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Executive LeadHERship
Niko M. Cook
FoundHER, President, Board of Directors
and Chief Executive Officer
Niko M. Cook is a dynamic executive, C-Suite leader, founder, speaker, board advisor, curator, and strategist whose transformative career in Human Resources and Strategic Operations began in Chicago with the Jewish Federation of Chicago. There, she built a strong foundation in human capital management, operational excellence, and organizational strategy, a foundation that has guided her through more than three decades of leadership across diverse sectors and geographies.
Currently, Niko serves as Chief People and Operations Officer for a leading scientific research institution. In this executive role, she drives organizational effectiveness, cross-functional collaboration, and the advancement of institutional strategy, while cultivating inclusive workplace cultures and operational innovation. She’s also the FoundHER, President and Chief Executive Officer, Black Women Executive Human Resource LeadHERship Collective Society, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to empowering, connecting, and elevating Black women in executive leadership.
Niko serves as Director, Workforce Readiness for the Pennsylvania State Council of the Society of Human Resources Management (PA SHRM), where she strategically leads statewide initiatives. She has also provided long-standing leadership to the Greater Valley Forge Human Resources Association (GVFHRA), where she served as Special Interest Group (SIG) Board Director, President-Elect, President, Immediate Past President, and currently, she serves as Past President, advancing programming, workforce readiness initiatives, and member development while building bridges across Pennsylvania’s Human Resources community.
As a trusted board advisor, Niko has guided nonprofit organizations and corporate boards in governance, leadership development, process improvement, and strategic planning. She is a sought-after resource for organizations looking to build high-performing boards, cultivate emerging and executive leaders, and advance inclusive excellence. She is particularly known for her ability to build bridges between business, education, government, and nonprofit sectors to address complex workforce and operational challenges. Widely recognized for her inclusive and transformative leadership style, Niko is a trusted advisor fostering innovation and driving meaningful culture change in organizations large and small.
She has worked for and consulted with several Fortune 500 companies, top foundations, and mission-driven organizations, delivering people-centered solutions that align with strategic business goals and foster sustainable growth. A Malcolm Baldrige Quality-trained leader with global experience in Canada, Germany, Western Europe, Australia, and the United Kingdom, Niko brings a unique international perspective to leadership, organizational design, and best practices. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management with a minor in Organizational Development and Design and has been both appointed and elected to more than 56 boards of directors, civic commissions, and advisory councils, where she has consistently influenced workforce policy, advanced leadership development, and supported community advancement.
Niko’s contributions have earned her multiple nominations for Human Resource Person of the Year and Woman of the Year, as well as invitations to present at national conferences. She remains deeply committed to her faith, family, building innovative, equitable workplaces, and to inspiring and empowering the next generation of executive leaders.
Email: niko@exechrcollective.com
Leslea Scott, JM, MBA, MS, PHR, SHRM-CP
Executive Vice President, Board of Directors,
and Chief Strategy Officer
Leslea Scott, a driven woman of extraordinary faith whose values form the cornerstone of her personal and professional success, has built a distinguished career over more than 20 years as a global leader in Human Resources and Talent Acquisition strategy. Guided by purpose, integrity, and a belief that every individual is part of the human family, Leslea has architected scalable, data-driven recruiting functions that transform business performance.
Her expertise spans infrastructure, energy, aerospace, technology, healthcare, bioscience, legal, government, education, and construction, driving workforce excellence across the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific.
As Principal & Chief Talent Officer of Hire Virtue, a recruitment solutions firm, Leslea leads with a philosophy rooted in human connection, operational excellence, and measurable outcomes. She has delivered more than 15,000 hires globally while reducing time-to-fill from 273 days to as few as three, realizing over $1 million in cost savings through strategic automation, vendor governance, and technology optimization.
Previously serving as Director of Recruiting at Primoris Services Corporation, a $4 billion infrastructure company, Leslea built the Utilities Segment Recruiting Center of Excellence, partnering directly with the CEO, COO, and CFO to deliver executive hires with 100 percent retention. Her leadership has also advanced organizations such as Witt O’Brien’s, Shawcor, Waste Management, and Cosentino, where she consistently reduced hiring timelines by 80–90 percent, embedded DEI strategies, and elevated the candidate experience.
Leslea now serves as Executive Vice President of the Board of Directors and Chief Strategy Officer of The Black Women Executive Human Resource LeadHERship Collective, an emerging national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization devoted to elevating and amplifying the voices of Black women in executive leadership. In this role, she helps shape the organization’s strategic vision, ecosystem partnerships, and advocacy framework to advance equitable representation at the highest levels of corporate influence.
A featured thought-leadership contributor to CHRO Insights 2024 and speaker at the LEAP TA Conference, Leslea is recognized as a Global Talent Architect and trusted voice in the future-of-work dialogue. Her published work in ManageHR Magazine further amplifies her reputation as a candidate champion, branding strategist, and culture shaper.
Leslea holds a Juris Master in Compliance Law, MBA in Organizational Leadership, Master of Science in Project Management, and professional certifications including PHR, SHRM-CP, and DEI. She is currently a Doctoral Candidate pursuing her PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at Northcentral University, where her research explores psychological safety, DEIB, and workforce sustainability.
With an INTJ personality profile, Leslea blends visionary leadership with analytical precision, advancing talent acquisition as both an art and a science always grounded in faith, guided by excellence, and anchored by purpose.
Email: leslea@exechrcollective.com
Firm: www.hirevirtue.com