Michelle Trueblood

Michelle Trueblood serves as Chief Human Resources Officer for the Horton Group. In this role, Michelle is responsible for leading Horton’s most valuable assets – its employees – to their highest level of performance. Michelle heads a dynamic team that fosters training innovation, professional leadership, and employee engagement.

Michelle joined Horton in March of 2015.  Previously, Michelle served as Chief Operating Officer for Independent Insurance Agents (IIA) of Illinois. Prior to this, she served as Chief Strategy Officer for IIA of Illinois.

To Michelle, all of her past positions have strengthened her ability to work well with others and build high-performance teams. As a former teacher and lobbyist, Michelle also learned the importance of being a good communicator and working under pressure in challenging environments.

“Looking back on my career, I’ve been fortunate to have worked with some amazing people,” said Michelle. “I’ve chosen wise mentors and been given opportunities I could only have dreamed of when I was growing up.”

At Horton, Michelle is known for her abilities as a change agent, her willingness to speak candidly, and her commitment to promoting a culture of accountability and integrity. In both her professional and personal lives, Michelle likes to surround herself with quality people who offer different perspectives.

For Michelle, the most rewarding aspect of her position at Horton is being able to build strong interpersonal relationships.

“I’ve always been passionate about being good to others, hiring committed people and fostering a team environment,” said Michelle. “I’m happy when our teams are thriving!”

Michelle’s philosophy in work and in life is to view each new challenge as an opportunity. She says she is guided by these essential ideas:

• Never jeopardize personal integrity for professional gain
• Be admirable, embrace change, lead by example and always be willing to learn something new
• Always surround yourself with quality people who genuinely want the best for you 

Michelle attended Southern Illinois University (SIU) at Carbondale, Illinois, where she completed her doctoral studies in Workforce Education and Development (with a focus on Training and Development); a Master of Science degree in Education; and a Bachelor of Science degree in Fashion Merchandising, with a minor in Marketing.

Hailing from Southern Illinois, Michelle now lives in Chicago. In her time away from work, Michelle enjoys keeping up with news and politics, traveling, reading, exploring new restaurants and wine tasting. Michelle says she “loves all things Chicago, including cheering for the Cubs.”