Bio - Santos Hernanez Jr.

Santos Hernandez Jr
HR Consultant
Chair, Catholic Men's Fellowship of Western Pennsylvania, Regional Leader, Catholic Men's Leadership Alliance
Catholic Men's Fellowship/Emmaus Ministry, Christ Divine Shepherd Parish
Knights of Columbus, Council No 4925

Since 2019, Santos serves on the board of the Catholic Men’s Fellowship of Western Pennsylvania, a non-profit organization that promote ministry-to-men events for four dioceses and was recently nominated as its chairperson. In addition, Santos serves as a regional leader for the Catholic Men’s Leadership Alliance, a national non-profit organization that also promote ministry-to-men events on a national level since 2020. At these two men ministry organizations, Santos is heavily engaged in strategic planning, business operations, stewardship, and overall ministry outreach initiatives including organizing men’s conferences, retreats, and workshops. Prior to these two organizations, Santos was engaged in starting small faith men’s groups, youth groups, and men & women events throughout western Pennsylvania.

Santos holds more than 25+ years of extensive human resources management experience, including HR strategic planning and leadership development with companies engaged in the nuclear industry. More recently, Santos has been providing HR consultation to non-profit organizations with HR strategic planning, HR operations, HR Employee Relations, and HR policy matters.

From 2020 to present, Santos has been an independent HR consultant to non-profit organizations. At the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Santos was brought in to lead their first organizational restructuring effort in a way that affected employees were treated in the most dignified manner. At the Society of Vincent de Paul headquarters, Santos updated their total job descriptions and revised their HR policies. Santos is currently providing HR strategic & leadership development consulting for the Catholic Men’s Fellowship. Santos has also provided HR support to several Catholic parishes.

From 1995 to 2020, Santos served as Department HR executive at Bechtel Plant Machinery Inc. Upon separation from the HR corporate support of Westinghouse, Santos stood up a standalone total human resources organization including talent acquisition, talent leadership & development, total compensation and benefits including defined benefits & contribution plans, labor & employee relations, diversity and EEO compliance programs, HR information system management, and HR operations. Santos successfully led the transition of corporate ownership, the merger of two site operations, and the alignment of benefits and compensation structures among two companies under the Common Pay & Benefit Initiative. He also negotiated 8 three-year labor contract agreements, including a recent ‘pass through’ agreement that avoids benefit discrepancies between union and non-union employees.

From 1989 to 1995, Santos was the Division Human Resources Manager at the Westinghouse Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina, responsible for employee relations matters for assigned division at a federal government reactor plant site, including addressing disciplinary issues, conducting field investigations, and consulting managers with performance-related matters. In concert with the Westinghouse HR Transition Team, he help drive new HR initiatives at this acquired large complex (formerly operated by DuPont).

From 1984 to 1989, Santos was the Employee Relations Manager at the Westinghouse’s West Valley Demonstration Project at West Valley, New York, responsible for employee/labor relations matters at a federal government site, including management of nonexempt compensation, staffing, benefits administration, medical administration, performance management, and labor union contract administration. Santos helped onboard the company’ workforce from 100 employees to 800 employees.

From 1979 to 1984, Santos was a Senior HR Professional at the Westinghouse Hanford Company in Richland, Washington, responsible for the technical recruitment of nonexempt and exempt personnel at a federal government site. Santos led a successful recruitment campaign for nuclear operations to support the start-up of a major test facility, for which he received a Business Unit recognition award for Diversity Recruitment.

Santos is a native of Washington State and a graduate of Central Washington University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Law & Justice. He also holds a Master’s Certificate in Leadership from Duquesne University’s John F. Donahue Graduate School of Business.

On the personal side, Santos has a passion for his Catholic faith that drives him to plan and organize annual ministry events, retreats, and conferences for men for the past 25+ years. Santos has led pilgrimages to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City, Our Lady of Lourdes, France, Our Lady of Fatima, Portugal, and to St. Peter in Rome, Italy. He has led youths to World Youth Day pilgrimages to Canada, Germany, and Australia where he saw Pope John Paul, Pope Benedict, and Pope Francis. Santos is also active in serving homeless men and women by leading the collection and distribution of winter clothing for homeless for the past 15 years. Santos and his wife, Jeanie, reside in Murrysville, Pennsylvania. They have three children and two grandsons. Santos was a Christian evangelical in his formative years before converting to the Catholic faith in his late 20’s.