Elaina Warner MA

Sr. Director of Human Resources

Elaina Warner serves as Senior Director of Human Resources at Sonoran University of Health Sciences, where she leads the University’s people and culture strategy. Reporting directly to the President and serving as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, she partners closely with senior leaders to align human capital strategy with institutional mission, values, and long term goals.
With deep expertise in organizational culture and performance management, Elaina has a proven record of building exceptional HR Teams and strengthening the employee experience in complex higher education and health sciences environments. At Sonoran University, she has led the design and implementation of performance management and development frameworks, and Gallup informed engagement strategies. Her work emphasizes clarity, accountability, effective communication, and strong manager capability to support a healthy, high performing organizational culture.
Elaina brings more than two decades of progressive human resources leadership experience, including senior HR roles at Arizona State University, the Biodesign Institute, and technology and manufacturing organizations. She holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Psychology and Business from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where she graduated with academic honors. She is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and the College and University Professional Association (CUPA). She is also a Certified Gallup Strengths Coach and has advanced training in leadership communication, manager coaching, and conflict resolution.