Keivin F. Kilgore has spent his career working where people, politics and pressure collide. His journey did not begin in a boardroom. It started in common spaces, school hallways and workplaces where people wanted to be heard.
Today, Kilgore is a leading executive in the field of employee and labor relations. His work spans healthcare systems, government services and global businesses. Over time, he has earned a reputation for leading calmly, thinking clearly and putting people first.
This is the story of how this approach came to be.
Early life and values shaped in Texas
Kilgore grew up in the Dallas area in a small community in Texas. His parents set a good example from an early age. His mother worked as a principal in the Dallas Independent School District. His father owned a small pizza franchise. Education, service and faith were part of everyday life.
The church also played a central role. His father was a deacon and church board member. His mother taught Sunday school. Kilgore was active in hospitality at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship.
“These were places where you learned to be there for people,” he says. “You learned responsibility early on.”
At school, Kilgore stayed busy. He played basketball, ran track and was a member of a band. He took AP courses and graduated from DeSoto High School. Teachers and classmates noticed his leadership skills early on and shaped the way he connects with people today.
Education with a focus on people and companies
After high school, Kilgore attended Wabash College, where he double majored in political science and speech communications. The Liberal Arts Foundation helped him understand how systems work and how people move within them.
He later earned his MBA from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management, where his focus shifted to leadership, strategy and organizational effectiveness. He then completed his Juris Doctor (JD) at Purdue University, specializing in labor and employment law.
“Understanding the law helps you make better decisions for people and organizations,” he says.
He also holds professional certifications at the highest level, including SPHR and SHRM-SCP awards.
Starting with community organizing
Kilgore’s career began as a community organizer in Louisville, Kentucky with Citizens of Louisville Organizing United Together.
This experience grounded him.
“It was about helping people who felt stuck,” he says. “Before solving came listening.”
Through this role, he learned that conflict often arises when people feel unheard – a lesson that later shaped his work in industrial relations.
Growth through people management
Kilgore later moved to Sodexo, one of the world’s largest outsourcing companies. He started as a district human resources manager and rose to senior management as an organizational development manager for the government department.
During this time, he developed service and training programs that focused on accountability and performance. Some of these programs are still used today.
He then moved into healthcare leadership roles at organizations such as Allina Health and Children’s Healthcare, where he led talent acquisition and employee relations during times of growth and change.
A pivotal moment occurred in Minnesota when more than 70 employees marched on his office because of scheduling issues.
“It started as a confrontation,” he remembers. “But it became a conversation.”
Instead of making quick promises, he worked with leadership to find a sustainable solution. This moment reinforced his belief in cooperation in conflict.
Navigate complex work environments
Kilgore later served in executive leadership and labor relations management at Vanderbilt Healthcare before being hired by the Walt Disney Company. During his four years at Disney, he helped build and scale employee and labor relations functions in a highly complex environment.
He then spent two years at ADP before moving to L3Harris.
Today, Kilgore is senior principal of employee and labor relations at L3Harris, where he oversees global labor relations strategy and serves as chief negotiator.
“People don’t care what you know until they know you care,” he says. “It’s real in this area.”
Leadership beyond the workplace
Commitment to community has remained a constant throughout Kilgore’s career. While in Minnesota, he served as president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, where he helped found the NPHC division at the University of Minnesota.
He also led United Way’s fundraising campaigns, leading the health system’s most successful campaign. Additionally, he served on the YWCA’s Let’s Talk About Race Steering Committee, supporting open dialogue and community engagement.
Today, he is a member of the American Heart Association of Central Florida’s Heart Ball committee and continues his commitment to service.
Leadership philosophy and what drives him
Kilgore believes that HR functions best when it understands both the company and the people.
“Your greatest asset is your people,” he says. “Not the tools. Not the technology.”
He measures success not only by results, but also by effort and progress.
“Sometimes it depends on how close you are,” he explains. “Are we better than when we started?”
Outside of work, Kilgore enjoys traveling with his wife Moneaka and their daughter Mekenizie. He reads, writes poetry, and attends conferences to further hone his craft.
“If you spend most of your life at work,” he says, “it shouldn’t make you unhappy.”
This belief continues to guide his career – one conversation, one negotiation and one job at a time.
