Yolanda is head of People and Culture at Generate Biomedicines, leading a team on a mission to create an environment where all Generators can thrive and are enabled to contribute their best.
Yolanda joined Generate from Bluebird Bio, where she had various roles and responsibilities including establishing the company’s people analytics capability, navigating the commercial organization through continuous change, and leading talent strategy starting with rethinking performance management. Yolanda began her career at a non-profit’s youth job center where she supported underprivileged and at-risk youth in securing and retaining employment. She has advised various organizations on organizational change, culture, leadership, and talent management. She was on the organization insights and analytics team at Starbucks focused on employee listening and spent most of her time at ESPN and The Walt Disney Company dedicated to organizational development and culture, defining, and integrating cultural competencies across the employee lifecycle.
Yolanda earned her Ph.D. in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Seattle Pacific University, where she has also served as an Adjunct Professor. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and received a certificate in criminal justice from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.