Barbara Repandis
Kelley Kronenberg
Care, concern and creativity, are at the heart of Barbara Repandis’s work as Kelley Kronenberg’s Chief Human Resources Officer
From building engagement and employee growth programs during a pandemic to keep people connected from home, to bridging the professional development gap between associates and partners, Repandis is a true Innovator and Bridge Builder.
Repandis’ s success is built in large part on efforts to create and maintain effective personal and professional connections. This year’s engagement survey for the law firm Kelley Kronenberg featured the highest score in the company’s 40-year history, with more than 60% of employees actively engaged, double the national average. This was true despite the fact that over 95% of its staff were operating out of remote environments and rarely saw each other. The efforts of Chief Human Resources Officer Barbara Repandis have led to the firm being honored and recognized as a “Best Workplace” and receiving several local and national awards.
For Barbara, engagement and growth begin from the first day an employee walks on the job. Having created the firms first comprehensive multi-day onboarding process, she ensures that employees don’t just get trained on policy, procedure and tools, but that they also get immersed in the 40+ years of history and family at Kelley Kronenberg. Through this program, every employee is exposed to the firm’s broad range of community involvement, professional and personal committees and unique opportunities to engage with their colleagues and management. From a book club to an established wellness program promoting physical and mental health, Barbara has created traditional as well as new and innovative programs that allow every employee to find a reason to get involved with colleagues. From it’s launch, new hires to the firm have recognized that the comprehensive onboarding program created by Barbara is above and beyond anything they have seen at prior jobs, and that they made a great career choice in joining Kelley Kronenberg.
Her efforts to build employee loyalty start at onboarding and are immediately recognized in the work she has done to create the firm’s first formal training and employee development program. Ongoing training in technology, management practices, leadership and personal growth form the basis for a broad range of opportunities for employees to grow both professionally and personally. To provide and extend new career development opportunities for employees, she created the Practice Group Partner program, a formal title and position in the firm that serves as a steppingstone for fast moving attorneys to be developed into firm partners. This program has been instrumental in not only providing employee growth, but also in bridging the gap between associate attorneys and partners. Through this program, Barbara ensures that once an attorney has become a partner of the firm’s, they have already received extensive exposure, formal training and development in everything from leadership to client servicing and business development.
Her tireless work and direct involvement has ensured that the firm maintains its culture and productivity during the pandemic and are equally impressive. Repandis’ efforts were instrumental in maintaining the safety and well being of every employee at the firm during the pandemic, but also ensuring that each of the almost 400 employees throughout the state knew they could contact her directly for any of their needs. These efforts were a major factor that led to record productivity at Kelley Kronenberg during a difficult year for many other companies and law firms throughout the country. In addition, during this time the firm’s headcount increased, employee turnover decreased and Barbara successfully created the firm’s first Diversity and Inclusion program.
These significant accomplishments are among the many that have resulted Ragan naming Barbara a Bridge Builder in our 2020 Top Women in HR Awards.
