SALLY THORNTON
President and Co-Founder

Sally is a dedicated professional and mother who is passionate about connecting talented professional women (most of whom are Moms who have “opted-out” in order to raise their families) with interesting, challenging business opportunities that respect their need for flexible work arrangements.

Sally is a sought-after expert on issues related to flexible work practices. Sally has been a featured guest on the KQED radio show Forum hosted by Michael Krasny, NBC11 News, Entrepreneur.com, ABC’s View From the Bay, and BNET.com. As a dynamic speaker, Sally has spoken to thousands of women with audiences ranging from the high-powered “Women In Leadership” conference at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business to executive panels at Stanford Graduate School of Business and local conferences.

Sally is excited to leverage her experience and expertise to help other moms find the right projects, and to help her clients find the right people. As she says, she is all about “win-win” situations, where the needs of working mothers are respected and the needs of the business are met with genuine enthusiasm and passion. 

Sally lives in San Mateo with her husband, son (4), and daughter (2), who are equally excited about her commitment to a flexible work schedule!

Sally’s advice for working mothers: You are a success if you spend your days doing all the things that you have the capability and desire to do. You can design the life that’s right for your family while keeping your skills current, your network active, and your income competitive. Go for it.

LARA MCDONALD
Principal and Co-Founder

Lara has a passion for her work in human resources. When approached with the opportunity to have a more flexible work arrangement of her own while helping other Moms find the right balance – she jumped at it. 

Lara has a diverse background in the field of human resources. After graduating from the University of Southern California with a degree in Business Administration, Lara served in generalist and management roles across a variety of industries from financial services to medical devices.  She held key positions at KPMG, Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), and Charles Schwab.  In 2000, she earned a master’s degree in Human Resources and Organization Development from the University of San Francisco. Shortly thereafter she was asked to join Guidant Corporation as a Principal Generalist.  In her role at Guidant, Lara had responsibility for consulting on organization development and employee relations issues, developing and implementing human resources programs and management coaching. She also has several years of experience in recruiting – which is why she is responsible for our talent acquisition programs.

Lara is pleased to have found partners that share her passion for human resources and the idea of flexible staffing models. She believes that there are always exciting jobs for talented people, including those that offer flexibility.

Lara lives in Burlingame with her husband, John, and two young children, a son (5) and a daughter (2).

Lara’s advice to working moms:  When making decisions about balancing work and family, follow your heart. Don’t be afraid to step away from a full-time position for fear it will halt your career. There are many opportunities to keep your skills current even if you’re not working 40 hours per week: reading trade journals, working part-time, connecting to professional associations and even taking on small roles in non-profit organizations.

MICHELLE FOWLER
Principal and Co-Founder

Michelle has always loved bringing people together and creating new relationships, so her move to Flexperience is a natural extension for her.   

After graduating magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Georgetown University: School of Foreign Service with a degree in International Relations, Michelle spent a few years working at the United States Department of Justice before attending law school at UC Berkeley: Boalt School of Law. After two years as a business attorney with Farella Braun & Martel, LLP, where she worked on numerous multi-million dollar commercial property transactions, Michelle was named Corporate Counsel for Winery Exchange, Inc.  In this role, Michelle was responsible for the legal aspects of the private label wine business, which included transactions with private label clients and wineries, developing and implementing the international, federal and state regulatory compliance program as well as the brand trademark program. Most recently, she took on a more flexible role as outside counsel for Winery Exchange, drafting and negotiating contracts for the TradePulse division and consulting on various wine projects.

Over the course of her career, Michelle has come to truly believe in the value of flexibility. She has seen how it can help companies meet the changing demands of their workforce and for working mothers like her, she has experienced firsthand how it can provide a way to find balance between work and family.  Now with her role at Flexperience, Michelle has been given the freedom she needs to do what she loves, and she is excited about having the ability to provide others with similar opportunities.

Michelle lives in Hillsborough with her husband James and their three little girls.

Michelle’s advice to working mothers:  Finding the right balance between work and family changes on a regular basis. A flexible mindset, and a sense of humor, may help you find some peace and balance in all aspects of your life. And when you find yourself in the midst of this balancing act, remember that it helps to be passionate about what you do.  I believe in the Zen proverb that says “Love what you do, do what you love.”  You can’t go wrong with that!