Dallas, TX — Kim Kelley, CEO and co-founder of pepelwerk, has been named a finalist for a 2025 DallasHR award recognizing leadership in the responsible and strategic use of artificial intelligence within the workplace. This newly introduced award honors an HR professional who is shaping the future of work by integrating AI in ways that enhance decision-making, improve the employee experience and uphold ethical standards with transparency and a people-first mindset.
Kelley’s nomination reflects her decades-long commitment to rethinking how organizations build and support their workforce. As the leader behind pepelwerk, Kelley has focused on solving some of the most pressing challenges facing today’s labor market, including social equity, job fit, and long-term economic health. Through innovative technology and a skills-first approach, pepelwerk helps people and businesses align work and opportunities in more human and sustainable ways.
A best-selling author of Predictable Probabilities, Kelley brings more than 25 years of executive experience across human resources, operations and consulting. Throughout her career, Kelley has been known for pairing operational rigor with a deep belief that technology should elevate people, not replace them.
The DallasHR awards celebrate and recognize the achievements of the North Texas HR community. Nominees are selected by their peers and evaluated through a formal judging process to determine finalists. Each year, DallasHR honors professionals across 12 award categories, including HR Executive of the Year for small, medium, and large organizations, HR Team of the Year, and the DallasHR Lifetime Achievement Award.
Finalists are recognized for their service and impact on the HR profession and are formally honored during the annual HR STAR Award Gala, where award recipients are announced and celebrated alongside industry peers.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Kelley is a dedicated mom, lifelong tech enthusiast and advocate for creating value over just chasing the the traditional values of what success means. Her work continues to influence how organizations think about talent and the responsibility leaders have to build systems that work for people, not just processes.
DallasHR’s recognition of Kelley underscores a growing movement within the HR profession toward ethical, transparent, and human-centered applications of artificial intelligence. As workplaces continue to evolve, leaders like Kelley are helping ensure that innovation serves both business outcomes and the well-being of the workforce.
For more information about DallasHR, visit: https://hrstars.joynmeeting.com/conference/award-nominees
For more information about pepelwerk visit https://pepelwerk.com.
pepelwerk Public Relations