Ronald Frank Smedley
Ron is CEO and co-principal of ERA.
With over 30+ years in the area a human resources, workers’ compensation and business development, Ron has an M. A. from California State University, Long Beach, CA with an emphasis in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and a B. S. in Psychology from Biola College.
In 1993, he was presented an honorary degree in Human Resource Management while in Kiev, Ukraine as a result of consulting and training in the areas of team building and leadership with the Government Ministers and newly formed Company Owners of the country.
As a human resource specialist, Ron is often called upon in the area of labor law interpretation and policy/procedure writing with the line-of-sight focus of strategic change management while transforming both the people and systems within the organization.
As one who develops others, you readily observe his passion to see men and women grow into leaders that understand what it means to inspire and influence others within the workplace and life. Following Ron’s passion is the drive to help men and women understand the value of the relationship and growing it in others.
Besides working full-time consulting, Ron has instructed at Claremont Graduate University since 2009 and currently teaches graduate courses in Compensation & Benefits, Ethics and Strategic Processes for Human Resource executives within the Human Resource Design program.
Currently Ron is doing research in the area of passion and learning models…he knows when men and women learn how to discover that “fire in their belly”; they will understand more about how they are created and where they can best serve their fellow beings.
Ron’s passion is seeing men and women grow beyond their paradigm and the “box” they so often place themselves within.
Ryan Giffen
With over 18 years in the service industry with a focus on human resources, development and culture, Ryan’s professional experience in leading hotel groups and restaurant chains has provided a strong foundation of people management to meet the changing and challenging demands of today’s workforce. Ryan has served in the capacity of higher education instructing in the area of Human Resources, California Labor Law, Employment Law, and several other business management subjects at Orange Coast College, California State University—Pomona, Johnson & Wales University, and Cypress College. A combination of practical wisdom and focused research has lead to the ongoing success with his clients.
Academically, Ryan earned a Ph.D. in Hospitality Management from Iowa State University and published a dissertation on Organizational culture and personality type: Relationship with person-organization fit and turnover intention. Furthermore, he has an M.A. in Organizational Leadership and a B.A. in Social Sciences from Biola University.
As a frequent guest speaker in the area of leadership, human resources and employee development, Ryan’s applied research in organizational culture, motivation and behavior continues to help organizations better understand the ever evolving employee. Certified as a variety of motivational and behavior tools and metrics, Ryan is able to utilize ethical assessment that can assist organizations on building effective communication and relationships between internal and external stakeholders.
A mastery of time management, Ryan is still able to enjoy activities such as: traveling, snowboarding, biking, running, spending time with friends, and keeping a regimented fitness routine.
Pat McAuley
Pat brings over 20+ years experience in Human Resources, practicing as a Professional Generalist, with a focus on HR procedure interpretation and Selection – Recruiting. In her last position, prior to joining ERA, Pat worked as the Director of Recruiting for a large corporation, managing a team of recruiters nationwide.
Pat believes that Human Resources is the heart of an organization and is the beginning of any organization’s ability to meet and even exceed their goals and objectives. When an organization hires the right person, treats them with respect and compassion, and helps them be the best they can be, that employee will do everything they can to help their organization succeed.
Pat received her M.S. in Human Resource Design from Claremont Graduate University and her Bachelor’s degree from Biola University. She was also an Adjunct Professor teaching Human Resource Management at Biola University from 2002 to 2013.