Welcome to this episode of the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we sit down with industry leaders to uncover the real-life insights, strategies, and challenges that shape world-class organizations.

Our guest today is Kelli Dragovich, a seasoned Chief People Officer and Bay Area native, whose 25-year journey through Silicon Valley’s tech scene includes roles at Yahoo, GitHub, Looker, Pendo, and now, Supio.

Kelli joins us to share her honest perspective on building great cultures, making pivotal career decisions, and how to truly advance as a people leader.

We explore Kelli’s path into HR by design rather than by chance, her intentional approach to both interim and in-house executive roles, and the ways she has learned to identify organizations and leaders that offer the right fit and opportunity.

Kelli offers real-world advice for HR professionals looking to focus their growth, build valuable relationships, and drive impact in their roles.

In this conversation, we dig into:

• Kelli’s unique entry into HR and the intentional steps she took to build her career

• The reality of moving between interim, advisory, and full-time HR leadership positions

• What to look for in a CEO or founder when considering a new executive opportunity

• The “trifecta” Kelli uses to evaluate job opportunities: people, product, and competitiveness

• Concrete steps for HR professionals to grow their influence, networks, and careers

• The challenge and impact of building trust and credibility quickly in a new organization

• Kelli’s framework for onboarding successfully as a new people leader

• Key advice for getting noticed and adding value - whether you’re early in your career or at a senior level

• Why helping others is the most effective way to accelerate your profile and network in HR

• Favorite resources and practical recommendations for continuous learning and staying relevant

To access show notes and free bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast.

If you’re looking for actionable advice on navigating your HR career, building your peer network, and choosing the right organization for your next chapter, don’t miss this candid, practical conversation with Kelli Dragovich.

Kelli Dragovich: Supio, the HR Heretics podcast, and on LinkedIn

Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community.

Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away.

We can’t wait to share these conversations with you.

Welcome to the journey!

Listen, learn, and connect:

🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube).

💡 Find show notes and bonus resources at peopleleaderaccelerator.com/podcast.

📬 Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to level up as a people leader.

🤝 Connect with your hosts:

• Jessica Yuen: linkedin.com/in/jessicayuen | jessyuen.com

• Andrew Bartlow: linkedin.com/in/bartlow | peopleleaderaccelerator.com