Cathy Elsasser
Vice President, Human Resources
With 20 years of expertise in HR and operations, Cathy Elsasser is a results-focused leader who delivers talent acquisition, retention and motivation solutions that help companies harness the power of one of their most valuable assets - their people.
She is dedicated to creating a robust corporate culture that promotes continuous growth and cultivates loyalty by empowering and motivating employees to realize their full potential and bring their best to the job.
Cathy started her career as an attorney in New York City, then transitioned into human resources after realizing her interest in that field. Earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems from Fordham University, she then pursued a Master’s in Business Administration and HR Management from Vanderbilt.
She also holds a law degree from Saint John’s University School of Law. Putting her experience and knowledge into practice, her career in human resources began with Corning, a manufacturer of industrial glass. Throughout her career, she has held senior human resources positions with Tiffany & Co, Honeywell, and Clearwater Paper Corporation.
In 2015, she moved to Phoenix to be the Director of Human Resources for MD Helicopters where she remained until joining Mesa Airlines. As the leader of a team responsible for up to 700 employees, she handled talent acquisition and management, employee relations, compliance, compensation, communications, training, benefits, and HR analytics. Additionally, she worked as an employee relations intern for Nortel and as a litigation associate for two commercial law firms in New York City. Firms specializing in federal discrimination cases include Losell, Greenwalt & Kaplan and Rubin, Baum, Levin, Constant & Friedman. Assisting with EEOC complaints, negotiating individual terminations, planning facility closures, and filing litigation on security fraud.