SHRM-Atlanta has announced the recipients of its 2026 HR Excellence Awards, recognizing Atlanta-area HR professionals, teams and organizations whose work is making a measurable difference for employees, organizations, and the region’s workforce.

The awards were presented October 8 during the HR Excellence Awards Gala, featuring emcee Portia Bruner from FOX 5 Atlanta. The evening brought together HR and business leaders from across metro Atlanta to celebrate outstanding leadership and achievement in the profession.

2026 HR Excellence Award Winners
HR Executive of the Year – Large Organization 
Cathy Hardin 
Recently retired Chief Human Resources Officer for Gwinnett County Public Schools, Cathy Hardin led the people strategy supporting approximately 24,000 employees across 143 schools. She reduced vacancies by tenfold, created effective leadership and success planning programs, reached an employee engagement score of 84%.
 
HR Executive of the Year - Small/Medium Organization 
Patrick Henley 
Patrick Henley, Director of Human Resources and Risk Management for Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority, has kept
employee turnover below 5%, and more than 90% of management roles have been filled internally.
 
HR People Leader Impact Award

Kim Alfonso 
As AVP and HR Business Partner at Cox Enterprises, helped create the people-side playbook to navigate through the sale of a major operating division. Her HRBP Performance Framework, client experience surveys, and AI-enabled HR practices are reasons co-worker support within her team was rated 9.5 out of 10.  

Rising HR Star Award 
Brianna Williams 
Brianna Williams, Talent & Inclusion Program Manager at IHG Hotels & Resorts, launched a redesigned mentoring cohort that grew to nearly 480 participants, redesigned the new employee onboarding experience, and has measurably impacted IHG’s employer branding on social media. 

HR Consultant of the Year Award 

Olga Sanchez-Ramos 
As a strategic HR consultant to Harvard University’s technology organization, Olga Sanchez-Ramos helped increase offer acceptance rates by 25% and decrease voluntary turnover by 10%. Her multi-year workforce planning work also contributed to approximately 10% operational savings while maintaining service delivery. 

HR Team of the Year 
Grady Health System, HR Operations 
The HR Operations team has played an important role in Grady Health System’s expansion across metro Atlanta, while simultaneously strengthening engagement and position Grady as an employer of choice. Internally they managed the successful implementation of a new HR Information System.

Culture & Employee Experience Award 

Emory Healthcare, Human Resources Team 
In response to employee feedback about compensation, Emory committed $270 million to workforce investment, with 93% of employees receiving pay increases, beginning with patient-facing roles. First-year turnover declined from 40.3% two years earlier to 24.4% in FY26 and overall 84% employees would now recommend Emory as a good place to work.

Talent & Workforce Development Award 
Emory Healthcare Talent, Culture and Learning Team  The Emory Healthcare Talent, Culture and Learning Team has built an integrated leadership development strategy designed to strengthen organizational resilience across talent levels. By one measure, unfavorable leader index scores declined from 12% to 5%, while employee intent to stay increased seven points to 73% over two years. 

Strategic HR Partner of the Year 

Flex HR 
Celebrating its 25 th anniversary, Flex HR has historically supported more than 2,000 businesses. With its “white-glove”
approach, each client works with a dedicated HR expert to help manage build stronger people practices while managing compliance, payroll, recruiting, benefits, employee relations, and organizational development.
 
Volunteer of the Year 
LT Bowden 

In addition to being a senior HR leader for DHL Supply Chain, LT Bowden is a champion of the SHRM-Atlanta member experience and professional development. She serves as a mentor and thought leader formally and informally and regularly welcomes professionals into the community at events through her role on the Member Engagement Committee.

“These awards recognize the people and organizations doing exceptional work behind the scenes of Atlanta’s workplaces,” said Jason Cline, CEO of SHRM-Atlanta. “Their accomplishments demonstrate the influence HR leaders can have on the employee experience and business performance.”

Following the public call for nominees, a panel of judges reviewed submission materials for each category and ranked them. The top three ranked nominees in each category were then put forth as finalists for public voting. Combined scores determined the final winners.

Additional information is available at https://www.shrmatlanta.org/awards.