Northeastern University has appointed Jane Moyer vice president for human resources management, effective April 24, 2017. She brings extensive leadership and global experience in areas ranging from compensation and benefits to organizational development and employee recruitment, training, and development.

Moyer comes to Northeastern from ICON PLC in Dublin, a global provider of outsourced drug development services that employs 12,000 people worldwide. As ICON’s vice president for global HR shared services, she oversees all human resources back-office operations such as payroll, compliance, and contract generation and has led a number of initiatives that have streamlined processes and increased efficiency through building capable and integrated global teams.

“Having the right leaders at the right time in an institution’s evolution is critically important to success,” said Thomas Nedell, senior vice president for finance and treasurer. “Jane brings a global perspective on the importance of talent management to organizational success that will shape Northeastern’s continued transformation as a leader in higher education.”

Moyer succeeds Katherine Pendergast, who is retiring on June 30 after 47 years at Northeastern. A forward-thinking leader and “the university’s best ambassador,” Pendergast has guided the university’s human resources department for more than 20 years and served as a highly-respected advisor to several presidents and senior administrators. Her dedication to Northeastern is exemplified in myriad ways, from playing a critical role in recruiting and retaining outstanding talent, to making a powerful impact while leading campus tours for candidates for top university posts, to her longstanding commitment to urging employees to save and plan for retirement.

‘Northeastern is forward-thinking and international’

Moyer cited several factors in what attracted her most to Northeastern. She emphasized President Joseph E. Aoun’s vision to expand the university’s global reach and embrace the changing landscape in higher education by pushing for more nimble and personalized education that meets students’ individual needs.

“I love the fact that Northeastern is forward-thinking and international,” she said. “The president’s vision is extremely attractive.”

Jane brings a global perspective on the importance of talent management to organizational success that will shape Northeastern’s continued transformation as a leader in higher education.

Thomas Nedell
senior vice president for finance and treasurer

Throughout her career, Moyer has worked across the globe, leading human resources organizations for some of the largest and most recognizable companies in the world. Her experience spans myriad industries including retail, logistics and transportation, high tech, and packaged goods. A common thread throughout her career is that she has joined companies at times when they’ve been undergoing significant processes of change. She has played pivotal roles in guiding these companies through growth and implementing successful initiatives that have leveraged talent and process, leading to increased efficiency and financial stability.

Prior to ICON, Moyer was the global head of human resources for operations at Maersk Line, the largest shipping company in the world and the largest employer in Denmark, from 2012 to 2015. Notably, she played a leading role in the company’s cultural transformation to drive simplicity, focus, and teamwork across all areas that resulted in a turnaround of the company to profitability.

Moyer has also held senior leadership roles at Starbucks, as head of organizational development for non-retail functions globally, and head of human resources for Starbucks Canada, which is based in Toronto. She also previously served as vice president of human resources and shared services at Kendall-Jackson Wines, based in California.

Early in her career, Moyer led staffing and training functions at Xerox, and was the head of human resources for operations at excite@Home in Silicon Valley.

Moyer points to two career accomplishments of which she is most proud. As head of Partner Resources (HR) for Starbucks Canada, she spearheaded its first application to the Great Place to Work Institute’s annual survey; Starbucks Canada earned No. 4 on the organization’s “Best Workplaces in Canada” list in 2010. And earlier in her career at Kendall-Jackson Wines, she led the effort to provide healthcare benefits for winery and vineyard workers, who didn’t yet receive the same benefits options as other employees.

“These workers hadn’t been treated with the dignity and respect they deserved,” she said. “Our work to offer them healthcare benefits at a fair price has influenced how these workers across the wine industry are now treated.”

Moyer holds a bachelor’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in industrial and labor relations, focusing on human resource management and organizational change, from Cornell University. Moyer is a lecturer in Penn State’s World Campus, the university’s accredited online campus, and is the incoming president of the alumni program board that supports Penn State’s School of Labor Studies and Employment Relations.