Kristin Halda, M.Ed., has 16+ years of experience working with leaders, teams, and organizations to improve performance, develop leadership capability, courageously challenge status quo, and enhance employee engagement. Kristin has demonstrated a creative aptitude to align strategy, operating model, and talent to overarching corporate goals, ensuring people are always at the center of that design. She has spent her career in education, retail, and healthcare

Kristin joined UnitedHealth Group in 2015. Since joining, Kristin has held roles on the UHG, Optum, and UnitedHealthcare People teams. She is currently a Senior Director, leading the UnitedHealthcare Organization Design and Talent Development Teams. In addition, Kristin helped form the strategy to systemically address employee burnout, the work it will entail, the operating model and launch of UHG’s Center for Employee Well-being. Kristin is a former Management Development Consultant, the program director of the Emerging Leader and Physician Leadership Development Programs and launched the Accelerating Change & Transitions program into the organization. In addition, Kristin is an Adjunct Professor of the Leading Organizational Change course for the St. Thomas School of Opus Healthcare MBA Program.

Prior to UHG, Kristin led the Six Sigma and Change Management functions at Target Corporation and was an elementary teacher. During her career in education, she was a nominee for Minnesota Teacher of the Year.

Kristin specializes in leadership, capability development, consulting, strategy, organization design, process improvement, team effectiveness, design thinking/innovation, coaching, well-being, and change management.

Kristin and her husband, Aaron, have two children, Hudson (10) and Henley (7), two dogs, Gus and Scout, and 5 chickens. They reside in Minnetrista, MN. Outside of work, they can be found at their cabin in NW Wisconsin, on the sideline of kid sporting events (as both coaches and spectators), playing sports themselves, and spending time outdoors. 

Education:

M.Ed., Education, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

B.S., Education and Communications, University of Minnesota-Duluth

Six Sigma Black Belt

Master Certified Trainer in Change Management

Center for Creative Leadership Coaching Certification

Human-Centered Design