Annie Bernhardt (Lippert)

Operator | Strategist | Thought Leader - passionate about bringing big ideas to life!

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

About

Business operations leader and senior program manager with 10 years of achievement in operational excellence, efficient and effective program delivery and building strategic relationships, all of which produced multimillion-dollar business outcomes. Extensive knowledge in supply chain operations, cost containment, business planning, large program initiatives and migrations, and taking ownership of high-dollar budgets, accounts, revenues, and savings. Partner with executives to identify trends, discuss KPIs and continuity plans, and capitalize on sustainable business operations and growth

Experience

  • Apollo.io ()
    • Chief of Staff to the CEO
      Feb 2026 - Present · 6 mos

    • Chief of Staff to the COO
      Dec 2024 - Feb 2026 · 1 yr 3 mos

  • Checkr, Inc. ()
    • Product Program Operations
      Jan 2023 - Jun 2024 · 1 yr 6 mos

      ⁃ Oversaw and program-managed company’s goal of saving $25M in 2023 by optimizing supply chain and operations costs. Ensured the product-led strategy was executed and delivered effectively and efficiently. Resulted in $26M savings in 2023, exceeding goal by $1M, and a projected $50M savings in 2024. ⁃ Instituted a biweekly product business review to ensure constant evaluation of product performance and business impact - leveraged this cadence to gather feedback from the business, discuss individual product performance compared to goal, and modify strategy as needed. This inspection point did not exist prior, and the new cadence gave supporting teams and leadership a space to fully understand product health and features. ⁃ Mentored and advised 5 junior program managers to ensure cohesive delivery and communication throughout the program management team - resulted in clearer communication throughout the company and 4 of those individuals being promoted to more senior program management roles.

    • Business Operations Lead
      Oct 2022 - Jan 2023 · 4 mos

      ⁃ Served as a key cross-functional partner to Checkr’s executive staff and other leaders across the company, allowing for better strategic alignment on company goals and better informed leaders. ⁃ Managed the company’s largest and most strategic priorities to ensure quick and effective delivery and execution - this was done by implementing an OKR framework, enabling leaders to institute the new framework in their respective org, and rolling it out to over 1200 employees. ⁃ Designed, developed, and led the company’s goal-setting and inspection process, resulting in the highest goal attainment in company history. ⁃ Drafted larger company strategies and partnered with executives to finalize items and bring initiatives to life. ⁃ Served as the lead program manager on 2 of the 3 largest company goals.

    • Integration Core Team Lead
      Feb 2022 - Dec 2022 · 11 mos

      ⁃ Brokered the deal between the two companies (Inflection and Checkr) and led due diligence on the Inflection side resulting in a $390M sell price. ⁃ Led the integration of over 200 employees and 50,000 customers into the Checkr ecosystem and onto the Check product by consolidating Checkr and Inflection technology stacks, partners, and operational processes. ⁃ Developed a strategy to ensure employee and customer retention surpassed yearly goal at 80%+ and 50%+ respectively. ⁃ Led and managed a team of 3 program managers, resulting in a cohesive and unified program management approach throughout the integration.

  • Inflection (a Checkr company) (2 yrs 1 mo)
    • Senior Director, Supply Chain & Operations
      Dec 2021 - Oct 2022 · 11 mos

      ⁃ Expanded scope of responsibility to entire data supply chain, not just vendor partnerships, amounting to $7M in annual spend ⁃ Developed a 3-year operations strategy, focused on optimization, data independence, and data enhancement. ⁃ Kicked off execution of the strategy - initial focus on staffing, scoping, and governance.

    • Director, Vendor Operations
      Sep 2021 - Dec 2021 · 4 mos

      ⁃ Successfully stood up, staffed, and operationalized Vendor Operations at Inflection. ⁃ Developed a long-term roadmap and target state for the Vendor Operations organization. ⁃ Managed the largest cost center ($4M in annual spend) at Inflection (data providers). ⁃ Established relationships with our top data vendors, and leveraged that partnership to achieve success on both the Inflection and data partner side. ⁃ Implemented paths for escalation to ensure proper communication between Inflection, our customers, and our data partners.

    • Director Program Management Office
      Oct 2020 - Dec 2021 · 1 yr 3 mos

      ⁃ Stood up, staffed, and operationalized a Program Management Office at Inflection. ⁃ Designed, developed, and led the company’s goal-setting and inspection process. ⁃ Managed the largest, most cross-functional initiatives throughout the organization. ⁃ Contributed to bringing the company strategy to life through a variety of organized company-level initiatives. ⁃ Instituted governance, risk, and issue tracking and project planning at the organization level. ⁃ Implemented a suite of project management tools to allow for better project tracking, communication to executives, and overall program exposure to the organization. ⁃ Led and managed a team of 2 program managers.

  • Trexin Consulting (3 yrs 1 mo)
    • Principal Consultant
      Oct 2018 - Oct 2020 · 2 yrs 1 mo

      ⁃ Managed a portfolio of over 30 different clients resulting in the fourth largest book of business at the firm during my tenure ($3M+ in annual bookings) - primarily served as a thought partner, ensuring service offerings aligned with client strategies and long-term goals. ⁃ Offered the following services to clients across a multitude of sectors, including healthcare, technology, retail, software, and productions & distribution: project & program management, strategic planning & alignment, long-term growth & portfolio planning, business analysis, optimization efforts, and change management. ⁃ Led and managed a team of 8 associate consultants - advised them on career growth opportunities, coached them on consulting best practices, and provided real-time feedback and support. Of the team of 8, 6 received promotions during their tenure.

    • Associate Consultant
      Oct 2017 - Sep 2018 · 1 yr

      ⁃ Played a variety of roles for our clients across 10+ engagements, including: project manager, program manager, business analyst, delivery leader, and engagement leader.

  • Groupon ()
    • Buyer
      Jul 2016 - Oct 2017 · 1 yr 4 mos

      ⁃ Managed the smartphone accessories business, generating $130M in revenue annually by curating an attractive assortment, negotiating pricing, and building a promotional strategy that aligned with customer need. ⁃ Oversaw entire supply chain - including sourcing/procurement, negotiations, logistics, product vetting, and overall business strategy. ⁃ Held over 130 vendor partners to a higher standard by setting quality metrics and inspecting said metrics daily - leveraged this data to maintain an optimal vendor portfolio and also in negotiations. ⁃ Manage and mentored one associate buyer and one intern on the team to ensure their success and development – both resulted in promotions.

    • Assistant Buyer
      Jun 2015 - Aug 2016 · 1 yr 3 mos

      ⁃ Grew book business by 34% throughout tenure, up from -36% prior to my start by identifying an unfulfilled customer need, sourcing products that satisfied that need, and incorporating those products into our marketing strategy. ⁃ Onboarded 13 new publishers, resulting in an incremental $3M in sales by bringing on new products and incorporating them into our marketing strategy. ⁃ Identified trends from industry research, integrated new product into existing strategy to capture incremental $2M in sales.