About | SMART HR

We started as an HR Consulting firm, but as we worked with organizational leaders and business owners, a pattern emerged. We realized that companies with strong leadership had better cultures and fewer HR issues. So we began focusing our efforts on growing leadership skills alongside our HR support. We’ve seen this result in confident leaders who handle their HR issues and lead their teams in powerful and effective ways. This strengthens organizations and increases their bottom line.

This powerful connection led us to develop the Smart Leadership Academy, which focuses on equipping leaders at all levels of an organization to gain a better understanding of themselves, how to coach and lead teams, and how to maximize their impact in their organizations.

My Smart HR offers both HR services and leadership development, serving clients in a number of different (for and not for profit) industries, including education, health services, retail, family businesses, First Nations, recreation, tech, publishing, and service-oriented companies. Click here to find out what people say about working with us.

What’s most important to us is getting to know you and working collaboratively to help you lead a vibrant, engaged team that works hard to deliver on your organizational goals. Whether you’re creating HR strategies to recruit, engage and retain your team, or you’re coaching and leading to develop strong performers and future leaders, what you bring to the table determines your organization’s success. Facilitating and supporting your leadership growth and development is what keeps us jazzed about what we do.

Our Team

Ingrid Vaughan is My Smart HR’s Architect and Founder. With a Masters in Leadership, Ingrid is passionate about growing and developing leaders at all levels in an organization. Believing that great leaders make great companies, she created the Smart Leadership Academy to grow confident, competent leaders who have a powerful impact on their organizations. Ingrid has spent her career working with and for small businesses in an HR management capacity. With a simple, customized approach to HR management, she also helps business owners engage with and manage their teams more effectively. With a professional, creative and dynamic approach to her work, Ingrid is committed to creating exceptional employee experiences and being a resource to organizational leaders.

Tracy Pheiffer is an experienced human resource leader delivering HR services to a variety of unionized and non-unionized organizations in retail, health, hospitality, manufacturing, insurance and service industries. As a My Smart HR Associate, she brings a wealth of experience including business planning and development, performance management, employee engagement, recruitment and hiring, policy/job description development, and compensation strategies. Tracy is committed to a high level of professional integrity as she collaborates with clients in finding effective solutions to human resource issues and to achieving organizational goals.

Andrea MacDonald is one of My Smart HR’s HR Associates. She comes from a broad medical and dental background that has shaped her ability to guide, support and encourage both businesses and employees. A recent HR management graduate, Andrea is very passionate about diversity and inclusion as well as nurturing company culture. She believes that treating employees fairly and paying attention to market trends is essential to overall employee satisfaction.With an active lifestyle and a history in coaching athletes, Andrea is known for her warmth and openness, putting people at ease when coming up with the right solutions.

Dawn Robson is My Smart HR’s newest HR Associates. Dawn is a Human Resources professional with over 20 years of experience. She has worked at both the strategic and operational levels in high tech, financial services, non-profit and retail and enjoys supporting small businesses as a consultant. She has been actively involved with recruitment, retention, compensation, performance management, training, health and safety and the development of policies and procedures. Dawn believes that clear communication and collaboration are critical components of organizational success and enjoys helping organizations support their employees.

Sheena Badr is My Smart HR’s fabulous Administrative Associate. Her keen mind and incredible detail and administrative aptitudes ensure the team stays organized and on top of all our client work. She brings communication, writing, and administrative strengths to the organization. Sheena has spent 19 years as a massage therapist and is currently embarking on HR education. In addition to her administrative skills, she brings keen insights and fresh perspectives to our team.

We’re thrilled to welcome Karen Borthistle to our team. Karen has over ten years of HR experience, specializing in Employee Relations in large multi-union organizations. She is skilled in providing full-cycle recruitment services for positions ranging from Tradespeople to Executives. Karen balances a process-driven, competency-based approach to recruitment with strong interpersonal skills, and builds effective relationships with clients, candidates, and stakeholders. Solution oriented, she believes in approaching challenges with empathy, curiosity, and an open mind. We look forward to adding her expertise to support our client services.

Strategic Collaborators

Kathryn Dafos is a strategist, facilitator, and public relations specialist at Endless Potential Strategic Planning, and works with individuals and organizations to drive sustainable improvement in bottom-line performance and profitability. She joins the Smart Leadership Academy team to deliver the Lumina Spark Assessment. Lumina Spark inspires people to develop skills most needed in the workplace – adaptability, agility, growth mind-set, partnering, authenticity and the ability to lead self and others.

Shelley Quinte is a management-side labour and employment lawyer with a practice emphasis on human rights matters. She achieves success through forging relationships, overcoming obstacles and pre-emptive planning in a variety of workplace environments and legal situations. Shelley combines her knowledge and expertise with practical skills and common sense to guide organizations through any challenge from beginning to end. Shelley is an investment in integrity, trust and peace of mind when legal advice and representation is needed most.

What people say about working with us.

“Smart HR’s Coaching and Leadership workshop offered insights into myself and those around me that will provide immediate strategies for effective team building. The concepts were well-paced, clearly articulated, beautifully presented and practical. It is rare to attend a learning opportunity with a diverse audience and find that there is content to serve everyone in the room. I would highly recommend Ingrid as a dynamic leadership trainer.”

“At the Coaching and Team Leadership workshop, Ingrid had an excellent way of balancing moving the materials along and interacting with, and giving time to, what came up in each moment for the participants. She was wise to the times and generations in the room and had an excellent way of integrating all she taught into the situations that arose in conversation. I really appreciated the models and visuals she provided to make the material memorable. Not only did I benefit from them, but I can picture using them as valuable tools in future conversations/scenarios in my work environment. I also appreciated her use of personal examples of both successes and failure from her own experience. Together they created an approachable yet aspirational environment.”

“Smart HR’s Coaching and Team Leadership workshop was an engaging, full day of management skills training. Ingrid answered all our questions in a way that allowed us to feel confident about the content being delivered and excited about integrating this new knowledge into everyday practice. She is a true leader and I appreciated what she delivered in this workshop and value what I am taking forward in my leadership role.”

– Kim Dillon, Worklink Employment Society

“Ingrid exhibits exceptionally high integrity and is an absolute joy to work with. Nothing is too much trouble in her pursuit to deliver exactly what is required for her clients. She is conscientious and delivers first-rate service.”

“A dedicated, knowledgeable professional, Ingrid provides clear, usable tools for managers to more effectively work with their teams. She is a seasoned trainer and easily engaged with our team with helpful insights as issues arose. Ingrid’s commitment, ability to quickly engage team members and assist managers with staffing issues are exceptional.”

“Ingrid is creative, professional and a pleasure to work with. She demonstrates strong leadership, a positive attitude and a genuine concern for the well-being and success of her clients. She worked diligently to provide excellent service to members of the WestShore Chamber of Commerce. Any work she undertakes for clients will be done with diligence and professionalism.”

Our Team

Strategic Collaborators

What people say about working with us.

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