SAINT PAUL, MN (January 14, 2026) – The Wilder Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Roz Tsai, Ph.D., as its new Chief Human Resources Officer, effective January 19, 2026. Tsai joins Wilder’s executive leadership team at a pivotal moment as the organization continues to advance its mission of strengthening families and communities across Minnesota and well beyond.
She succeeds Vice President of Human Resources, Jennie Hawkins, who has served Wilder for 38 years. Hawkins moves to a transition role until her planned retirement in September 2026.
Tsai brings more than 20 years of senior human resources and talent leadership experience across complex, mission-driven, and highly regulated environments. Most recently, she served as Vice President of Talent, Learning, and Organizational Effectiveness at Thrivent, where she led enterprise-wide talent strategy, leadership development, performance management, succession planning, and workforce engagement. In this role, she oversaw a team of 40 professionals and guided large-scale, cross-functional initiatives focused on building leadership capability, strengthening internal pipelines, and aligning culture with business strategy. Earlier in her career, Tsai held executive leadership roles at Ecolab and Honeywell, including serving as chief learning officer for Ecolab’s global enterprise.
“We are deeply appreciative of Jennie’s service to Wilder for nearly four decades and the lasting impact she has made,” said Armando Camacho, President and CEO of Wilder. “We are excited to welcome Roz, who brings a rare combination of strategic insight, operational rigor, and genuine care of people. She understands how leadership, culture, and systems must work together to support performance and purpose. As Wilder continues to grow and evolve, Roz will be a critical partner in developing our leaders, strengthening our culture, and ensuring our staff are supported, engaged, and equipped to deliver on our mission.”
In her new role, Tsai will lead Wilder’s human resources and compliance functions, partnering closely with the CEO and executive team to advance an integrated people strategy aligned with the organization’s values and strategic priorities. Her focus will include growing and developing talent, strengthening leadership capacity, and guiding organization-wide culture transformation. This work will reinforce consistent, transparent, and people-centered systems that support Wilder’s commitment to equity, accountability, and trauma-informed practice.
A graduate of Nankai University and St Cloud State University, Tsai holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and continues to teach graduate-level courses as adjunct faculty at the Carlson School of Management. She chairs the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the Minnesota Orchestra while also serving on its Executive and Human Resources Committees. In addition, Tsai has dedicated more than 13 years of service to the board of Minnesota nonprofit BestPrep, where she has served as a board member, Past Chair, and current Executive Committee member.
“My personal journey—from foreign exchange student to Fortune 500 corporate executive—is a uniquely American story and a true testament to the generosity and robust support systems of the Twin Cities community,” Tsai said. “I am deeply humbled and honored to join the Wilder organization, which plays such a vital role in strengthening the community I call home. To me, the CHRO role is not a job; it’s a mission to build the systems and culture that empower our people to do their best work and thrive in their careers in service of families and communities.”
The executive search was conducted by Ballinger | Leafblad, a civic-focused executive search firm dedicated to strengthening leadership in mission-driven organizations.
