “If your culture can’t survive honest feedback, it’s not culture—it’s control.”
- “You don’t need a big budget to build connection. You just need to pay attention.”
- “HR isn’t about fixing people—it’s about empowering them to bring their full selves to work.”
- “The most powerful leadership move is listening without interruption.”
Editorial Note
Charlett Warren is a transformational force in the HR world—combining technical proficiency with rare emotional fluency. Her story, wrapped in courage, strategy, and compassion, is a reminder that leadership begins not with answers, but with questions. And in the red folders of the world—the places where others see problems—Charlett sees people, and the potential to lead them somewhere better.
Connect with Charlett Warren on LinkedIn
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