Michelle Ramirez Named HR Leader of the Year

Houston, TX – Smith & Burgess is proud to announce that Michelle Ramirez, SHRM-CP, Director of Internal Operations, has been honored as HR Leader of the Year (Small Company Category) at the Houston Business Journal’s 2025 HR Impact Awards.

Honoring Excellence in HR

The HBJ HR Impact Awards recognize individuals who set the standard in human resources by creating forward-thinking policies, fostering inclusive workplace cultures, and driving measurable employee and organizational success.

Transforming HR at Smith & Burgess

During her nearly 10 years at Smith & Burgess, Ramirez has transformed the HR function into a strategic driver of business growth and culture. Her leadership has been instrumental in:

• Expanding the workforce by over 150% across multiple U.S. and international offices, including Houston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Singapore, and Pune, India — with expansion into Saudi Arabia underway.
• Revamping performance evaluation systems to achieve 95% manager adoption and 90% completion rates, directly aligning performance with company goals and values.
• Advancing female representation, increasing the percentage of women at Smith & Burgess from approximately 18% in 2015 to nearly 50% today.
• Designing benefits and flexible work programs that prioritize employee well-being and work-life balance, contributing to 45% of staff maintaining tenure of 10+ years — a rare benchmark in the industry.

“Michelle has elevated HR at Smith & Burgess far beyond traditional boundaries. Her ability to combine strategy, empathy, and measurable results has helped to create a culture where employees thrive and the business grows stronger,” said Dustin Smith, Co-Founder & Principal Consultant.

Beyond her technical and organizational contributions, Michelle’s leadership has also been instrumental in shaping the culture at Smith & Burgess.

“Michelle has been an incredible leader for our team. She has earned the respect of colleagues across the company, and with her guidance, our people will continue to be supported and treated with the utmost professionalism,” said John Burgess, Co-Founder & Principal Consultant.

A Culture of Balance and Growth

“Being recognized with the HR Impact Award is truly an honor,” said Michelle Ramirez, Director of Internal Operations. “I’m proud of the culture we’ve built at Smith & Burgess — one that values people, protects balance, and creates opportunities for employees to do their best work. This recognition reflects not just my efforts, but the dedication of our entire team.”

The Houston Business Journal will celebrate Ramirez and other honorees at the 2025 HR Impact Awards ceremony on Thursday, November 13, 2025, in Houston.

Read the full release here (Full Press Release)