Beverly (Bev) Morris
HR Consultant / Co-Founder
SHRM-SCP, SPHR
Bev is an accomplished Human Resources professional who is enthusiastic about her profession and has enjoyed mentoring HR professionals throughout her career. Bev believes an organization can excel by embracing HR as a strategic partner. She adopts a HR philosophy of positive and productive collaboration, moving away from the mindset that HR is just an “enforcer” of the rules.
Throughout her diverse career, which includes leadership roles in finance, technology, and manufacturing & distribution in both Colorado and South Dakota, Bev has been instrumental in leading companies in developing and implementing effective business and employment practices, benefits management, workforce management & organizational development, vendor/partner relations & contract negotiations, training & development, and organizational change. Bev has been an integral part of due diligence and transition teams during acquisitions for multiple organizations.
Prior to forming Athena HR Consulting, LLC with her business partner, Alexis Benne, Bev held the position of Director of Human Resources with Coca-Cola Bottling Company High Country for 15 years. She was a key member of the Senior Leadership Team and played a significant role in the company's four acquisitions, quadrupling the size of the organization to 900+ team members and 28 locations throughout seven states. She was the lead Human Resources executive managing compliance, benefits, performance management & employee relations, talent acquisition, training & development, and workers compensation. Bev was also instrumental in developing the company’s Culture Formula and introducing Servant Leadership to the full leadership team. Additionally, she brought Servant Leadership into the day-to-day functions of the HR Department and, with her senior HR team members, developed Servant Leadership in Human Resources and presented the concept to the Black Hills Society for Human Resources Management (BHSHRM).
Bev is active in BHSHRM, for which she has held multiple board member positions. She was named BHSHRM HR Professional of the Year in 2015. Bev is also a long-time member of the National Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) obtaining her Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification in 2001, her Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) in 2012, and her SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SCP) certification in 2015.
Those who have had the privilege of working with Bev describe her as “truly caring, highly professional, and meticulous. She has definitely made a mark on the HR Community in the Black Hills, mentoring not only those who have worked with her but her peers in the HR field.”
Bev was raised in the Black Hills in a large, close-knit Irish family. She developed her strong work ethic at a young age by working at their family business. She has always found the Black Hills to be a very serene and healing place, which is what drew her back here in 2002. Bev has two grown children, Brett who lives in Denver, Colorado, and Amanda who lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, exercising, hiking, playing piano, and reading. Bev is a strong believer that positivity brings about positive outcomes, hence one of her favorite quotes:
"This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson