Fractional CHROs in San Diego Making Things Happen in 2025

San Diego Interim Chief People Officers to Know

San Diego is where tech meets biotech, where DTC brands sit alongside global defense contractors, and where growth-minded companies are scaling across sectors. But even with world-class talent, building a high-functioning, values-aligned workplace doesn’t happen by accident. More often, it’s the work of fractional CHROs—operationally sharp, culturally attuned, and embedded exactly where companies need them most.

Whether it’s an early-stage biotech startup looking to establish HR systems or a mid-market company navigating leadership change, fractional Chief People Officers in San Diego are showing up with the clarity and structure that modern teams need to grow well.

At Digital Reference, we’re proud to highlight professionals in the San Diego metro who are leading this shift—bringing people leadership that’s flexible, referenceable, and built to scale.

Our Methodology: How We Select San Diego’s Fractional CPOs

Each individual featured below has been vetted through our curation lens. We look for:

• Clear public presence as a fractional, interim, or embedded CHRO/CPO
  
  
• Active client work in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad region
  
  
• Demonstrated ability to lead through growth, change, or complexity
  
  
• Strategic orientation paired with hands-on execution
  
  
• Alignment with Digital Reference’s values: trust, context, and impact
  
  

We don’t do lists for SEO. We build trusted directories for people who are actually hiring.

San Diego Fractional CHROs to Know

🔹 Michael Janniere

Fractional Chief People Officer | Founder, The People Effect
Michael is a San Diego-based fractional CPO with deep expertise in culture transformation, organizational development, and executive team coaching. Through his advisory firm, The People Effect, Michael partners with high-growth startups and mission-driven orgs to scale people strategy in ways that support long-term performance. He combines big-picture clarity with day-one execution.

🔍 Specialties: Founder coaching, culture diagnostics, leadership team design, HR operations
📍 Based in: San Diego, CA

🔹 Dr. Tonya Jackman Hampton

Executive Coach | DEI Leader | Fractional CHRO
Tonya brings executive-level insight to organizations ready to rethink how they engage their people. With a background in organizational change, DEI, and senior HR leadership, she operates as a fractional CHRO for companies that need transformation with humanity. Tonya is especially known for leading DEI work at the executive level while also supporting leadership alignment.

🔍 Specialties: DEI strategy, inclusive leadership, HR transformation, talent engagement
📍 Based in: San Diego, CA

Why San Diego’s HR Landscape Is Going Fractional

San Diego’s business ecosystem is unique: highly innovative, science-heavy, and increasingly remote/hybrid. This creates new challenges for people strategy, including:

• Scaling hiring without eroding culture
  
  
• Navigating complex compliance across states or countries
  
  
• Supporting hybrid and lab-based teams simultaneously
  
  
• Building HR systems that don’t feel “corporate”
  
  
• Aligning leadership around performance, not just productivity
  
  

Fractional CHROs are being brought in before these challenges escalate, and the ROI is showing up quickly—in retention, engagement, and org clarity.

When to Bring in a Fractional CPO

San Diego founders, COOs, and HR teams are bringing in fractional leaders when:

• 💸 They've just raised a round and need scalable people infrastructure
  
  
• 🧪 They’re navigating the early team-building phases of product-market fit
  
  
• 🔁 They’re restructuring departments or spinning up new business lines
  
  
• 🌍 They’re expanding internationally and need HR strategy that travels
  
  
• 🤝 They’re trying to mature culture and leadership behaviors
  
  

Fractional isn’t just “HR help.” It’s executive perspective with focused scope—and it’s becoming the go-to model for companies who want alignment without delay.

What Makes Fractional Work in Southern California

The best fractional CHROs in San Diego bring:

✅ Deep experience with innovation-driven teams (tech, biotech, creative)
✅ Sensitivity to growth-stage dynamics—founders, boards, scaling pains
✅ A people-first mindset, backed by systems that scale
✅ Operational clarity and immediate presence

They’re not sitting back with audits. They’re in the trenches, building better workplaces.

Explore More on Digital Reference

Want to see how fractional leadership is reshaping the C-suite?

📘 How to Hire a Fractional Executive
A practical guide for founders and operators navigating interim leadership.

📍 The Importance of Professional References
Explore why third-party credibility is more critical than ever in today’s trust-driven hiring market.

📘 Collecting Professional References: The Dos and Don’ts
References are often the make-or-break element of your next opportunity. Yet many professionals still treat the reference process as an afterthought or, worse, scramble to collect them last minute.

📗 The Talent Ecosystem: Why Fractional Operators Are Reshaping the C-Suite
Explore the structural shifts behind the rise of fractional leadership and what it means for your next hire.

Final Thought: People Strategy That Moves With You

San Diego companies are growing smarter. They’re not hiring full-time people leaders just because the org chart says they should. They’re hiring fractional CPOs who fit their moment—and move them forward.

If you're in San Diego and need strategic HR help that actually builds momentum, this is the play.

Michael and Tonya are already showing how flexible leadership delivers real outcomes. They’re not just consulting. They’re making things happen.

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✅ Check Out Our Local Directories of Fractional CHROs & Interim Chief People Officers by City

This resource highlights city-specific guides to some of the most impactful interim and fractional Chief People Officers across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Each directory offers a look into the unique business culture of the region and the leaders driving people strategy forward.

• Atlanta
  Fractional CHROs in Atlanta Making Things Happen
  Atlanta’s talent leaders are shaping diverse, tech-forward workplaces in a city that’s become a magnet for startups, logistics firms, and entertainment enterprises. Fractional CHROs here are experts at managing rapid growth and culture change.

• Chicago
  Fractional CHROs in Chicago Making Things Happen
  In this powerhouse of industry and innovation, Chicago’s fractional CHROs help organizations scale intentionally—blending legacy systems with modern people practices in finance, healthcare, logistics, and tech.

• Columbus
  Fractional CHROs in Columbus Making Things Happen
  Columbus combines Midwestern values with high-growth potential, and its interim people leaders bring strategic clarity to fast-growing startups, educational institutions, and service-sector employers.

• Denver
  Fractional CHROs in Denver Making Things Happen
  Known for its entrepreneurial spirit and wellness-driven culture, Denver is home to CHROs who specialize in building values-aligned teams and sustainable HR infrastructures for growing businesses.

• Detroit
  Fractional CHROs in Detroit Making Things Happen
  In the heart of the Midwest’s manufacturing revival, Detroit’s people leaders are reinventing what workforce strategy looks like across automotive, tech, and nonprofit sectors.

• Houston
  Fractional CHROs in Houston Making Things Happen
  Energy, healthcare, and logistics dominate Houston’s economy, and the city’s CHROs are uniquely equipped to address complex compliance needs and workforce transformations.

• Indianapolis
  Fractional CHROs in Indianapolis Making Things Happen
  As Indianapolis grows into a regional tech and biotech hub, its interim HR leaders are guiding companies through strategic hiring, leadership development, and HR tech implementation.

• Jacksonville
  Fractional CHROs in Jacksonville Making Things Happen
  Jacksonville’s fractional CHROs serve fast-growing industries like finance, logistics, and healthcare—offering guidance on culture-building, operational scale, and remote workforce policy.

• Las Vegas
  Fractional CHROs in Las Vegas Making Things Happen
  Beyond hospitality, Vegas is growing its footprint in tech and healthcare—and its HR consultants are ushering in next-gen talent strategies in industries that rely on high performance and adaptability.

• Los Angeles
  Fractional CHROs in Los Angeles Making Things Happen
  In this entertainment and startup capital, LA’s CHROs specialize in hybrid teams, talent branding, and aligning creative and corporate cultures under fast-paced conditions.

• London
  Fractional CHROs in London Making Things Happen
  London’s fractional HR leaders support multinationals and scaleups across finance, fintech, and creative industries—navigating global labor trends and cross-border compliance with precision.

• Miami
  Fractional CHROs in Miami Making Things Happen
  Miami is a rising tech and finance hotspot with a diverse workforce—and its interim people leaders are fluent in multicultural management, bilingual team dynamics, and global HR systems.

• Naples
  Fractional CHROs in Naples Making Things Happen
  In Naples, fractional HR leaders help small to midsize companies and family-owned businesses build professionalized systems without compromising close-knit cultures.

• New York City
  Fractional CHROs in New York City Making Things Happen
  From Wall Street to SoHo startups, NYC’s fractional CHROs are masters of navigating complexity—balancing regulation, rapid scaling, and inclusive leadership in high-pressure industries.

• Orlando
  Fractional CHROs in Orlando Making Things Happen
  Tourism, healthcare, and education anchor Orlando’s economy—and its CHROs provide high-touch leadership solutions that prioritize retention, well-being, and frontline empowerment.

• Phoenix
  Fractional CHROs in Phoenix Making Things Happen
  Phoenix is booming in construction, healthcare, and tech—and local CHROs are helping businesses mature people operations while retaining agility in competitive labor markets.

• Raleigh
  Fractional CHROs in Raleigh Making Things Happen
  As part of the Research Triangle, Raleigh is home to biotech, education, and tech talent—and its HR leaders are supporting scaleups with science-backed people strategies.

• Salt Lake City
  Fractional CHROs in Salt Lake City Making Things Happen
  SLC combines entrepreneurial energy with deep-rooted values, and its fractional CHROs offer people solutions that honor both innovation and integrity.

• Seattle
  Fractional CHROs in Seattle Making Things Happen
  Seattle’s HR experts are key players in navigating tech sector challenges—from layoffs to equity planning to scaling culture across global engineering teams.

• St. Louis
  Fractional CHROs in St. Louis Making Things Happen
  This Midwestern city is home to major employers in healthcare, finance, and manufacturing—and its fractional CHROs support operational resilience and inclusive workforce planning.

• Washington, DC
  Fractional CHROs in Washington DC Making Things Happen
  In the nation’s capital, people leaders serve nonprofits, associations, and purpose-driven orgs—providing strategic clarity and DEI leadership in highly regulated environments.