MARIA DILLON-OWENS

VICE-PRESIDENT & CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER

Maria Dillon-Owens is the dynamic executive vice-president and chief human resources officer for Lutheran Social Services of Southern California overseeing all aspects of Human Resources and internal stakeholder relations for 199 employees throughout 16 sites. Dillon-Owens joined the nonprofit in 2020 at the height of the pandemic and literally built the department from the ground up. She inspires innovative management techniques and transformative methodology designed to empower leadership and frontline teams alike.

In just three years, she’s implemented an Employee Wellness Program with a goal to embrace, empower and equip employees to succeed on many levels. She meets with staff one-on-one to help them to grow in their careers and be connected to the organization. The Employee Development Survey Dillon-Owens created asks every employee to share one dream and she’ll do everything in her power to help make them come true. Through this program, the organization has helped employees reach their dreams of higher education, home ownership, and one family just wanted to go to Disneyland. Dillon-Owens started Employee Connect where employees nominate one another anonymously as “hidden heroes” leading to higher job performance and camaraderie. She takes great pride in planning creative Employee Appreciation events to ensure that every employee feels valued and appreciated.