Chad Strickland is the Senior Vice President of Associate Resources for Aaron’s, Inc.

Joining Aaron’s in 2002, Chad initially served as Senior Legal Counsel, Employment. In 2006, he was promoted into the role of Vice President, Employee Relations where he was responsible for creating a new employment counseling, policy and legal function.

During that time, Aaron’s was on an aggressive growth plan and quickly on its way to becoming the market dominant specialty retailer in the industry. In 2010, Chad was selected to develop and implement a major HR transformation project for the 13,000+ associate organization, which previously had no centralized HR function.  Since that time, Chad has strategically developed various game changing HR functions from scratch, including HR Field Team (Compliance, Performance Management, and Counsel), Talent Acquisition, Onboarding, Benefits, Compensation, and Internal Communications. 

Most recently, Chad was asked to tackle one of the organizations most critical initiatives: a complete overhaul of its Learning and Development function.  Leading a talented team of learning professionals he transformed a function that had previously been entirely e-learning based to a blended learning approach including face-to-face development coaches and training stores.  Still in the implementation and rollout to the entire 2,000+ locations, the program has already experienced significant results from both a store performance standpoint, but also a significant reduction in turnover and increased engagement. 

A firm believer in the power of communication to achieve meaningful business results, Chad has served as the strategist behind all internal communications for most of his career at Aaron’s.  This includes the theme architect and content author for the company’s annual national manager’s meeting.  In 2014, Chad responsibilities expanded to include complete oversight, including logistics and participant experience for all of the company’s meetings and events.

Seeded with a foundation in employment law, Chad brings a unique perspective to the world of Human Resources and innovates against HR norms. His vision for associate purpose, learning, development, and engagement has become a catalyst for change within the Aaron’s organization. His determination to engage associates and his team on how their work impacts not only the organization, but the community they serve is his driving ethos. Also, his passion for technology’s and its influence on today’s job seekers and employees is laying the foundation for the company’s next era of talent acquisition and engagement.

In October 2014, Chad was recognized for the success of this transformation initiative by his peers as Global Breakaway Leader from the Evanta organization. 

Chad’s innate competitive nature has served him well professionally and personally. He once held the honor of being the youngest lawyer in Florida after passing the bar in 1999. And on the weekends you can typically find Chad pursuing his passion for cycling and competing in races.

Prior to joining Aaron’s, Chad worked for Celotex Corporation from 1998-2000 and the law firm of Masterman, Culbert and Tully from 2000-2002. A native of Tallahassee, Chad received his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Florida State University, and his Juris Doctor degree from Stetson University College of Law.  He is an inactive member of both the Florida and Georgia Bar Associations.

Active in the community, Chad currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Warrick Dunn Charities.  Known for it’s Home for the Holidays program, the charity focuses on transforming the lives of economically-disadvantaged single parent families by rewarding hard work of individuals who are actively demonstrating a commitment to achieve financial independence and stability through first-time homeownership.