ABOUT OUR FOUNDER
Mary Dale is a nationally and globally recognized HR and operations executive with more than 22 years of experience leading complex organizational transformation across healthcare, manufacturing, technology, manufacturing, distribution, government contracting, non‑profit, start‑ups, and private‑equity environments. She is known for pairing operational excellence with empathy‑driven leadership—guiding CEOs, boards, and senior teams through growth, integration, and cultural evolution with clarity and conviction.
Before founding DPG LLC, Mary served as Chief Human Resources Officer at C5MI Insight LLC, where she led a full‑scale HR transformation that positioned the company for private‑equity acquisition. In just 22 months, she doubled the W‑2 workforce, implemented a modern HRIS in eight weeks, and launched a federally supported apprenticeship program in partnership with SMLA. Her leadership contributed to C5MI and the HR team earning 10 national and global top workplace/team awards.
Mary’s career includes transformative leadership roles at Convivial Brands, Metron Integrated Health Systems, and Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services. At Convivial, she played a key role in launching Verdant Graphics to the public, integrating employees across 30+ states, and bringing four companies together under a unified organizational structure, while also serving as a mentor to two of the shareholders. At Metron, she expanded operations and helped launch HealthBridge Post Acute Rehabilitation, while reducing turnover by 50% across 75% of the organization. At Pine Rest, she restructured HR operations, redesigned executive compensation, and introduced a digital wellness platform for more than 1,900 employees.
Earlier in her career, Mary served as COO, HIPAA and OSHA Compliance Officer, and Clinical and HR Director at Orthopaedic Associates of Michigan (OAM), where she led the merger of four practices into one of the largest orthopedic groups in the country. She launched the OAM NOW urgent care clinic, helped develop the Medicare bundle payments program, and drove a culture transformation that earned six consecutive Best & Brightest awards. During her COO tenure, she also stepped in as Interim Executive Director of the Midtowne Surgery Center, leading a full operational restructure following the termination of the Executive Director and an unannounced AAAASF audit.
Mary holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Speech Communication (Summa Cum Laude) from Ferris State University and professional certifications from SHRM, HRCI, PI, and the University of South Florida. She brings deep HR technology expertise across platforms including Paycom, ADP, UKG, Dayforce, CompAnalyst Pro, Payscale, PayFactors, ERI, Bswift, MyStaffing Pro, Kronos, ClearCo, Ease, Lezage, Concur, Predictive Index, and various AI platforms.
Her leadership has been personally recognized with numerous national and global honors, including:
• OnCon Icon Top 50 Global HR Professional (2025)
• OnCon Icon Top 50 Global HR Team (2025)
• OnCon Icon Top 100 Global HR Team(2024)
• MISHRM Lifetime Achievement Award (2023)
• Crain’s Notable HR Leader(2023)
• National HRUnite! Ambassador Award (2023)
• National HRUnite! Purpose Award (2021)
• National HRUnite! Inspire Award (2021)
• Grand Rapids Business Journal 40 Under 40 Class (2018)
Mary is deeply committed to community service and non-profit board leadership, serving as Trustee and former Fundraising Co‑Chair for the University of Michigan Health‑West Foundation, where she helped raise over $3 million for community health initiatives. She is a longtime board member at Ferris State University and previously served as Board Secretary for the Global Sustainability Collective, a Costa Rica–based nonprofit supporting mission‑driven environmental and social impact organizations. Mary also serves on the Executive Council and as Treasurer for Michigan SHRM and is a member of the SHRM Executive Network.