Karen Pendergrass

Strategic Talent Acquisition and Mobility Partner

Spring Hill, Tennessee, United States

About

Strategic and results-driven leader with 20+ years of experience in Talent Strategy, Acquisition, and Project Management. Proven success in leading enterprise-wide initiatives, fostering inclusive cultures, and driving measurable outcomes. Passionate about internal mobility, diversity recruiting, and servant leadership.

Experience

  • Associate Director - Talent Marketplace Strategy & Experience and Career Education & Development at UnitedHealth Group
    Feb 2008 - Present · 18 yrs 5 mos

    Associate Director - MyPath Strategy & Experience and Career Education & Development (March 2025-present) • Continuing support of strategic development of the talent marketplace to enable strong internal mobility and a skills-first hiring strategy for the organization. • Spearhead strategic feature implementations for the MyPath platform, enhancing employee experience across the enterprise. • Lead multiple pilot programs to evaluate new functionalities, providing actionable feedback to vendors for continuous improvement. • Develop and execute change management plans to drive successful adoption of new platform capabilities. Associate Director - Talent Enablement (November 2022-March 2025) • Directed the enterprise-wide implementation of the Internal Talent Marketplace (MyPath) and Career Center, impacting 400,000 global employees. o Managed 12 project managers across diverse workstreams. o Oversaw stakeholder engagement, reporting, and vendor collaboration on technical and functional requirements. o Achieved enterprise adoption goals within 3 months—9 months ahead of schedule. • Led process improvement initiatives in Talent Acquisition, including Precision Talent Experience and Value Stream Mapping. • Managed high-impact projects such as Domestic Hiring Capability Mapping, DEIB Program Development, and Talent Communications. Associate Director – Talent Strategy and Fulfillment (July 2011-November 2022) • Designed and executed strategic hiring initiatives including Greenfield Health Plan launches for up to 1600 new hires, DEI recruiting strategies, and compliance-driven projects. • Managed and developed teams of recruiters and business leaders, directly overseeing up to 6 recruiters. • Provided enterprise-wide consulting on talent acquisition strategy, planning, and best practices. Senior Clinical Recruiter (February 2008-July 2011) • Recruited clinical professionals at staff, director, and executive levels across multiple sites.

  • Talent Consultant at CIGNA
    Dec 2000 - Feb 2008 · 7 yrs 3 mos

    Senior Staffing Consultant/Talent Consultant • Led and executed all recruitment activities at the Horsham, PA Tel-Drug facility and national-scope Clinical recruitment within different divisions of the company. Staffing Consultant • Partnered with business managers in 9 major Service Operations HUB locations; managed several large-scale internal-only hiring projects. Staffing Specialist • Conducted Web-based resume searches and phone interviews with qualified applicants; scheduled and facilitated manager interviews and testing for potential candidates.