Meet our team
Mike Godwin
Founder, Managing Partner
Mike Godwin has been the CEO and owner of PBA Ipsum, the parent company to Principle Strategies, for over four years. He has held executive positions at multiple companies specializing in Human Resources and other compliance and/or business projects. For three years, he served as Vice President and part owner of Meridian Behavioral Health Systems, a 100 million in revenue 1200 employee hospital system with nine locations in six states, and for seven years before that he was the Vice President of Human Resources for Eggleston, a 700 employee not for profit government contracting agency with 18 locations. Mike has also been employed as an HR executive for over five years for Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. and has over six years of other company operations, marketing, sales, and HR experience.
Mike has a Master’s in Business Administration with an International Business concentration from the University of South Carolina. He studied in Dublin, Ireland as well as Columbia and Charleston, SC. He received a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology with a Business minor from the University of Florida. He was as an adjunct professor in the Master of Professional Studies in Human Resources Management Program for Georgetown University. He currently moonlights as an adjunct professor for Old Dominion University for the Strome College of Business. He is a current board member and the former President of the Hampton Roads Society for Human Resource Management and is a past Board member for the Norfolk and Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce. Mike holds the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) and the Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) Human Resources national certifications.
"We make HR our business, so you can focus on running yours." - Mike
Brian Winterstein
President & CEO
Brian Winterstein is the President/CEO of WIN HR Services, LLC, an organization focused on partnering with companies to build and strengthen their human capital strategy – including Talent Acquisition/Talent Retention, Workforce Solutions, Organizational Development, HR Information Systems, Total Rewards, DE&I, Operational Excellence and Change Management.
Mr. Winterstein is an accomplished human resources executive recognized as a strong cross-functional, people-centric leader with a track record of building high-performing work teams in public, private, M&A and PE/VC companies across multiple industries.
In addition to founding WIN HR Services, LLC, Mr. Winterstein was the Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer for Pyramid Healthcare, Inc. and the Chief Human Resources Officer for Coppermine Capital, LLC, a family-owned venture capital and private equity investment firm. As CHRO, he partnered with the portfolio CEOs and executive teams transforming their human capital to align with each firm’s business goals and objectives. Brian has more than 20 years of progressive senior human resources leadership experience working for industry leading companies such as Nestle, SpartanNash, Cox Communications, and The Boeing Company.
Mr. Winterstein holds an Executive MBA from The College of William & Mary, a MA degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara and holds a graduate certificate in Human Resources Management.
Wes Mason
Chief Sales Officer
Wesley Mason, is an experienced business executive with 20+ years of experience in partnering with emerging companies across public and private sectors. Wes excels at understanding systems unique challenges and helping translate their business objectives into strategic road-maps. His ability to deliver successful outcomes for business is due to persistence, hard work and the know-how to get things done.
Holli Sawyer
Director of Philanthropy
Shawna Dauterive
Human Resource Manager
Shawna Fitzgerald is a Human Resources professional with a clear passion for the people. She has over 10 years’ experience working in people operations in senior management positions before progressing into human resources over the last 5 years. Her career has led her to work with many different companies within industries such as hospitality, construction, non-profits, and property & asset management. Her ability to personalize and provide a genuine approach makes employee relations one of her key focuses. In addition to employee relations, Shawna assists clients with talent acquisition, retention initiatives, learning and development, and benefit administration.
Kelsey Simmons
Human Resource Manager
Kelsey Simmons began her career as the Human Resources Intern with Principle Strategies and grew into the Human Resources Specialist role and now the Human Resources Manager role as she obtained her bachelor's degree in Business Management, concentrating on Human Resources Management from Old Dominion University. During her time at Old Dominion University, Kelsey joined and created multiple organizations while holding leadership positions in many, diversifying her skillset and ability to multitask. As the Human Resources Manager, she has been hands-on with talent acquisition, onboarding, orientation, benefits administration, employee relations, compliance, and payroll.
Olivia Perry
Talent Acquisition and People Analytics Manager
Olivia began her career working in vocational rehabilitation as an Employment Specialist before transitioning into Human Resources. She continues to be an advocate for individuals with barriers within the workplace. She is a distinguished Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Leader with a DEI consulting firm, Perry Progressive Group, providing vision, strategy, and operational execution to nonprofit, marketing, and community-based organizations with diverse mission and goals. As an Human Resources Associate, she has hands-on experience in talent acquisition, onboarding, orientation, pre-employment, benefits administration, employee relations, and payroll.
Veniecia Chavies
HR Generalist
Veniecia is a Human Resource Associate with Principle Strategies. She has a distinct passion for helping people and going the extra mile to ensure positive results. Over the years, she has gained experience working in hospitality, restaurants, and customer service leadership, all of which allowed her to master interpersonal skills. In her free time, she loves taking her daughter out on adventures and discovering new things. As a Human Resource Associate, Veniecia coordinates and tracks all aspects of recruiting qualified candidates. Which includes sourcing, vetting, prescreening, and completing a follow up with candidates and managers to ensure satisfaction between both parties.
Loni Knockum
Human Resource Associate
Loni Knockum began her career in Hospitality with over 6 years in the hotel business as a Hospitality Ambassador, Front Desk Associate, Front Desk Trainer, and Sales Coordinator. She recently found her passion for Human Resources while attending college at Old Dominion University. Loni graduated with a Bachelor of Science with a major in Management and a concentration in Human Resources. Loni has a passion for helping people, making people feel appreciated and going that extra mile no matter what it is, and she has strong customer service skills. During her free time she enjoys reading, and spending time with family and friends. As a Human Resource Associate, she will be working hands on with on-boarding, recruitment, and employee relations.
