Gwendolyn F. Turner, a Senior Consultant with Innolect, is an executive and thought leader with over 20 years of experience driving transformational impact across workplace culture and social impact. Most recently, she served as Vice President of Human Resources and Social Impact at Myriad Genetics, where she led the company’s integrated strategy across environmental, social and governance (ESG), human resources, diversity and inclusion, public affairs and employee engagement. During her tenure, she played a critical role in shaping Myriad’s identity as a purpose-driven organization and fostering a values-based culture that elevated employee experience and patient trust.
At Myriad, Gwendolyn was responsible for the strategic implementation of people and talent strategies that included learning and development, succession planning, manager and executive development and performance management. During the company transformation, she introduced critical talent frameworks to the company, including the use of tools like the 9-box grid to analyze talent and developed roadmaps for high-potential employees. Her work encompassed the end-to-end employee experience from onboarding and performance management to engagement initiatives, ensuring employees had the support and structure needed to succeed and grow throughout their careers. Creating and implementing strategy that includes the employee is one of her strong core competencies. She believes that every good strategy begins with people.
A powerful advocate for workplace civility, Gwendolyn has built her career around the belief that business can—and must—be a force for good while creating business value. Her work has focused on aligning business strategy with human impact, advancing inclusive leadership and helping organizations unlock the power of culture to drive both performance and equity. She is widely known for her ability to connect strategy to purpose and for creating environments where employees thrive.
Gwendolyn’s experience spans the healthcare, life sciences and nonprofit sectors, where she has held executive leadership roles with a consistent emphasis on talent, ethics and impact. Her leadership extends deeply into civic and nonprofit sectors. Gwendolyn served on the boards of PDX Jazz and the Northwestern University Master of Science in Law (MSL) Advisory Board. She previously served in executive leadership and chair roles on the boards of Girls Inc., Raising Above the Storms and the Women Presidents’ Educational Organization, where she was instrumental in governance, strategic planning and advancing equity-focused initiatives.
A sought-after strategic advisor, Gwendolyn brings clarity, compassion and courage to every engagement. She remains steadfast in her mission to help organizations create civil, inclusive and high-performing workplaces rooted in purpose and respect. She is a resident of Wake Forest, North Carolina and active in the Research Triangle Park business community. She holds a BA in Economics from Southern Illinois University and an MS in Law from Northwestern University School of Law.
