February 17, 2025
Zahner-Younts named director of talent and organizational development
Following a nationwide search, Heidi Zahner-Younts has been hired as director of HR talent and organizational development, effective March 2.
Zahner-Younts will play a pivotal role in developing the university's talent and organizational development strategy and shaping the overall employee experience.
“Heidi’s expertise in onboarding, leadership development, change management and coaching will be instrumental in driving employee growth and development to support the university’s goal to build the next-gen land-grant workforce,” said Kim LeCompte, assistant vice president of talent strategy and engagement. “She has extensive higher education and HR experience and will be a tremendous asset to our team.”
Zahner-Younts comes to K-State from the University of Iowa, where she most recently was assistant director for organizational and leadership development. She created and led the implementation of Iowa’s leadership strategy in collaboration with key stakeholders across the institution. Before that, she was an organizational consultant and leadership coach, leading the successful UI LEAD program and assisting in the execution of the award-winning UI Executive Leadership Program.
Zahner-Younts earned a master’s degree in strategic communications and a bachelor’s in theatre from the University of Iowa. She is a board-certified executive coach and is a certified trained facilitator of the DiSC behavioral assessment tool, Leadership Challenge and Success Principles. She also holds the Society for Human Resource Management–Certified Professional certification and is an Association for Talent Development member.