I have a lifetime personal mission to Always leave everything and everyone I connect to remarkably better than I find them. And the opportunity to drive that every day in full alignment with Modern’s mission is why I’ll be running up the stairs 2 steps at a time to build a bold and better future and experience for extraordinary humans, companies, and communities beside us.
Dean is widely known as an innovative and industry-recognized leader of People and Culture for over 20 years as a 4-time CHRO across Fortune 50, rapid growth, and culture-driven organizations. Prior to Modern, Dean served in the role of Chief People Officer for Guild, Sears Holdings, Fossil. Inc. and Patagonia, where his 10-year chief administrator role spanned across People, Culture, Finance, and Legal functions. He launched his HR career through a variety of progressive leadership roles at Procter&Gamble, Pier 1 Imports, and Pearle Vision.
He has served as a public company independent director and chair of both Governance and Comp Committees for Cornerstone OnDemand (NASDAQ: CSOD) and currently, an independent Director for Griffith Foods, a high-growth Chicago-based privately held sustainable food company. He also serves on Tech Advisory Boards for SemperViren VC, Wellist, and AirVet.
During his career, Dean’s perspectives on innovation in the future of work and HR, purpose-driven companies, and a regenerative approach to employee experiences have been featured in The Economist, NBC Nightly News, HRBrew, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, CNBC, Fast Company, Inc. Magazine, NPR Morning Edition, NPR Marketplace, and The Wall Street Journal as well a range of books and other national publications. Dean is also a guest lecturer at renowned universities such as the USC Marshall School of Business, UCLA Anderson School of Business, Columbia Business School, the Stanford School of Business, and The University of Texas McCombs School of Business.
Dean has always been passionate about serving his home communities, with his most recent community work focused as a board member for Pacific Pride Foundation, supporting the LGBTQ+ community in the CA central coast, and the world-renowned classical music innovation institute, the Music Academy, based in Montecito, CA.
Dean earned his undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin and currently serves as a Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law Workforce Science Fellow – where he co-founded a world class organization focused on the elevation of Human Capital Analytics.
