Kenyatta Nobles on Leadership, Trust, and Building People-First Organisations

Kenyatta Nobles is a senior human resources leader with more than two decades of experience guiding organisations through growth, change, and complexity. He is known for building people-first systems that support both business performance and workplace culture.

Born in Philadelphia, Nobles overcame early health challenges as a premature “miracle baby.” Those early experiences shaped his resilience and work ethic. From a young age, he showed initiative, building strong work ethics as a child and launching a small T-shirt business as a teenager. Leadership came early, including serving as the inaugural student vice president representative on the Philadelphia School Board.

Education played a defining role in his career. Nobles earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Temple University, where he double-majored and served as Student Government Treasurer. He later completed a Master of Business Administration in Human Resource Management and earned the SHRM-SCP certification.

Professionally, Kenyatta Nobles has held senior HR roles across the non-profit, public, and healthcare sectors. He has served as Chief Human Resources Officer, Vice President of Human Resources, and Director of Human Resources for complex, multi-site organisations. In these roles, he has led enterprise HR strategy, executive advising, workforce planning, and organisational transformation.

Nobles has overseen HR operations for workforces of up to 1700 employees across multiple states. His work has reduced turnover, improved engagement, strengthened compliance, and supported leadership decision-making at the board and C-suite levels.

He is also the founder of Criterion HR Solutions, a boutique consultancy focused on strategic human capital solutions. Now based in New Jersey, Nobles remains committed to ethical leadership, lifelong learning, and the development of the next generation of HR professionals.

An Interview with Kenyatta Nobles on Leadership, HR, and Building Trust

Kenyatta, your story begins long before your career in human resources. How did your early life shape the leader you became?

I often say my mindset was shaped before I could even speak. I was born prematurely at eight months, weighing just three pounds. I spent my first month in the hospital, and there was real uncertainty about my future. Growing up with that story gave me perspective early on. I never took an opportunity for granted. My family in Philadelphia valued perseverance and community, and that stayed with me. As a child, I worked delivering Little Debbie cakes at age nine. Later, as a teenager, a few friends and I started a small T-shirt business. Those experiences taught me responsibility and the basics of work long before I entered an office.

Leadership also appeared early in your life. What stands out from your school years?

High school was a turning point. Football taught me discipline, teamwork, and how to recover from setbacks. Off the field, I was selected as the inaugural student vice president representative on the Philadelphia School Board. That role exposed me to governance, policy discussions, and accountability. I learned quickly that decisions affect real people. That lesson became central to how I approach human resources today.

Education clearly played a major role in your journey. Why was it so important to you?

Education was personal. I was the first among my siblings to attend and graduate from a four-year university. That carried responsibility. At Temple University, I double-majored in Human Resources Administration and Risk Management & Insurance. I also served as Student Government Treasurer, which meant managing budgets and explaining financial decisions to peers. It showed me how structure, process, and transparency build trust. Later, I earned my MBA in Human Resource Management and pursued the SHRM-SCP certification to deepen my expertise.

What drew you specifically to a career in human resources?

HR sits at the intersection of people and business. Early in my career, I saw how poor systems and unclear leadership hurt employees, performance and business reputation. I wanted to be in a role where I could fix that. HR, when done well, creates clarity. It helps organisations operate ethically, manage risk, and support growth. That balance appealed to me.

You’ve held senior roles across healthcare, public service, and non-profit organisations. How did those environments shape your approach?

Each sector taught me something different. At Harlem Children’s Zone and New Community Corporation, scale and compliance were major challenges. At Planned Parenthood of New Jersey and Hamilton Health Center, the work was mission-driven and highly regulated. I learned how to lead during scrutiny and change. Later, at Everstand, I led HR strategy and operations for 700 employees across multiple states. We converted performance reviews from staggered cycles to annual reviews. That sounds technical, but it improved fairness and clarity across the organisation. We also reduced turnover by 12 per cent and improved engagement through transparent leadership practices.

You’ve often spoken about ethics and trust. Why are they so central to your work?

Because without trust, systems fail. I’ve seen policies that look perfect on paper but collapse in practice because people don’t trust leadership. In HR, you handle sensitive information and difficult decisions. Integrity has to be non-negotiable. When I present to boards or executives, my goal is clarity. Clear data. Clear risks. Clear options. That builds confidence, even during hard conversations.

You also founded Criterion HR Solutions. What motivated you to start your own firm?

I saw organisations repeatedly struggling with the same issues. They needed strategic HR support, not just transactional fixes. Criterion HR Solutions allowed me to help both public and private organisations think long-term about people, structure, and leadership. It reflects my belief that HR should be proactive, aligned with business goals, and grounded in ethics.

How do you personally define success at this stage of your career?

Success is impact. It’s helping leaders make better decisions. It’s seeing teams grow and systems improve. I measure it through outcomes, feedback, and trust. Titles matter less than whether I leave an organisation stronger than I found it.

Finally, how do you maintain balance outside of work?

Balance keeps me grounded. Faith, family, and community matter to me. I enjoy travelling, spending time with my wife and children, and even simple things like making coffee at home. Those moments remind me why the work matters in the first place.