Sally Starrfield’s Mission: Employee Centered Workplaces and Pathways

"As an HR and learning consultant, I blend equity and lessons from my travels to create spaces where people truly belong. No matter where I go, Durham is home, and echo is where I keep learning with other entrepreneurs and giving back to the community that grounds me."

    ~ Sally Starrfield

Sally Leads with Purpose:

HR & Educational Solutions grew out of Sally Starrfield’s desire to bridge gaps. She saw the distance between employers and employees, between graduates and good jobs, and between intention and action when it comes to equity and inclusion. Her consulting work helps close those gaps so people feel safe, supported, and able to thrive.

Sally is a super connector and creative problem solver who loves to travel for work and for fun. From factory floors to conference stages and university campuses, her domestic and international travels have expanded her understanding of the world of work and how people are taught and learned. No matter how far she goes, Durham is both her physical home and her heart home, the place she is always glad to return to.

What is HR & Educational Solutions? : 

Sally helps organizations build compliant, employee-centered workplaces and supports new graduates as they navigate early-career transitions and the job search. Drawing on her knowledge of Title VII and employment law, she teaches employers and employees about their rights, then partners with them to build cultures where everyone actually belongs.

A key part of her work focuses on generations in the workplace. Sally designs and delivers workshops that help teams communicate across generations and strengthen collaboration at every level. She speaks on helping Gen Z thrive at work and busting the myths that often surround younger workers, showing leaders how to tap into their creativity, values, and desire for meaningful impact.

Growth with AI:

Sally also embraces AI as a powerful tool to improve how people work and learn. She integrates AI thoughtfully into her training and consulting, using it to enhance learning design, support inclusion, and free up humans to do what they do best: connect, listen, and lead.

Sally’s advice for fellow entrepreneurs

As an entrepreneur, Sally has had to practice what she teaches. Building a purpose-driven consulting practice meant confronting questions about pricing and self-promotion. By leaning on her network, embracing her value, and staying focused on impact, she learned that charging appropriately not only sustains her business, it also helps clients recognize the depth of the solutions she provides.

Four words guide Sally every day: learn, teach, serve, transform. echo helps her live those values in her business. Through tailored learning classes, including access to AI tools and a community of practice, echo has opened the door for Sally to keep growing as a trainer and consultant. At the same time, echo has strengthened her ties to Durham’s diverse, inclusive, and thriving entrepreneurial community.

If you are building something of your own, Sally offers this:

• Treat your work like work, not a hobby. Price your services so your business is sustainable. When you honor your own value, others do too.

• Do not build in isolation. Lean on ecosystems like echo, mentors, and peer entrepreneurs. Community is not a luxury. It is infrastructure.

• Let learning lead. Keep experimenting, upskilling, and trying new tools, including AI, so you can serve clients better and stay curious about what is possible.

• Center people and purpose. Return to your core values, learn, teach, serve, transform, when you are making hard decisions or facing a tough season.

Sally’s story shows that entrepreneurs can build workplaces and learning environments where people belong when they have a clear purpose, strategic support, and a commitment to authentic impact. 

And this could be you too!

Check out echo’s programs and let’s support you and grow your business today!

Connect with Sally here: 

LinkedIn: Sally Starrfield, MSA, SPHR

Author’s Note: 

Ihsan Mohammed is a passionate storyteller and a valued member of echo's marketing team. Currently a senior at Meredith College, she is majoring in interior design with a minor in marketing. Ihsan's professional writing journey began in her senior year of high school when she participated in echo’s teen program, Shiboka 1st Edition. This experience led her to write the articles "They Stole Our Jobs" and "Success in Business," as well as the poem "When the Sun Rises." When she's not designing or working, Ihsan enjoys spending time with her family, sculpting, and exploring nature.