Meet the Team: Valonna Fowler, SHRM - SCP
- Colleen Pfaller
- Apr 3
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 4
"Have fun, even if it’s not the same kind of fun everyone else is having." - C.S. Lewis
Valonna Fowler joined A Slice of HR, A OneDigital Company on team in March 2024 and she’s been a breath of fresh air.
Valonna is a Society of Human Resources Management Senior Certified Professional and a certified facilitator. After spending over a decade doing HR in nonprofits, foundations, and manufacturing sites, she moved to Ohio and… we had a meeting of the minds and … boom, it was on. Ever since Valonna and I first sat down for that coffee, I knew there was something special going on — we just clicked.
We interviewed her using our tried-and-true process and that made it even more clear that she would make our already exceptional team of HR consultants even better. (The whole…pie? is greater than the sum of its parts, don’t you think?)
Valonna is not only a talented HR professional, but a genuinely interesting person, and this combination is what makes her so good at what she does; she’s an HR pro who gets things done and goes well above and beyond just “checking the boxes.”
Valonna has been an amazing addition to our team. I appreciate her willingness to step in and lead HR initiatives. She has a great sense of humor and is an extremely knowledgeable HR professional. She is also an awesome resource for book recommendations! It has been a pleasure getting to know her over the past year. Happy Anniversary Valonna! - Meagan
Her colleagues agree that she brings a level of curiosity, expertise, and energy that makes even the trickiest HR challenges feel solvable.
Valonna is an incredible asset to our team, bringing her passion, dedication, and expertise to every project she tackles. Her collaborative spirit makes her a joy to work with. Whether she's leading a meeting or lending a helping hand, Valonna always goes above and beyond. I personally love working with her and engaging in our “inside jokes with emojis”! She makes my workdays so much more fun! We're so lucky to have her on our team! - Katie
As a self-proclaimed chronic learner, any topic can spark her interest, from jazz to historical fashion trends to home remedies to filmography. Her laugh is infectious, and her love for a good pair of earrings is unparalleled. When she’s not working, she loves walks in nature, reading or streaming with her two cats, and “conversations with friends where we chase any topic that catches.”
When asked what she wanted to be when she grew up she answered: astronaut, novelist, explorer, and teacher. So that about sums it up: a curious creative with exceptional people skills who’s as comfortable exploring new worlds as she is tucked away with a good book.
I just wanted to take a moment to say how much we appreciate what you bring to the team. You are knowledgeable, resourceful, and always seem to have the right answer or solution when it’s needed. And, of course, the fact that we share a love for Gilmore Girls totally won me over! It’s always great to have someone who just gets it. Wishing you all the best — here’s to another great year! - Tiesha
For us, anyone who has a solid sense of humor, a passion for Gilmore Girls, learning, deep conversations, books/writing, and fantastic earrings, is definitely someone we want on the team. ;)
Interview With Valonna Fowler
What makes Valonna an exceptional HR consultant?
Here are a few highlights from our interview:
Valonna is naturally curious and loves solving puzzles. She enjoys getting to the root of things via sound research and “sussing out the question behind the question” – an amazing and important part of being a great HR leader.
Her approach to HR: She always looks beyond just policies and rules. For instance, when it comes to hiring, her goal is that clients’ businesses are equipped with “people who are skilled and empowered to fulfill [the company’s] goals and mission.”
A superpower: “Transforming goal and performance management processes from novel-length navel gazing into succinct measurable actions.”
A healthy dose of humility – as she puts it, “...enough sense to know that I don’t know everything.”
Here’s the interview…
If you could meet anyone in the world or in time, who would it be?
Abraham Lincoln, Jane Austen, Julian of Norwich, Hypatia, Ludwig van Beethoven, Alfred Hitchcock, Sacajewea, Albert Einstein, Benajamin Banneker, Mourning Dove, virtually any of the women doing code work during WW2.
Tell us about your journey to your career in HR - What made you decide to go into HR?
I was an ops consultant at a growing nonprofit. The HR director asked me to facilitate 5 minutes of a meeting. Based on that 5 minutes, her leadership development antennae activated. She invited me to be on her team and offered to teach me everything she knew. I already thought she was a skilled leader, so I accepted the invitation without a blink and haven’t looked back since.
In her, I saw that HR isn’t about a rulebook or having a ruler to punish people with. It’s an opportunity to equip the business with people who are skilled and empowered to fulfill the business’s goals and mission.
How did you first connect with A Slice of HR, A OneDigital Company?
I was newly settling in Ohio, and Slice of HR came up in my research of the region. Colleen and I met for coffee, and we spent the afternoon discussing regional trends and business needs. I’d heard of OneDigital in the benefits space before, so it was cool to join Slice at the same time the whole team was also joining OneDigital for the next stage of our evolution.
What’s your favorite part of your work? (This could be day-to-day or more like big picture.)
My absolute favorite part is bending HR systems to the needs of the group. This has included transforming goal and performance management processes from novel-length navel gazing into succinct measurable actions.
Possibly my deepest satisfaction comes from facilitating a working session for a group as they discover a solution for the puzzle in front of them. This can be for operational processes, org culture, or anything that moves the needle for their business. It’s just so satisfying!
What’s one of the most common client questions/issues you face, and how do you go about solving the problem?
I find that we humans accidentally fall into “all or nothing” problem-solving tactics. My job is to suss out the question behind the question so we know what we’re actually solving for.
What do you like to do in your downtime?
Walking in nature, enjoying a good book; fun and deep conversations without agenda, and plenty of room for tangents.
What makes you good at HR?
The absolute certainty that no team – including HR – belongs in a silo for the organization to succeed long term. Some teams might more visibly collaborate with others, but every team exists to contribute to overall success.
What’s your favorite time of day and why?
Twilight, hands-down. The light play is crazy cool, and it also builds a sense of transition into the day.
Do you have a funny/inspiring/poignant HR story?
In a number of organizations, I’ve had the opportunity to partner with cross-functional, cross-hierarchical teams to pilot and implement programs for learning, benefits, and ways of working.
How do you see HR evolving in the future?
I see us continuing to embrace automation, data, and AI. This isn’t just buzz word stuff. Where HR used to do a very limited number of things like “hire, fire, and pay them,” business needs and wish lists continue to evolve – and quickly.
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I like variety. In addition to an astronaut, I also wanted to be a novelist, an explorer, and a teacher.
What do you see as your strongest skill(set)or attribute that you use regularly as an HR consultant?
Curiosity and being a chronic learner.
What’s a fun fact about you that not many people know?
That would be telling, and an HR professional knows how to practice discretion. 😉
Best piece(s) of HR advice you’ve ever received.
Nearly everything is fixable…and, what did you learn?
There are two that I see and hand-in-glove. First, get curious. About people, systems, businesses. Second, learn the art of research so you can leverage the right tool for the situation.
Super power?
I’d like to formally request teleportation.
Need an HR Consultant in Cincinnati?
Whether it’s her ability to step in and lead, her sharp sense of humor, or her uncanny knack for finding just the right answer when you need it, she just makes work better. Valonna has this perfect balance of smarts, people skills, and fun, and that’s exactly what the Slice brand (now Slice/OneDigital) was built on.
So, happy anniversary, Valonna! We’re beyond lucky to have you, and we can’t wait to see where we go next!
Valonna is just one part of our amazing team of HR consultants at Slice/OneDigital. I’m proud and humbled by the team’s dedication and expertise.
We’re here to help you with recruiting and more – check out our services here, or contact us to get started!
Learn More About Our HR Consultants
Want HR tips delivered to your inbox every month? Sign up for the Slice Scoop!
Comments