Teri J. Traaen Ed.D., D.P.A. is the owner and Chief Executive Officer of Traaen & Associates, LLC. Traaen & Associates, LLC is a human resource management organization with three service divisions. These service divisions include: technical human resource management services; employee and labor relations interventions; and training and organizational development services.

Dr. Traaen’s professional experience includes over thirty years in the human resource field. Her professional service includes leading highly complex human resource teams in small, medium and large municipal government sectors, an urban K-12 public school district, a community college/county partnership for federally funded job training and development in support of rural economic development. She has served as a labor negotiator for management throughout her career, focusing on collaborative solutions to the conflict based situations most often navigated when salary and benefits packages are less than desired by both labor and management. Dr. Traaen’s professional experience is supported by two earned doctoral degrees, including a doctorate of public administration and a doctorate in higher and adult education.

Career accolades for Dr. Traaen include induction into Arizona State University’s School of Public Affairs Alumni Hall of Fame, as well as being the recipient of the Faculty Associate Excellence in Teaching Award for her work as an adjunct faculty member in the College of Public Programs, School of Public Affairs. Dr. Traaen’s graduate research centered on ethics based leadership with Arizona city and town managers, with replication of this original case study work in four other states in the U.S. and throughout many jurisdictions in the United Kingdom. This project culminated in the publication of her first book on ethics titled A Matter of Ethics – Facing The Fear Of Doing The Right Thing, JAI Press, 2000. The emphasis in this book focused on designing and developing embedded ethics initiative and training programs for public sector organizations. Dr. Traaen’s next publication will be titled The Role of HR in Navigating An Organization Through Unprincipled Leadership and will be based upon public sector case studies. Dr. Traaen has served as a registered lobbyist at the Arizona State Legislature for an Arizona nonprofit organization since 2007.