
HR/Advantage Advisory is staffed by certified HR professionals and draws on a deep bench of partnerships to provide your business with the human resources services it needs.

Kristin Baker, SHRM-SCP
VICE PRESIDENT
(313) 309-9488 | kbaker@hr-aa.com
Kristin has a solid HR background in a variety of areas with particular strengths in Employee/Labor Relations, Recruiting/Staffing, Leadership Development, Strategic Planning, Compensation, Team Building/Development, Executive Coaching, Employee Engagement, Change Management, M&A, Organizational Development/Design and Training.
Kristin holds a B.A. in Social Science and an M.A. in Labor and Industrial Relations from Michigan State University. She is a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) and is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Detroit SHRM and a variety of volunteer organizations.
Articles:
- 5 Things HR Managers Say About Sexual Harassment in #MeToo Era, The Detroit Free Press (March 14, 2018)
- Staying Ahead in Business, DBusiness (October 25, 2017)

Annette Cataldi
EXECUTIVE CONSULTANT AND SR EXECUTIVE COACH
(586) 929-0423 | acataldi@hr-aa.com
Annette has her MSA and BS in Business from Central Michigan University, is a Certified Maxwell Leadership Coach, Speaker, and Trainer, a Mind Gym Certified Coach, a Certified DISC Trainer, and is certified in multiple professional assessment tools. Annette has had the privilege of supporting a wide range of senior/C-Suite executives across multiple industries. Annette’s passion is the power of vision and works with organizations and leaders to propel success by formulating a clear vision and a strategy to attainment. She is a published author on the topics of career transition and vision development and holds various leadership positions in both philanthropic and community organizations.

John Ermanni
PRESIDENT
(313) 309-4257 | jermanni@clarkhill.com
At Clark Hill, John brings significant cross-functional leadership experience in the corporate world, acquired by directing global finance, operating and business planning activities. Prior to joining Clark Hill, John spent over 19 years as an executive at Compuware Corporation, which was one of the world’s largest independent software vendors and IT professional services providers. Prior to joining Compuware, John spent 10 years at General Motors in various finance positions on GM’s Corporate Financial Staff, at General Motors Acceptance Corporation and at Delphi Automotive Systems.
At Compuware, John most recently held the position of Vice President International Finance, responsible for all financial activities outside of the United States. Reporting to the CFO in this role, John led a team of 100 finance professionals in 24 countries. Previously, John was a Vice President in Operations, functioning as the chief of staff for the COO and leading a 100 person organization that included inside sales, telemarketing, global pricing and quality planning. John also managed worldwide corporate planning activities while reporting to the CEO, which included the development of the company’s annual operating plan, the consolidation of monthly revenue and earnings forecasts and providing analytical decision support for all departments.
John’s corporate experience includes the integration of acquisitions; facilitating carve-out divestitures to strategic and private equity buyers; establishing finance shared service centers in Europe and coordinating corporate restructuring and reorganization initiatives. During his corporate career, John served as a member of Corporate Executive and Operating Committees. John also served on the Board of Directors for numerous country entities.

Sophia Granobles
SENIOR HR CONSULTANT
(312) 517-7516 | sgranobles@hr-aa.com
Sophia had proven experience in transforming human resources from an administrative role to a strategic business partner to drive and implement key business initiatives. Sophia has navigated through HRIS and payroll integrations for two organizations including structuring annual workforce training. She has led multiple successful third-party audits – Supplier Workplace Accountability (SWA) program, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) audit, multiple Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) audits and Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA).
Sophia holds a B.A. in Human Resources Development from Northeastern Illinois University and an M.S. in Human Resources Management and Development from National Louis University. She is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and is currently an Illinois notary.

Michele Hanson, SPHR
VICE PRESIDENT
(313) 965-8310 | mhanson@hr-aa.com
Michele is the consulting lead for a variety of clients across multiple industries. Some example engagements include helping set up all HR and payroll processes for a start-up chemical manufacturer. Michele implemented an HR technology system that allows the client’s HR processes to be virtually paperless. She has also worked on a large-scale hiring process improvement initiative with one of the largest municipalities in the US. Other engagements and projects include investigations, individual leader coaching, policy creation, employee relations support and customized training creation and delivery. Michele is skilled at quickly being able to understand a client’s business needs and challenges, she offers practical and compliant HR solutions that meet and exceed client expectations.
Prior to working as a consultant, she led the Talent and Recruiting function for Learning Care Group, a leader in the early childhood education industry with over 900 childcare centers in 37 states where she and her team were responsible for over 11,000 hires annually. Michele also worked at the world headquarters for Fortune 500 Kelly Services for ten years, where she was HR Director for seven years and started Kelly’s first Talent Management function.
Michele earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Eastern Michigan University and an MBA from the University of Michigan. She has been certified through the Human Resources Certification Institute as a Senior Professional in HR since 1998.

Melinda Lapan, PHR, SHRM-CP
VICE PRESIDENT
(609) 785-2928 | mlapan@hr-aa.com
Melinda is a trusted advisor to clients, as they look to her for her expertise and guidance throughout the entire employee lifecycle from recruiting to the end of employment. Melinda supports businesses with due diligence of the HR function for M&A transactions, she conducts thorough assessments of existing HR operations, and she helps clients implement solutions for continuous improvement. Melinda also services clients in a variety of other ways, such as assisting with 401K implementations and audits of 401K Plans and she delivers a variety of training programs. Melinda has served as an interim HR Leader when an unexpected vacancy occurs or she can provide temporary on-site support to businesses who need an HR presence for a period of time.
Melinda earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at West Virginia Wesleyan College. She is a Six Sigma Green Belt and is a Certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and is a SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP). Melinda has been a long-time member of and volunteer with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) at the National, State, and Local level.

Ana Porchman
HR/SHARED SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE
(313) 965-8229 | fporchman@hr-aa.com
Prior to working with HR/AA she was a recruiter, working for one of the world’s largest RPO providers. Facilitating recruitment strategies, administrative and HR support for multiple clients worldwide. Ana also worked for a nationwide early childhood education company, managing their regulatory compliance and providing employee support to their support central office.
Ana holds an A.S. in Science from Schoolcraft College. She is currently a Michigan Notary.

Holly Maurer-Klein, SHRM-SCP, PC
VICE PRESIDENT
(412) 394-2435 | hmklein@hr-aa.com
A graduate of the Entrepreneurial Fellows Program at the Katz Graduate School of Business, Holly has a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University. She is certified by the Society of Human Resource Management as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and by Duquesne University as a Professional Coach (PC) and a certified LEA360 administrator. She is also a winner of the PA Department of Community and Economic Development’s award, “Best 50 Women in Business”. With a focus on enhancing communication and connection, she is a published writer, experienced mediator, and passionate life-long learner. Her strategic focus and belief in the ability of people to learn, grow, and change fuels and informs her coaching practice. Holly lives in Pittsburgh with her husband, Paul.
Business Articles
- The Changing Role of HR, Talent Development (January 2019)

Shannon Reed, PHR
SENIOR HR CONSULTANT
(313) 309-4266 | sreed@hr-aa.com
A proven partner to executive leadership, Shannon has also led HR teams through multiple M&A challenges including the divestiture of key business units and the collective bargaining process in the US and Canada. Her work with executive teams includes coaching, authoring annual communication plans, speech writing, and the creation of strategic annual plans for the HR discipline.
Shannon holds a BA in Psychology from Taylor University and studied with honors at the graduate level in the MA in Professional Psychology program at Geneva College. She is an experienced facilitator of the Gallup strength-based assessments and has multiple training certificates from the American Society of Employers.

Sarah Smolarek, SHRM-SCP
HR CONSULTANT
(609) 785-2941 | ssmolarek@hr-aa.com
Prior to joining HR Advantage Advisory, Sarah worked as a Senior HR Specialist for a large organization that managed employee/vendor contracts with various entities within the Allegheny County Government. Sarah has a proven track record of working across highly matrixed organizations and building dedicated, effective teams.
Sarah holds a B.A. in Political Science from Mercyhurst University and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. She is also certified as a Senior Certified Professional through the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM-SCP).