Kelly Baker joins Thrivent as Chief Human Resources Officer
MINNEAPOLIS, August 19, 2021 — Thrivent, a Fortune 500 diversified financial services organization, announced that Kelly Baker has joined the company as executive vice president and chief human resources officer.
In her role, Baker will lead Thrivent’s efforts around talent acquisition and development, benefits and compensation, diversity and inclusion, and organizational effectiveness. She also will serve as a strategic contributor to Thrivent’s executive leadership team. Baker will partner with senior leaders to ensure Thrivent’s workforce is well-equipped to continue propelling Thrivent’s transformation into a holistic financial services organization that helps people achieve financial clarity, enabling lives full of meaning and gratitude.
“Kelly is an experienced leader who has spent her career developing and executing meaningful human resources strategies that drive organizational growth,” said Terry Rasmussen, president and CEO of Thrivent. “Everything we do at Thrivent is with our clients in mind—and our people drive the outstanding products, services and experiences our clients expect. Kelly and her team will continue to build and support our culture of excellence, and I know Thrivent and our employees will benefit from her thoughtful and purposeful approach.”
Baker brings more than two decades of experience to her role at Thrivent
Baker comes to Thrivent with 25 years of experience leading and supporting HR teams. Most recently, she was the chief human resources officer at Pentair, where she focused on embedding strong talent management and succession practices into the organization, building organizational effectiveness, and introducing robust leadership development.
Prior to Pentair, she led the human resources function at Patterson Companies and held several human resources roles at General Mills, including leading Global Diversity & Inclusion to strengthen diverse representation among the company’s leaders.
In addition to her professional experience, Baker currently serves on the board of the Minnesota Children’s Theater where she leads its Diversity, Inclusion & Human Capital Committee. She also was recently named a non-executive director for Ferguson plc, a value-added distributor of plumbing and heating products.
Baker holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Howard University and a master’s in business administration from the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business.
About Thrivent
Thrivent is a diversified financial services organization that helps people achieve financial clarity, enabling lives full of meaning and gratitude. Thrivent and its subsidiary and affiliate companies serve more than 2.3 million clients, offering advice, insurance, investments, banking and generosity products and programs over the phone, online as well as through financial professionals and independent agents nationwide. Thrivent is a Fortune 500 company with $162 billion in assets under management/advisement (as of 12/31/20). Thrivent carries an A++ (Superior) rating from AM Best, a credit rating agency; this is the highest of the agency’s 13 rating categories and was affirmed in June of 2021. Rating based on Thrivent’s financial strength and claims-paying ability. Does not apply to investment product performance. For more information, visit
