Debra Gay

Debra Gay is the Director of Human Resources at Harris Public Policy. Debra leads Human Resources strategies and tactics and determines human resources goals for full cycle staff, recruitment, employee engagement, organizational development, performance management, policies and procedures, employee relations, visa and immigration, and compensation and recognition processes.

Prior to joining Harris, Debra worked in corporate roles for multinational organizations as an HR Strategic Business Partner with BP Amoco, Thomsen Reuters, and Fitch Ratings. She supported hundreds of employees in North and South America, providing consultation on all areas of HR (including employee relations, diversity, labor relations, employee engagement, performance management, global mobility, retention, workforce planning, training and development, benefits administration, talent management, and organization design), creating HR plans aligned with corporate goals. She has provided business partnership and human resources direction during times of significant business transformation and organizational change. Early in her career, she implemented ATS and HCM tools and 360-degree reviews and market-based pay systems.

Debra completed her bachelor’s degree in management at Fisk University in Nashville, TN, and her master’s degree in human resource management at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. She is pursuing training in environmental sustainability through a certification program, which supports her goals to lead sustainability projects in the future