Yolanda Stephens

Yolanda Stephens joined the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (MSI) as Vice President of Human Resources in January 2016. In this role she is charged with helping MSI’s more than 450 full- and part-time employees embody MSI’s unique vision, mission and brand.  She was hired to help MSI create best practices, policies and procedures for employees in the areas of; talent recruitment, culture, compensation and benefit administration, strategic workforce planning, and organizational development. Most recently Yolanda was promoted to Chief of People and Culture where she will help refine the diversity and inclusion strategy at the museum and lead the development of goals that will aide MSI in measuring their success as they move forward.

Prior to MSI, Yolanda boasts more than 17 years of diverse experience in the field of Human Resources. She served as Senior Legal Counsel and HR consultant for Vantage Legal Solutions, a boutique human resources and legal services firm. Stephens was also formerly the Director of HR at the Edelman Public Relations, a Global PR firm headquartered in Chicago and prior to that she served as Executive Director of Employee Labor Relations at the University of Chicago Medical Center. In this role she was responsible for employee engagement, labor relations, employee resources center, and rewards and recognition.

Yolanda has also worked as an adjunct professor at Governors State University in the College of Business and Public Administration, teaching human resources for the public sector and labor relations to graduate students. She was also selected as a “Top Executive Leader under 50” for Diversity MBA Magazine. Yolanda graduated with a B.A. from Wayne State University and her JD from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.