About Jennifer
Jennifer Kozel
Fractional Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) & Executive Coach
The Proper Group Executive
Jennifer Kozel, MSHRM, SPHR, is a seasoned people strategist, transformational coach, and culture builder with over 25 years of HR leadership experience and nearly two decades as a certified executive coach. She has partnered with Fortune 50 enterprises, private-equity–backed organizations, and growth-stage companies to design people strategies that drive measurable business impact.
As Founder & CEO of The Gravara Group, LLC — a veteran- and woman-owned consultancy — Jennifer has helped leaders align workforce strategy with organizational goals, build resilient cultures, and prepare for the future of work. Her approach blends neuroscience-informed coaching, somatic intelligence, and executive-level HR expertise to deliver sustainable transformation.
Jennifer’s career highlights include:
- Leading HR for a $2B enterprise with 2,400+ employees and delivering a $21.6M ROI in engagement and retention initiatives.
- Establishing Yancey University, delivering more than 120,000 hours of professional learning annually.
- Scaling talent acquisition to achieve 1,500+ hires in under 24 months during a period of rapid growth.
- Building recognition platforms, career pathing frameworks, and engagement systems that transformed culture and retention.
Known for her balance of grit, empathy, and strategic foresight, Jennifer thrives in high-ambiguity, high-stakes environments. She is equally adept at coaching executives 1:1, leading culture change initiatives, and building HR infrastructures that enable scale.
Her perspective is shaped by her service in the U.S. Navy and her experience founding Inward Bound Equine Assisted Learning Center and Troops for Life, a nonprofit supporting military families in transition. These endeavors reflect her lifelong commitment to purpose-driven leadership, resilience, and service.
At The Proper Group, Jennifer leads fractional CHRO engagements, executive coaching programs, and organizational transformations. She contributes to the firm’s intellectual property in people strategy, leadership development, and culture design—helping organizations build clarity, courage, and long-term capability.
Jennifer lives in Powder Springs, Georgia, and serves clients nationally and globally. Outside of work, she is passionate about equine-assisted learning, community impact, and advancing purpose-driven leadership across industries.
Comprehensive Offerings:
People Strategy & Organizational Design
- Talent strategy aligned to business priorities
- Job architecture, competency models, and career paths
- Compensation structures, pay bands, and total rewards modernization
- HR analytics, dashboards, and KPI frameworks
Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning
- Scalable TA org builds, employer branding, and pipeline design
- Workforce planning, skills mapping, and succession planning
- Onboarding modernization and field rollout playbooks
- HCM selection/optimization and process automation
Leadership Development & Executive Coaching
- Executive and team coaching (neuroscience- and somatic-informed)
- Tiered leadership curricula and manager enablement programs
- 360s, assessments, and individualized growth plans
- Experiential retreats, including equine-assisted leadership learning
Culture & Employee Experience
- Engagement systems, recognition platforms, and action planning
- Values and behaviors frameworks; communications toolkits
- Performance management modernization and feedback rituals
- Well-being initiatives that support retention and resilience
HR Operations, Compliance & Risk
- HR operating model design, SOPs, and shared services
- Handbooks, policies, and compliance training programs
- Leave, benefits, and employee support programs (EAP, backup care)
- Self-service portals and knowledge bases to scale HR effectiveness
Change Management & Transformation Leadership
- M&A integration, org redesign, and operating model shifts
- Enterprise communications and stakeholder alignment
- Digital transformation adoption and enablement
- Impact measurement (engagement, retention, productivity, ROI)
📍 Based in Powder Springs, GA – working nationally and globally
🗓 Book a complimentary consultation
📧 jkozel@theproper.group