What happens when long-tenured employees meet new tech, and a swim coach becomes the HR lead? You get creative adaptation, empathy in action, and a code of conduct for kids.

Live from isolved Connect in Chicago, Samantha Kenworthy, HR Coordinator at Skyline Center, shares how she’s navigating digital transformation in a nonprofit world—where mission matters, tenure runs deep, and change doesn’t come easy. From training employees to check their own pay stubs to surviving accreditation and building HR systems from scratch, Samantha’s story is one of real-world resilience.

We explore her unexpected journey into HR, how she’s personalizing legacy systems, and why being a People Hero starts with protecting your own energy while showing up for everyone else.

Timestamps:

00:00 — Meet Samantha Kenworthy, HR at Skyline Center

01:32 — Legacy employees, new tools, and user adoption challenges

03:15 — Small wins: self-service and digital literacy

04:19 — Accreditation survival and nonprofit compliance

05:40 — From “Sure, I’ll try HR” to full system overhaul

06:12 — Why you can’t inherit someone else’s HR system

08:11 — Mission-driven HR and nonprofit motivation

09:05 — Doing HR at swim practice: the code of conduct story

12:00 — Youth sports, parents, and HR chaos off the clock

13:36 — Being a People Hero means showing up and staying filled

This conversation was recorded live at isolved Connect in Chicago.

The Heroes of HR podcast is a limited series sponsored by isolved. isolved is an HCM platform that modernizes HR, benefits, and payroll across Healthcare, Hospitality, Manufacturing, and more.

You can learn more about isolved here: https://www.isolvedhcm.com/

Connect with Us:

William Tincup LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tincup/
Ryan Leary LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanleary/

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Tech Troubles, Tenure, and Code of Conducts: Samantha Kenworthy on Evolving HR in Nonprofits

Tech Troubles, Tenure, and Code of Conducts: Samantha Kenworthy on Evolving HR in Nonprofits

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