Julie Garofalo is the HR Director at BrandStar, where she leads strategic and tactical operations across all functional areas of HR — including recruiting, compensation and benefits, performance management, employee relations, compliance, and payroll. Since joining in 2021, she has drawn on more than 25 years of HR experience to strengthen the employee experience and support the organization's people strategy. Julie holds a B.S. in Business Management from St. John's University and an M.A. in Psychological Counseling from Monmouth University, and is SHRM-CP certified — a combination that gives her a deeper understanding of both business challenges and the employee experience. Originally from Staten Island, New York, she now lives in Parkland, Florida with her family, and stays busy outside of work with her kids' activities and everyday family life.