We are a group of experienced HR professionals with diverse backgrounds and experience. We invite you to learn more about our Practice Leaders skills and expertise. (Click an individual’s name for more details.)
Lynda Higbee, MBA — President, Project Strategist and Consulting Team Leader
Linda M. Christopherson, SPHR, MBA — Training & Organizational Development Solutions Consultant
Safiya Edwards, MBA — Benefits Solutions Consultant
Lynn Sgouros, MAHR, MBA — Organizational Development Consultant
Shelia C. Sever, CCP, CEBS — Rewards and Performance Management Solutions Consultant
Crystal Larkins, CPS — Consulting Team Coordinator
Lynda Higbee
President, Project Strategist and Consulting Team Leader
For more than 15 years, Lynda Higbee has led Higbee Associates. The firm has helped countless national and international companies in a wide range of industries, successfully implement HR programs that meet and often exceed business strategies and objectives.
Lynda is a senior executive human resource (HR) professional with exceptional interpersonal and facilitation skills who has a keen understanding of today’s business challenges. She works with a team of experienced HR consulting professionals who are uniquely qualified to manage each assignment and maximize results.
Before establishing Higbee Associates, Lynda spent 15 years in senior-level HR positions, including serving as a principal/consultant with the Wyatt Company. She has also served as vice president of Human Resources for Fortune 50 and start-up firms.
Lynda is a former president of the national High-Tech Net board of directors, a professional emphasis group within the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), which has been instrumental in shaping and leading recent trends in the HR arena.
Lynda earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and master of business administration degree from the University of California — Riverside.
Linda M. Christopherson, SPHR, MBA
Training & Organizational Development Solutions Consultant
With Higbee Associates more than 5 years
Linda Christopherson is a certified senior professional in human resources (SPHR) with more than 30 years of experience providing HR solutions for local, national and international companies in high-tech, financial, construction, government, medical and non-profit companies.
Throughout her career Linda has developed and led educational workshops for various professional meetings throughout the world. She also presents at national, state and local professional seminars and conferences. She is the past president of the Colorado Springs chapter of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) and served as state representative for the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). Currently, Linda serves on the national High-Tech Net board of directors, a professional emphasis group within SHRM.
Linda graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado with a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s degree in Human Resource Management and was named the National Outstanding Graduate Student by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Washington, D.C. Linda is a graduate of the Center for Creative Leadership and the Thunderbird University Executive Program: Leading Strategic Human Resources in a Global Economy. She teaches undergraduate and graduate level business management and human resource courses at several local and national universities and serves on several collegiate curriculum advisory committees.
Safiya Edwards, MBA
Benefits Solutions Consultant
With Higbee Associates more than 10 years
Safiya Edwards has more than 20 years of human resource management experience in employee benefits, workers compensation, contract negotiations and quality process improvement.
Throughout her career Safiya has held positions in managed health care operations, marketing, quality audits and product development. She has worked for a wide range of organizations from the entrepreneurial startup of some of the first managed health care firms to well-established organizations. She has held analyst and executive-level positions with firms such as Consortium Health Plans, Intracorp and Aetna Life and Casualty.
Safiya earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Virginia, where she was an Echols Scholar. She also earned a master of business administration degree and a master in public health degree from Yale University.
Lynn Sgouros, MAHR, MBA
Organizational Development Consultant
With Higbee Associates 1 year
Lynn Sgouros is the practice lead for HR Outsourcing Solutions in Higbee Associates Chesterfield office. She has over 20 years of experience in leading HR teams, organizational design and implementing programs that support organizational goals by aligning people programs to business strategies. Her clients have spanned a number of industries including the US Navy, law firms, multi-level sales organizations, and manufacturing and public sector employers.
Lynn’s work focuses on all aspects of Organizational Development, labor relations and outsourcing the Human Resources functions as appropriate. Specific areas of expertise include labor relations, negotiating agreements with Police and Fire departments, optimizing limited organizational resources, and evaluating outsourcing solutions to meet business needs.
Before joining Higbee Associates, Lynn was the Director of Human Resources for the City of St. Charles, Missouri, a first-class city. Prior to St. Charles Lynn worked for one of the nation’s largest law firms and served in the US Navy.
Lynn holds a Bachelor’s degree from Embry-Riddle in Aeronautics and an MBA from Webster University in St. Louis Missouri. She has served on the Board for the Association of Legal Administrators, is active with the St. Charles County HR Consortium, IPMA-HR and is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management.
Shelia C. Sever, CCP, CEBS
Rewards and Performance Management Solutions
With Higbee Associates more than 15 years
Sheila Sever is a certified compensation professional (CCP) and a certified employee benefits specialist (CEBS) with more than 20 years of experience in the design and implementation of compensation programs that support organizational goals by aligning total compensation with business strategies.
Sheila has worked with a wide range of organizations in various industries including financial services, energy/utility, retail, technology, health care and manufacturing. She has extensive experience in all aspects of compensation and total reward programs and technical expertise in base pay plan design, incentive program design and implementation, development of performance management programs and career progression plans.
Sheila has held many positions throughout her professional career. She has been a consultant with Towers Perrin, director of compensation for Synovus and held various management positions at Pennzoil, Watson Wyatt and Giant Industries, Inc. She has also provided independent consulting services to Motorola, American Express and US West.
Sheila earned a bachelor’s degree in business education from Texas A & M University and has completed post-graduate work in business administration.
Crystal Larkins, CPS
Consulting Team Coordinator
With Higbee Associates more than 9 years
Crystal Larkins is a certified professional secretary (CPS) with 30 years of experience working with executives at various businesses. Crystal has exceptional detail, organizational and follow-through skills that enable her to manage multiple aspects of the firm’s day-to-day operations.
Crystal is often called upon to answer client questions and reach consultants when they are working in the field. She also assists with client survey work, job description searches and planning meetings. In her spare time she is an active community volunteer and provides leadership for a variety of community events.
Crystal earned an associate degree in office management from Patricia Stevens Career College in Milwaukee, WI.