Community at Work
Our Origin Story
Hayes Street was founded in 2021, yet the foundation started long before. The firm is named for the neighborhood where the Founder grew up, a place that shaped her belief in community, mutual care, and people-centered work. That rootedness carries into everything the firm does, connecting HR and organizational practice to the outcomes that matter most: mission delivery, retention, sound stewardship, and community trust.
Decades of hands-on leadership experience in organizational transformation and people strategy are core to our approach toward possibility. The range of our work informs the understanding that organizational context matters. What we bring to every partnership is depth of experience paired with genuine curiosity about what makes your organization tick. We design ideas and solutions only after intense listening. We partner with clients to co-create strategies rooted in three commitments that guide our approach: we center people, we build trust, and we stay focused on outcomes. This combination turns good intentions into measurable progress. Our work is about building the kind of internal strength that shows up in everything the organization does.
Our Founder
Nikita McClain, MSHRM, SHRM-CP, brings more than 20 years of HR, operations, and organizational development leadership to her work architecting transformative workplace solutions for mission-driven organizations. Nikita spent most of her career on the inside of organizations as a leader and decision-maker responsible for the people systems, operational choices, and culture that directly inform an organization’s stability and success. She knows the weight of those decisions from experience: balancing compliance with compassion, growth with stability, and mission with the practical realities of running an organization well. That vantage point shapes how she works today. She translates operational insight into guidance leaders can use, meeting them as a trusted partner who has stood where they stand.
Nikita holds a Master of Science in Human Resource Management and numerous certifications. She serves on several boards and is an industry thought partner sharing insights through research, publications, and advisory work. She writes the tHRu-line newsletter for mission-driven leaders and leads the firm’s work as an Everything DiSC® Authorized Partner. She brings both credentials and lived experience to helping organizations do their good work well.