CHRO Executive Exchange: Staffed Isn’t Stable: Rethinking Frontline Labor

Steve Pemberton is a visionary senior human resources executive, human capital strategist, best-selling author, and passionate human rights advocate. A dynamic communicator and sought-after speaker, he inspires organizations and individuals to lead with purpose, humanity, and impact.

He currently serves as Managing Director of the Human Resources Executive Board at Seramount, where he partners with HR leaders to advance innovative, people-centered workplace strategies.

Throughout his career—from leadership roles at Monster.com and Walgreens to serving as Chief Human Resources Officer at Workhuman®️—Steve has championed cultures that prioritize engagement, belonging, and high performance. He is also Founder and CEO of The Lighthouse Academy, a leadership and HR consultancy dedicated to developing purpose-driven leaders and award-winning workplace cultures.

Steve is the author of two acclaimed books. A Chance in the World recounts his remarkable journey from the foster care system to corporate leadership; it was adapted into a film and inspired a national social-emotional learning curriculum. His second book, The Lighthouse Effect, encourages individuals to transform adversity into service and impact.

A former U.S. Senate candidate and recipient of numerous honors, Steve serves on multiple nonprofit boards and remains committed to expanding opportunity so all may have “a chance in this world.”

Karen Armand is Managing Director, Partner Development at Seramount, where she leads the commercial launch of the Seramount Human Resources Executive Board—an executive program serving senior HR leaders. She brings a consultative approach to growth, partnering closely with stakeholders to translate member needs into clear go-to-market strategies and scalable delivery.
Karen is a results-driven operations and growth leader with deep experience in change management and human capital development. She is known for building practical systems that help organizations adopt new ways of working and sustain impact.
Prior to Seramount, Karen served as Vice President of Business Operations at pureIntegration, where she oversaw operational excellence, organizational design, human capital management, and sales and marketing enablement. She implemented talent and engagement initiatives that drove cost savings while strengthening performance and culture.
Earlier in her career, Karen spent several years at The Advisory Board Company (acquired by Optum), partnering with health system executives to deliver customized talent development and workforce solutions and driving significant revenue growth through strategic, relationship-based selling. At Accenture, she led large teams in designing and implementing performance-based training programs for corporate clients and helped launch Accenture Learning, a business process outsourcing model focused on learning solutions.
Karen holds a B.B.A. in Marketing from James Madison University. She is active in her community, serving as Fundraising Chair for the Gladney Center for Adoption (National Capital Area), on the board of the National Charity League, and in service to her church.