Catherine Nolasco, SHRM-CP

People Operations Leader

Impact Experience Projects Culture Resources Testimonials
Catherine Nolasco, SHRM-CP — People Operations Leader
Catherine Nolasco

Catherine Nolasco, SHRM-CP

People Operations Leader

13+ Years Building Scalable, People-Centered HR Operations · Payroll Governance · Absence Management · Multi-State Compliance
Global Mobility & Immigration · HRIS Architecture

✓ Open to new opportunities · Remote · Head / Director, People Operations ·
HR Compliance & Governance · HR Advisor roles

Email Me 📄 Download Resume

Impact at a Glance

Key metrics across 13 years of People Operations leadership

7 yrs ✅
Zero compliance violations across 5 jurisdictions through multiple RIFs & restructurings.
$200K+ 📈
EBITDA savings through HR process optimization and operational efficiencies.
3 🤖
HR automation tools built (Severance Drafter, New Hire EAF, Offboarding EAF) via AI + Notion + Rippling.
500+ 👥
Employees supported across US & India in most recent FTE role (Head of People Ops).
30% ⏰
Reduction in onboarding cycle time through process redesign and automation.
75% 🌟
Improvement in new hire orientation efficiency through program redesign.
100% 📝
Mandatory compliance signature completion across all policy reviews & training modules.
5 🌐
International jurisdictions managed simultaneously (US, Canada, Europe, India, Japan).
32+ 👥
Direct reports managed over the last 8 years (12 in People Ops leadership, 20+ in high-volume retail management).

What I Do

The problems I solve and what that looks like in practice

🔥

The Problem

  • HR infrastructure that can't scale with the business
  • Compliance gaps that create legal and financial exposure
  • Payroll and leave programs running on manual processes
  • HRIS data nobody trusts for decisions
  • People teams that react instead of lead
⚙️

What Cat Does

  • Builds centralized, scalable People Operations models
  • Designs governance frameworks and compliance controls
  • Modernizes HRIS and automates manual workflows
  • Establishes payroll governance and absence management programs
  • Develops and coaches high-performing HR teams
✅

The Result

  • Zero compliance violations across 7 years and 5 jurisdictions
  • HR operations that scale without adding headcount
  • Leaders who trust their data and make faster decisions
  • Employee experience that reflects the company's values
  • A People team that's seen as a strategic partner

About

13+ years of progressive People Operations leadership across high-growth global companies

🏗️ Centralizing & Scaling People Operations

Built centralized, shared services HR models from the ground up at global SaaS companies — owning the full employee lifecycle, payroll governance, absence management, and compliance infrastructure across distributed, multi-state workforces.

📋 Payroll & Absence Management Governance

Led payroll operations governance and absence management programs at scale — establishing performance standards, serving as escalation point for complex FMLA/ADA situations, and ensuring consistent, people-centered service delivery across complex regulatory environments.

⚙️ HR Technology & Modernization

Deep HRIS expertise across Workday, Rippling, ADP Workforce Now, and SAP SuccessFactors. I use automation and workflow design to eliminate manual work, reduce operational risk, and build the data infrastructure leaders need to make confident decisions.

🌍 Multi-State Compliance & Governance Frameworks

Zero compliance violations over 7 years managing HR operations across 5 international jurisdictions. Built governance control frameworks, policy lifecycle programs, and compliance calendars that held the standard through multiple restructurings and leadership transitions.

Beyond the Resume

The story behind 13 years in People Operations

🎓 How I got here

I started as a Criminal Justice major at SF State because I wanted to give back to my community and be a positive role model. During an internship with the San Mateo County Domestic Violence Unit, something shifted — I realized my calling wasn't in the courtroom. It was in the workplace. The same drive to protect people, advocate for fairness, and create safe environments translated directly into HR. I just didn't know it yet.

After graduating, I moved to LA to chase the career — and pursued my Certificate in Human Resource Management at Cal State Long Beach while working. I started at Quiksilver and Pacific Dental Services, learning how large organizations operated — processes, departments, the full employee lifecycle for retail and healthcare companies. A job offer from VF Corporation (The North Face, lucy, JanSport) brought me back to the Bay Area, which led to Dolby, and eventually into the startup world. It was a strong foundation. But I wanted more than the beginning and the end.

🚀 The startup years

I stepped away from large corporations and dove into the startup world — four startups before landing at Ridecell, six total across my career. Each one taught me something the last one couldn't. I got to touch every part of HR, not just onboarding and offboarding. Compliance, immigration, benefits, payroll, culture, systems — all of it. I took the best practices from each company and built my own flavor: processes rigorous enough to hold up legally, human enough to actually work, and efficient enough to scale.

That approach is what I brought to Ridecell — where I stayed for 7 years and did my best work.

🌎 Life outside of work

I'm originally from the SF Bay Area — it's home base and where I return every quarter. I split my time between San Francisco, Puerto Vallarta, and Toronto, spending time with family, friends, and exploring. Remote work has given me the flexibility to do meaningful work from anywhere while staying rooted in the Bay.

My dog Lizzy is a local celebrity in PV — she rides on my back wherever I go and has her own fan club. She's basically my co-founder.

I'm also a photographer at heart — I love capturing candid moments and special memories. I became the unofficial company photographer at Ridecell, always showing up with my camera (and selfie stick) to make sure no great moment went undocumented.

Cat and Lizzy

Lizzy 🐶

PV local celebrity

📍 SF Bay Area (home base) · Returns quarterly 🐾 Dog mom to Lizzy ✈️ Splits time: SF · Puerto Vallarta · Toronto 🎓 Criminal Justice to People Ops 🏢 4 Startups before Ridecell · 6 total 🍳 Cooks to decompress 📷 Company photographer & memory keeper

13-Year Career Progression

From HR Coordinator to Head of People Operations — a consistent arc of growing scope, responsibility, and strategic impact.

Career arc · IC → Manager → Director / Head
2013
10%
Quiksilver / Roxy / DC
HR Coordinator
Quiksilver / Roxy / DC
2014
20%
Pacific Dental Services
HRIS Coordinator
Pacific Dental Services
2015
30%
VF Corp — The North Face
HR Specialist
VF Corp — The North Face
2016
40%
Dolby Laboratories
HR Ops Analyst
Dolby Laboratories
Feb 2017
50%
FinancialForce (Certinia)
Employee Success Generalist
FinancialForce (Certinia)
Jul 2017
50%
Off The Grid
HR Generalist
Off The Grid
2017–2018
60%
Munchery
Manager, People Operations
Munchery
2018–2021
70%
Ridecell Inc.
People Ops Manager → Sr. Manager
Ridecell Inc.
2021–2025
90%
Ridecell Inc.
Sr. Manager → Director, People Ops
Ridecell Inc.
Jan 2026
90%
Ridecell Inc.
Consulting Director, People Ops
Ridecell Inc.
Feb 2026
100%
Prezent AI
Head of People Operations
Prezent AI
IC / Specialist
Manager
Director / Head

Experience

a 13-year trajectory of scaling global infrastructure

Consulting Director, People OperationsJan 2026 – Present
Ridecell Inc. · San Francisco, CA (Remote) · Global SaaS, 300+ employees
  • Providing senior-level People Ops advisory and execution — compliance governance, HRIS management, and immigration program administration
  • Leading knowledge transfer to incoming senior leadership, maintaining uninterrupted service delivery across all active HR workstreams
  • Managing full-scope immigration program (H-1B, STEM OPT, green card) as primary liaison between counsel and employees
Head of People OperationsFeb 2026 – Apr 2026
Prezent AI · San Francisco, CA (Remote) · AI SaaS, 500+ employees, US & India · $70M+ VC-funded
  • Led enterprise People Operations strategy for 500+ employee global workforce, owning full HR compliance lifecycle including payroll governance, I-9 program management, and HRIS integrity (Rippling)
  • Supported post-acquisition organizational integration following October 2025 M&A — aligned People Ops infrastructure, HRIS data, and HR workflows across combined organization
  • Conducted 60-day comprehensive compliance audit; designed scalable target operating model for SOC 2 readiness and external audits
  • Established governance frameworks and control standards achieving 100% reverification compliance and audit-ready recordkeeping
Director, People OperationsDec 2018 – Jan 2026
Ridecell Inc. · San Francisco, CA (Remote) · Global SaaS, 300+ employees · 7-Year Progressive Tenure
  • Built and led centralized People Operations shared services model across 5 jurisdictions — owning full employee lifecycle, payroll governance, absence management, multi-state compliance, and HRIS infrastructure
  • Led payroll operations governance — established performance standards, process improvement initiatives, and scalability frameworks that strengthened accuracy and compliance
  • Managed absence and leave programs as escalation point for complex FMLA/ADA/multi-state situations; delivered consistent people-centered service delivery
  • Owned HRIS platforms (ADP Workforce Now, Sapling) as single source of truth; built data governance frameworks and automated workflows for board-level reporting
  • Coached and developed HR team; delivered regular performance conversations, development planning, and employee engagement programs
  • Maintained zero compliance violations through multiple RIFs and restructurings over 7 years
Manager, People OperationsOct 2017 – Dec 2018
Munchery · San Francisco, CA · 700+ employees, Multi-City
  • Managed People Operations for 700+ employees across onboarding, benefits, payroll, compliance, and HRIS
  • Reduced onboarding cycle by 30% through process redesign and automation; improved compliance tracking accuracy
  • Implemented digital HR workflows, reducing paper usage by 80% and improving data accuracy
HR Operations AnalystSep 2016 – Feb 2017
Dolby Laboratories · San Francisco, CA · Global Technology Company
  • Led SAP SuccessFactors HRIS implementation — configuration, testing, documentation, and end-user training
  • Developed process documentation and audit procedures to maintain data integrity across HR systems
HR SpecialistFeb 2015 – Sep 2016
VF Corporation (The North Face / lucy Activewear) · Alameda, CA · 1,000+ employees
  • Administered employee records in Workday and Taleo for 1,000+ employees; managed ~20 new hires/week with I-9/E-Verify compliance
HRIS CoordinatorApr 2014 – Feb 2015
Pacific Dental Services · Irvine, CA · National Healthcare, 2,500+ employees
  • Administered HRIS transactions for 2,500+ employees across national healthcare offices; maintained employee lifecycle records and ensured data integrity across HR systems.
  • Assisted with UKG (UltiPro) implementation and configuration; trained all employees on UKG Employee Self-Service at new hire orientations.
Human Resources Coordinator / HR File ClerkJan 2013 – Apr 2014
Quiksilver / Roxy / DC Shoes · Huntington Beach, CA · Global Action Sports, 6,000+ employees
  • Processed employee lifecycle transactions in PeopleSoft including compensation adjustments and internal transfers; maintained and audited 6,000+ employee files for I-9, payroll, benefits, and training compliance.
  • Redesigned the New Hire Orientation program and facilitated corporate campus tours educating new hires on Quiksilver's brand history and culture.

Featured Projects

Three enterprise examples of the strategic execution behind my metrics

HRIS Modernization

ADP → Rippling HRIS Migration

The Challenge Legacy ADP infrastructure couldn't support a growing US + India workforce or the automation workflows leadership needed for scale.

The Action Led full migration from ADP to Rippling across US and India simultaneously—handling complete data mapping, workflow architecture design, multi-nation compliance configuration, and cross-functional team training.

The Result Achieved zero data loss and zero payroll disruption. Successfully automated 3 core HR workflows post-migration, slashing manual engineering processing time by over 60%.

💡 Key Takeaway: Modernizing systems isn't just about switching platforms; it’s about rebuilding the workflows from scratch to eliminate legacy human-error bottlenecks entirely.
Organizational Transformation

Post-M&A People Ops Integration

The Challenge Joined a 500+ employee AI SaaS company mid-acquisition. The legacy HR infrastructure was highly fragmented, compliance posture was entirely unknown, and HRIS data integrity was poor.

The Action Executed a rigorous 60-day full-scope compliance audit, completely rebuilt the corporate governance framework, stabilized fragmented HRIS structures, and cleanly aligned HR workflows across the newly combined global organization.

The Result Secured 100% policy compliance signature completion, established audit-ready I-9 recordkeeping, and seamlessly delivered a highly scalable target operating model within 90 days.

💡 Key Takeaway: Success in M&A integrations relies on extreme transparency and swift, structured data stabilization in the first 60 days to retain trust during massive organizational changes.
HR Technology

AI-Powered HR Automation Suite

The Challenge High-volume HR transactions (offboarding, severance, multi-state new hire processing) were completely manual, error-prone, and consuming massive amounts of core People team bandwidth.

The Action Engineered 3 custom Claude-powered HR automation tools—the Severance Agreement Drafter, New Hire EAF, and Offboarding EAF—fluidly integrated across Notion, Gmail, and Rippling ecosystems.

The Result Completely eliminated manual legal drafting for 3 high-risk transaction types, shrunk operational processing time from hours to minutes, and locked in absolute legal consistency across all outputs.

💡 Key Takeaway: AI shouldn't replace the human touch in HR; it should absorb the redundant administrative friction so the People team can focus entirely on high-value human problems.

Core Competencies

Core expertise across People Operations disciplines

HR Operations & Shared Services

Centralized HR Model Shared Services Design Employee Lifecycle Management Service Delivery Optimization Operational Excellence

Payroll & Absence Management

Payroll Governance Absence & Leave Programs FMLA / ADA Compliance Multi-State Leave Regs Escalation Management

Compliance & Governance

Governance Frameworks Multi-State Compliance FLSA / ACA / ERISA / HIPAA I-9 / E-Verify Policy Lifecycle Management SOC 2 Readiness

HR Technology & HRIS

Workday Rippling ADP Workforce Now SAP SuccessFactors Automation & Workflow Design HRIS Data Governance

Team Leadership & Development

Coaching & Mentoring Performance Development Stakeholder Alignment Executive Reporting Cross-Functional Collaboration

Process & Transformation

Continuous Improvement M&A Integration Process Redesign Change Management Organizational Transformation

HRIS & Tech Stack

Platforms and tools used hands-on across my career

🔵
Workday
Advanced
🟢
Rippling
Expert
🟠
ADP Workforce Now
Expert
🔷
SAP SuccessFactors
Advanced · Impl. Lead
🟡
Kallidus Sapling
Advanced
🔴
Greenhouse
Proficient
🟣
Lattice
Proficient
📊
15Five
Performance & Feedback
📋
Notion
Advanced
✅
E-Verify / LawLogix
I-9 Compliance
🔍
Checkr
Background Screening
💬
Microsoft Teams
Advanced
🤖
Claude AI
HR Automation Builder
🔷
Google Gemini
AI · Workflows
🤖
ChatGPT
AI · Content & Analysis
🎨
Canva
Design & Comms
⚡
Gamma
AI Presentations
📊
Google Workspace
Advanced

AI & Automation

I don't just use AI — I build with it

🤖

Built 3 production HR automation tools using Claude AI

Integrated with Notion · Gmail · Rippling
Severance Agreement Drafter Generates compliant severance docs in minutes — reducing legal drafting time and ensuring consistency across all separations
New Hire Employee Action Form (EAF) Automates new hire data collection and routing — triggers Rippling onboarding, Notion records, and Gmail welcome sequences simultaneously
Offboarding Employee Action Form (EAF) End-to-end offboarding automation — system access revocation prompts, equipment retrieval, final pay coordination, and HRIS updates in a single workflow

Multi-Jurisdiction Operations

8 jurisdictions managed across People Operations, compliance, and HR programs

🇺🇸United States
Multi-state
🇮🇳India
🇨🇦Canada
🇩🇪Germany
🇫🇷France
🇪🇸Spain
🇯🇵Japan
🇬🇧United Kingdom

Global Mobility & Immigration

End-to-end immigration case management across 6 visa categories — US and India workforces

9
Visa & Status
Types Managed
2
Companies with Active
Immigration Programs
8
Years Managing
H-1B Cap Lotteries
🛂

Visa & Immigration Categories

H-1BSpecialty Occupation
O-1Extraordinary Ability
L-1Intracompany Transfer
H-4Dependent EAD
Green CardPermanent Residence
STEM OPTOptional Practical Training
F-1International Student
B-1Business Visitor
SchengenEU Multi-Country
⚙️

What I Managed End-to-End

  • Primary liaison between immigration counsel and employees — coordinating filings, timelines, and documentation
  • Managed H-1B cap lottery filings for 8 consecutive years — coordinating registrations, petition prep, RFE responses, extensions, and amendments across a distributed global workforce
  • Supported green card sponsorship process from PERM through I-485 in coordination with outside counsel
  • Tracked all visa expiration dates, work authorization deadlines, and I-94 records to prevent lapses
  • Briefed employees and dependents on status changes, travel risks, and EAD renewal timelines
External Counsel Coordination: Served as the primary internal point of contact between employees and outside immigration counsel at both Ridecell and Prezent AI — ensuring accurate, timely regulatory submissions and a consistent employee experience throughout the immigration process.

Benefits & Open Enrollment

7 years of full-cycle benefits administration, carrier negotiation, and employee programs

7
Years of Full-Cycle
Benefits Administration
7+
Annual Open Enrollment
Cycles Managed End-to-End
3
Benefits Carrier
Transitions Led

📋 Open Enrollment & Carrier Negotiation

Led all annual open enrollment cycles end-to-end — partnering with brokers, negotiating with carriers on rates and plan design, and managing employee communications, deadlines, and elections across distributed workforces.

WTW (Willis Towers Watson) Broker Management Carrier Negotiation

⚙️ Benefits Configuration & Setup

Owned all benefits system configuration and setup across HRIS platforms — building plan structures, eligibility rules, enrollment workflows, and employee-facing self-service experiences.

Rippling ADP Workforce Now Justworks

💵 FSA & HSA Administration

Managed Flexible Spending Account and Health Savings Account programs — including employee education, election changes, and platform administration through dedicated FSA/HSA vendors.

WageWorks HealthEquity FSA / HSA

🎁 Benefits Fairs & Employee Education

Led company-wide Benefits Fairs — coordinating with carriers and vendors to educate employees on plan options, wellness resources, and available benefits programs to drive informed enrollment decisions.

Benefits Fairs Carrier Presentations Employee Education

🎼 Maven Fertility & Family Benefits

Implemented Maven — a family health and fertility benefit platform — expanding employee access to fertility support, maternity care, and family planning resources as part of a broader benefits modernization initiative.

Maven Fertility Benefits Family Planning

👶 Parental Leave Program Management

Managed end-to-end parental leave cases across US and India workforces — coordinating FMLA, PDL, and company leave policies, maintaining payroll continuity, and supporting employees through every step of the leave and return-to-work process.

FMLA PDL Parental Leave Return-to-Work US & India

HR Compliance & Governance

Building the control frameworks, audit infrastructure, and regulatory programs that protect the business and its people

7
Years Zero
Compliance Violations
5
International
Jurisdictions
100%
Mandatory Training
Completion Rate
SOC 2
Audit Readiness
Program Built

📄 I-9 & E-Verify Program Management

Owned and governed the full I-9 compliance program across distributed US workforces — establishing document retention protocols, internal audit procedures, reverification tracking, and audit-ready recordkeeping. Achieved 100% reverification compliance and zero violations across 7+ years.

I-9 Compliance E-Verify LawLogix I-9 Advantage Document Retention

📋 Policy Lifecycle & Handbook Management

Authored and maintained employee handbooks across 5 international jurisdictions — aligned with FLSA, FMLA, ADA, ACA, PWFA, CFRA, and multi-state and India labor law. Enforced 100% policy acknowledgment signature completion and managed annual review cycles.

FLSA FMLA / CFRA ADA ACA PWFA Multi-State India Labor Law

📈 Compliance Calendar & Mandatory Training

Built and maintained the annual People compliance calendar — administering mandatory training programs including Prevention of Sexual Harassment, Privacy & Security, and Workplace Violence Prevention. Achieved 100% employee completion rates across all programs.

Sexual Harassment Prevention Privacy & Security Training Workplace Violence Prevention EasyLlama Terranova EEO-1 Reporting Compliance Calendar

🔍 Audits & SOC 2 Readiness

Supported SOC 2 audit readiness and internal/external compliance audits — preparing comprehensive documentation packages, responding to audit inquiries, and building the evidence library needed to demonstrate HR operational controls to auditors and executive leadership.

SOC 2 Readiness Internal Audit External Audit Documentation Control Frameworks

👨‍⚒️ FLSA & Wage & Hour Compliance

Conducted annual FLSA exemption reviews, job classification audits, and wage and hour audits — providing actionable risk mitigation recommendations to leadership and enforcing time and attendance policies in partnership with Payroll to reduce regulatory exposure.

FLSA Exemption Analysis Job Classification Audits Wage & Hour Time & Attendance

🌏 Multi-State & Multi-Jurisdiction Compliance

Managed HR compliance across California, Colorado, Texas, and international jurisdictions — navigating state-specific leave laws, pay transparency requirements, and local employment regulations. Served as the primary internal compliance advisor across all active US states and global offices.

California Colorado Texas Washington Arizona New York Florida New Jersey Iowa Idaho Oregon Michigan Georgia Alabama North Carolina South Carolina Nevada Pay Transparency Multi-State Leave Global Compliance

💳 Benefits Compliance & Reporting

Managed end-to-end benefits compliance programs — ACA 1095-C filing preparation, Form 5500 coordination, Summary Annual Reports, COBRA required notices, and ongoing ERISA/HIPAA/ACA regulatory monitoring across the enterprise.

ACA / 1095-C Form 5500 COBRA ERISA HIPAA

🔒 Records Retention & Data Governance

Established and enforced HR records retention policies and archiving standards across all jurisdictions — ensuring employee data integrity, regulatory compliance, and audit-ready documentation in partnership with Legal and IT security teams.

Records Retention Data Governance HRIS Integrity Archiving

Education & Credentials

Bachelor of Arts, Criminal Justice

San Francisco State University

Certificate, Human Resource Management

California State University, Long Beach

SHRM-CP Certified

Society for Human Resource Management
Active through December 2026

Culture & Engagement

Building the programs and moments that made people feel proud to work there

🎤

CONVERGE Sales Kickoff

MC · Event Lead

Served as MC for Ridecell's annual all-company sales kickoff — CONVERGE. Coordinated logistics, ran the production schedule, and brought the energy that set the tone for the year.

Cat as MC at CONVERGE Sales Kickoff
🎙️

All-Hands Opener — Ridecell

Opener & Host

Served as the Opener for Ridecell's company-wide All-Hands meetings — kicking off each session, setting the tone for the full organization, and creating an engaging and inclusive experience for the global team.

🎙️

Monthly All-Hands — Prezent AI

Presenter & Host

Presented and led the company-wide All-Hands calls at Prezent AI every month — welcoming and announcing all new hires, people events, anniversaries, milestones, and People Operations updates. Owned the agenda, coordinated cross-functional updates, and delivered a consistent, engaging experience for the full US and India workforce.

🎉

Employee Appreciation Day — Ridecell

Spearheaded

Designed and ran Ridecell's company-wide Employee Appreciation program — created custom "Ridezillas Rock!" recognition templates for employees to share gratitude on the #daily_gratitudes Slack channel. Turned a single day into a week-long celebration (March 8–12, 2024) with 80%+ employee participation.

Ridezilla Appreciation Day
🎉

Employee Appreciation Month — Prezent AI

Spearheaded

Spearheaded Prezent AI's Employee Appreciation Month — designed custom recognition templates and partnered with the team to drive appreciation sharing on the Wall of Love gChat channel throughout March 2026. Built a full month-long culture of recognition and belonging.

Employee Appreciation Month — Prezent
♀️

International Women's Day — Ridecell

Spearheaded

Ran the full IWD program independently — interviewed 15 women across the company and published employee spotlights throughout the month of March, creating a sustained campaign of visibility and recognition.

IWD 2024 — Women of Ridecell
♀️

International Women's Day — Prezent AI

Spearheaded

Spearheaded IWD celebration with the People Success Team — collaborated to gather employee photos and partnered with the marketing team to design the "Empowered Women, Empower Prezent" graphic.

IWD — Empowered Women, Empower Prezent
🏳️‍🌈

Pride Month · First-Ever at Ridecell

Spearheaded · DEI Initiative

Implemented Ridecell's first-ever Pride Month celebration — redesigning the company logo as a Pride flag, organizing team events, and building a culture of inclusion that extended well beyond June.

Global Get-Together — Pride Month
Pride Month — Team Photo
🏋️

Employee Wellness

Spearheaded

Hosted weekly Barry's Bootcamp-style workouts when we were in the SF office — building team connection through fitness. When COVID-19 began in 2020, transitioned the program to Ridezilla Virtual Workouts, keeping the team active and connected remotely.

Ridezilla Virtual Workouts
📸

Company Photographer & Culture Curator

Served as the dedicated photographer for all employee events at Ridecell — known for bringing a selfie stick everywhere to capture candid moments with the team. The photos from those events still live in people's memories (and their camera rolls).

CONVERGE Sales Kickoff — whole team
CONVERGE Sales Kickoff — Whole TeamRidecell · CONVERGE Annual Kickoff
Winter Holiday Party
Winter Holiday PartyRidecell · Annual Holiday Celebration
Summer Picnic blanket giveaway
Summer Picnic · Swag BlanketRidecell · Summer Picnic
Cat and Lizzy at Ridecell
Cat & Lizzy Nolasco People & Culture Team · Ridecell HQ
Virtual Workouts — Barry's Bootcamp
Barry's Bootcamp WorkoutCulture & Wellness · Ridecell
Ridecell — 10th Anniversary Celebration — Bollywood Team Dance
Ridecell — 10th Anniversary CelebrationBollywood Team Dance

Keeping Distributed Teams Connected

How I build belonging, trust, and momentum across time zones, geographies, and cultures

20
US States
Managed Concurrently
8
Countries
Managed
13+
Hour Time Zone
Span Managed
100%
Remote Workforce
HR Operations
10+
Virtual Event Formats
TED Talks · Fun Fridays · Coffee Chats · New Hire Meet & Greets
Weekly
Remote Culture Rituals
Keeping distributed teams connected across every time zone

🕐 Async-First Communication Culture

Established async-first norms across US and India teams — documentation standards in Notion, centralized knowledge bases, and communication protocols that respected time zone differences without slowing execution.

NotionAsync DocumentationKnowledge Base

🇮🇳 US–India Bridge Programs

Designed bridge programs connecting US and India employees — cross-regional onboarding touchpoints, shared People Ops workflows in Rippling, and India-specific policies covering POSH compliance, Gratuity, and leave entitlements.

India HR CompliancePOSHRippling Global

🎉 Remote Recognition & Belonging

Built recognition programs that worked across time zones — Slack shoutout channels, milestone-driven rewards through Bonusly and Lattice, and India employees receiving equivalent recognition as US counterparts.

BonuslyLatticeInclusion

🖥️ Virtual Onboarding & Day-1 Experience

Designed fully remote onboarding programs — pre-boarding Notion welcome kits, cross-functional intro scheduling, timezone-aware buddy assignments, and 30/60/90-day check-in cadences.

Virtual OnboardingNotion Welcome Kits30/60/90 Day Plans

📅 Intentional Cadence & Team Rituals

Established regular People Ops rituals — weekly async People updates, monthly manager syncs, quarterly engagement pulse checks, and all-hands facilitation that kept distributed teams moving together.

All-Hands FacilitationPulse SurveysEngagement Cadence

🛠️ HR Tech Stack for Distributed Teams

Architected the tools that made distributed People Operations seamless — ADP to Rippling migration for unified US and India workforce management, Claude AI-powered HR automation, and self-service access for all employees.

RipplingClaude AI AutomationSelf-Service HR
My Philosophy on Distributed Teams

“Distance doesn’t create disconnection — a lack of intention does. My job is to design the systems, rituals, and moments that make every employee feel like they’re at the center of the company, not on the edge of it.”

— Catherine Nolasco, SHRM-CP

Ask People: Global HR Ticketing System

A purpose-built People Ops request system in Jira, integrated with Slack and email to manage every HR touchpoint globally

1
Unified System
for All HR Requests
3
Integrated Channels
Jira · Slack · Email
Global
Coverage
US & India Teams
0
Lost Requests
Full Audit Trail
How It Works
1
Employee Submits Request
Via Slack #ask-people, email, or Jira form — any channel, any time zone
↓
2
Auto-Routed in Jira
Ticket created, categorized by type — benefits, compliance, onboarding, offboarding, payroll
↓
3
Employee Notified Instantly
Slack and email confirmation with ticket number, SLA, and assigned People Ops contact
↓
✓
Resolved & Closed
Resolution logged in Jira, full audit trail retained for compliance

📋 Jira as System of Record

Configured Jira Service Management as the backbone — custom request types, SLA tracking, priority queues, and full searchable history of every HR interaction.

Jira Service MgmtSLA Tracking

💬 Slack Integration

Connected Jira to #ask-people in Slack so employees could submit requests conversationally with auto-notifications keeping both sides in sync.

Slack#ask-people

✉️ Email Integration

Email-to-ticket routing so any email to the People Ops inbox auto-generated a Jira ticket — critical for India team members and async email preferences.

Email-to-TicketAsync-Friendly

📊 Request Categories

Intake forms and routing rules for every People Ops type: benefits, new hire setup, offboarding, policy, payroll discrepancies, I-9 support, and leave.

BenefitsOnboarding/OffboardingPayroll

🌐 Global Coverage

US (CA, CO, TX) and India employees served seamlessly — locale-aware intake forms, region-specific routing, and SLAs accounting for 13+ hour time zone differences.

US Multi-StateIndia Office

🔍 Audit Trail & Reporting

Every interaction logged and retrievable. Dashboards for ticket volume, resolution time, and SLA breaches — full visibility into HR workload.

Audit TrailJira Dashboards
Eliminated
Lost HR requests slipping through Slack DMs and email inboxes
Standardized
Every employee request handled with equal speed regardless of location or level
Scalable
Built to grow — new categories, regions, and integrations without rebuilding

Programs and Resources

Proprietary internal assets, playbooks, and communications built entirely from scratch

Internal Communications

People & Culture Newsletter

Launched during pandemic isolation to unite a suddenly remote workforce. Expanded to a highly anticipated monthly publication covering spotlights, wellness data, and tactical productivity coaching.

3 Years 36 Issues Remote Engagement
Talent Acquisition

Global Onboarding Playbooks (EMEA)

Designed and structured a deeply localized, step-by-step onboarding experience tailored specifically to navigate regional nuances for incoming European team members.

Onboarding Localization EMEA Compliance
Global Expansion

Japan-Localized Onboarding Suite

Built Ridecell’s first fully translated and localized onboarding program specifically configured for the Japanese talent market to streamline international cultural integration.

Global Mobility Japan Lifecycle Translation
Offboarding Governance

Personalized Exit & Separation Experience

Architected custom structured exit interview frameworks deployed across Ridecell and Prezent AI to gather clean retention data while maintaining high-touch offboarding care.

Risk Mitigation Offboarding Exit Analytics
Absence Management

Parental Leave Employee Playbooks

A compassionate, step-by-step navigational resource clarifying complex multi-state FMLA, PDL, and company payroll continuity policies for expectant parents.

FMLA / PDL Leave Strategy US & India
Total Rewards

Annual Open Enrollment Strategy Decks

Comprehensive enrollment and benefits fair presentation decks detailing carrier rate variations, side-by-side plan comparisons, and HSA/FSA account parameters.

Carrier Logistics Open Enrollment Total Rewards

In the Field

13 years of teams, culture, and moments that mattered

Munchery · People Ops Manager
Munchery · People Ops Manager Munchery HQ, San Francisco
With the Munchery LA Team
With the Munchery LA Team Munchery Los Angeles
Ridecell Team · US & India
Global People Team — US & India Team lunch · Ridecell
People Team direct reports at Alcatraz
People Team Direct Reports Ridecell · Alcatraz
With the India team · Ridecell
Ridecell India People Team Ridecell India office
VF Corporation HR Team · lucy, JanSport & The North Face
VF Corporation HR Team · lucy, JanSport & The North Face VF Corporation
Prezent AI direct reports
Prezent AI People Success Team India Direct Reports · Remote
Munchery LA employee
With a Munchery LA employee Munchery · Los Angeles
India team visit to SF
India team hosted in San Francisco Ridecell · after visiting them in India · Palace of Fine Arts

What Colleagues Say

Leadership endorsements from Ridecell and Prezent AI

"Great initiatives between Employee Appreciation Day and International Women's Day — Thanks for reminding everyone at Prezent what's the most important."

Leo Choi Chief Financial Officer · Prezent AI

"You are a superstar — great job with the Monthly meeting... Thank you for making my onboarding so smooth and a lovely experience."

Francine Carrick Chief Growth Officer / President · Prezent AI

"Really good work on how we have managed costs for our team the past few months. Very grateful to you for being proactive about this and being on top of it. It'll help."

Samyak Executive · Ridecell

"You did a fantastic job today with the All Hands! Thank you for all the hustle and the quality work — it really shows in the production and results of a smooth and great All Hands. You are a HUGE part of the behind the scenes and often front-of-the-line magic."

Jacque Senior Leader · Ridecell