HRCI Champion: Sarah Eubanks, SPHR

Sarah Eubanks, SPHR, has spent the last three years building a people function from the ground up. In this conversation, she talks about what strategic HR looks like in practice, why People + Culture is a business driver and not a support function, and how she thinks about leadership resilience, organizational design, and the balance between empathy and execution.

A Career Built Across Industries

You've built your career across some really different industries—real estate, construction, and now healthcare. What drew you to HR in the first place, and how has moving across industries shaped how you practice it?

What drew me to HR was never the policies or compliance side of the work—it was the opportunity to help organizations succeed through people. Early in my career, I realized that every business challenge eventually becomes a people challenge. Whether you're growing a company, navigating change, improving performance, or building culture, people are at the center of the solution.

Working across industries has reinforced that truth. While business models are different, the fundamentals are remarkably similar. People want meaningful work, strong leadership, clear expectations, and an environment where they can contribute and grow. Moving between industries taught me how to adapt quickly, understand business operations deeply, and avoid assuming that a solution that worked in one organization will automatically work in another. It has made me a better business partner because I approach challenges with curiosity first and assumptions second.

Building People + Culture in Behavioral Health

You've been with Active Path Mental Health for over three years, growing from Director to VP of People + Culture. What has it been like building a People function inside a fast-growing behavioral healthcare organization?

It's been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. Behavioral healthcare is a mission-driven industry, and the work our clinicians do changes lives every day. Building a People + Culture function in that environment means creating systems and processes that support both organizational growth and human well-being.

When I joined Active Path, we were growing quickly and many foundational people processes were still evolving. Over time, we've built structure around recruitment, onboarding, leadership development, performance management, compensation, compliance, and employee relations. The challenge has been creating enough structure to support growth without losing the culture and agility that made the organization successful in the first place.

The work has required balancing business realities with deep compassion for the people doing emotionally demanding work. That's where I believe People + Culture creates the most value.

Behavioral health is a field under enormous pressure right now—workforce shortages, burnout, financial constraints. How does People + Culture strategy have to adapt in that environment?

People strategy must become more intentional than ever.

Organizations cannot solve workforce shortages simply by recruiting harder. We must focus equally on retention, leadership effectiveness, employee well-being, operational efficiency, and sustainable workloads.

In behavioral healthcare, leaders must recognize that the emotional demands placed on employees are significant. People strategies need to support resilience, belonging, development, flexibility where possible, and meaningful recognition.

At the same time, organizations must remain financially sustainable. The challenge is building systems that support both organizational health and employee well-being. Neither can be sacrificed for the other over the long term.

What the SPHR Clarified

You hold your SPHR. Where were you in your career when you pursued it, and what did going through that process clarify for you about your own expertise?

I pursued my SPHR after spending years leading HR functions and supporting teams. At that point, I wasn't looking for validation as much as for discipline and growth.

The process reinforced that strategic HR is fundamentally business leadership. The SPHR framework challenged me to think beyond individual employee issues and focus on organizational systems, workforce planning, risk management, and long-term business outcomes.

What it clarified for me was that my greatest value wasn't simply solving HR problems—it was helping leaders make better business decisions by understanding the human implications behind those decisions.

Strategic HR in Practice

You describe your work as bridging business strategy and human impact. What does that actually look like day-to-day, and where do those two things come into tension?

It means every decision has two lenses. One reveals the business need. The other reveals the human impact.

Some days that looks like workforce planning, compensation analysis, succession planning, or organizational design. Other days it involves coaching leaders through difficult conversations, supporting employees through significant life events, or navigating complex employee relations matters.

The tension arises when business needs and individual needs don't perfectly align. Those are often the hardest decisions leaders face. My role isn't to eliminate the tension; it's to help leaders navigate it with integrity, transparency, and respect. The goal is always to find the most responsible path forward while treating people with dignity.

You've been explicit that People + Culture is a core driver of organizational success, not a support function. How do you make that case to executive teams, and what does it take to be seen as a true strategic partner?

I believe you prove it by solving business problems.

Executive teams don't need HR leaders who simply report on engagement surveys or policy updates. They need strategic partners who understand revenue, operations, risk, workforce capacity, and organizational performance.

People + Culture influences every major business outcome. Hiring, retention, leadership effectiveness, productivity, culture, succession planning, and organizational health all impact results. When People leaders understand the business well enough to connect people strategy to business strategy, the value becomes self-evident.

Strategic partnership isn't given because of a title. It's earned through credibility, business acumen, and consistent help in achieving the organization's goals.

You've led organizational design and workforce planning in a complex healthcare environment. How do you approach structure and design without losing the human element as an organization scales?

I start with the work itself. Organizational design should serve the mission, not the org chart.

As organizations grow, structure becomes necessary. Clear reporting relationships, accountability, and defined responsibilities help teams perform effectively. But structure should never come at the expense of connection.

The human element is preserved when leaders communicate transparently, involve people appropriately in change processes, and remember that every organizational decision affects real individuals. Scaling successfully requires both operational discipline and intentional culture-building.

On Leadership: Resilience, Empathy, and Execution

Leadership development is central to your work. What does building resilient leaders involve, and what do you see most leaders getting wrong about that process?

Resilient leaders are those who can face difficulty, learn from it, and continue leading effectively.

Building resilience requires self-awareness, emotional intelligence, accountability, adaptability, and courage. It involves helping leaders become comfortable with uncertainty and equipping them to make difficult decisions even when there are no perfect answers.

One thing I see leaders get wrong is assuming resilience is something you either have or don't have. Resilience is developed through experience, reflection, coaching, and intentional growth. It is a skill, not a personality trait.

You've described your sweet spot as the balance between empathy and execution. How do you hold both, and what does it look like when one tips too far in either direction?

Empathy without execution can create good intentions without results. Execution without empathy can achieve results while damaging trust.

The most effective leaders understand that these aren't competing priorities. People need both. They need leaders who care about them and leaders who can move the organization forward.

Holding both requires clarity, honesty, and consistency. Sometimes caring for people means having difficult conversations. Sometimes accountability is the kindest thing a leader can provide. The goal is not to choose between empathy and execution, but to integrate them.

Advice for the Strategic Leap

What would you tell an HR professional who wants to move from a generalist or operational role into a true strategic partnership with the business?

Learn the business. Understand how the organization makes money, serves customers, manages risk, and measures success. Become curious about operations, finance, strategy, and organizational performance.

The shift from operational HR to strategic HR happens when you stop focusing solely on HR activities and start focusing on business outcomes. Ask different questions. Think longer term. Connect people decisions to organizational results.

Most importantly, build credibility. Strategic partnership is built on trust. Leaders invite you into important conversations when they know you understand the business and can help solve meaningful problems.

At its best, strategic HR is about helping organizations make better decisions for both the business and the people who make that business possible.

Sarah Eubanks, SPHR, is the Vice President of People + Culture at Active Path Mental Health, where she leads people strategy with a focus on organizational design, leadership development, and building cultures where performance and humanity coexist. She has spent her career partnering with executive teams to align business strategy with human impact across complex, high-demand industries.

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