Alumni and Friends

Tanjia M. Coleman, Ph.D.'16

Senior Director, Human Resources at Kindercare Education

Tanjia M. Coleman, Ph.D. is a human capital strategist with more than 15 years of experience working as a senior level human resources professional in Fortune 100 companies including Microsoft, Starbucks, Sears and Motorola. Currently, she is the senior director, human resources for Kindercare Education. Kindercare Education is the largest early childhood education (ECE) provider in the United States with a network of more than 1,700 locations worldwide, employing over 30,000 education professionals, operating early childhood education centers, international schools and large school management systems, which together touch over 300,000 students daily.

As the senior director, human resources, Coleman supports a nationwide team of 50 leaders, at over 450 locations, in the acquisition, development, measurement and retention of talent that reinforces the continuous growth and improvement of Kindercare Education's fastest growing Champions brand. Prior to joining Kindercare Education, Coleman was responsible for driving employee engagement, developing training and managing human resources transformation efforts in talent acquisition, employee relations and organizational development at DeVry Education Group. Her contributions included creating New Leader Assimilation and New Hire Immersion processes. During her tenure she was the recipient of several awards at DeVry including PRIDE (Professional Recognition of Integrity, Dedication and Excellence), which is awarded to the top 5% of achievers; Legacy of Service for exemplary customer service; and Human Resources Newcomer of the Year.

Prior to joining DeVry, Coleman was a member of the Starbucks Corporate Human Resources management team and was responsible for leadership development, change management, organizational design and training. She received a certificate of appreciation for her accomplishments in May of 2008.

Before Starbucks, Coleman was the diversity program manager at Microsoft. Her focus was on expanding the organization’s diversity and change management initiatives. She impacted 76,000 employees with $2M in cost savings by developing a flexible work portal that supported telecommuters and the green initiatives of governmental agencies. Coleman earned a “You Are a Star” award for her efforts.

Coleman completed her dissertation to earn her Ph.D. in Organization Development in January 2016 from Benedictine University. In 2014 she received, “The Best Student Paper Award” at the Academy of Management - ISEOR conference in Lyon, France. She has completed research papers, presented as well as served as a reviewer and discussant at the Midwest Academy of Management, Southwest Academy of Management, Western Sciences Decision Institute and the International Socio-Economic Institute of Firms and Organizations. Her work was further recognized and published in the Recherches en Sciences de Gestion 2015 publication. Coleman also holds a Master of Science degree in Industrial and Employee Relations from Loyola University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from DePaul University.

Coleman is on the Education Committee of HRMAC (Human Resources Management Association of Chicago) and serves as a committee member of the Organization Development Network (ODN). Coleman is also a member of the Society of Human Resource Management, National Association of African Americans in Human Resources and Society for Hispanic Human Resource Professionals and presenter at the National Diversity Council.