Suzanne R. Hawes, Ph.D.

Suzanne Hawes is Sterne Kessler’s chief human resources officer. She oversees talent acquisition, professional development, retention, training, leadership development, compensation and benefits.

Suzanne brings extensive senior executive experience from a wide-range of industries, including financial services, consumer goods, large scale manufacturing and non-profit organizations. She is particularly adept at working with executive leadership teams to establish human resource practices that align with an organization’s mission and strategic vision. Suzanne has spearheaded the implementation and upgrading of HR programs through continuous improvement and has utilized change management strategies to engage executive leaders in a deeper level of commitment to the HR role as it relates to realizing business success. Further, Suzanne has experience directing wide-scale projects and managing teams to accomplish results that have a positive effect on the work environment and an organization’s bottom line.

Prior to joining Sterne Kessler, Suzanne served as the chief human resources officer at Paya, Inc., a financial technology company, and she held leadership roles at the Association of American Medical Colleges, Rolls-Royce, SC Johnson, and Capital One.

Suzanne is an active member of the Society of Human Resource Management and the Society of Industrial/Organizational Psychology. She earned a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Loyola University, New Orleans.