Mark Ernst

Mark Ernst

Human Resources Executive and Coach

Ernst’s coaching experience is broad-based and focuses on leadership and career development, guiding executives and managers to effectively cope with changes and challenges in the work place to maximize his/her effectiveness, and mentoring and coaching for not-for-profit board members.

Ernst’s expertise has been honed by over 20 years of diverse industry experience, including an extensive background in executive coaching and mentoring, management development, strategic human resources planning, talent acquisition and retention, employee relations, mergers & acquisitions, and compensation and benefits.

Mark Ernst was most recently Vice President of Human Resources. In that role Ernst was charged with overseeing and expanding Autobytel’s HR initiatives. Ernst’s key focus was on the acquisition and retention of talent solidifying Autobytel’s reputation as an employer of choice, twice recognized for that achievement by OC Metro Magazine in 2001 and 2006. Ernst is acutely aware of the importance of people and growth and development of people in achieving the goals of the company.

Prior to Autobytel Inc., Ernst was Vice President of Human Resources for Freedom Communications, a media company with 8,000 employees across the United States, where he successfully implemented their first corporate Human Resources function.

Ernst has also served at various Human Resources functions for such prominent companies as PepsiCo and Nabisco, and the prominent start-up computer reseller, Businessland.

Ernst earned a BA and MS degree in Social Justice from Lewis University and holds a J.D. degree from De Paul University. He is licensed to practice law in Illinois. He served on the Advisory Board for the Masters in HR program at Chapman University, the Board of Fellows for the School of Behavior and Organizational Sciences at Claremont University, and the Board of the Orange County Urban League.

Ernst has significant teaching experience including an instructor at Lewis University, in the Human Resources extension program at the University of California, Irvine. He is also a certified instructor for management development materials created by DDI (Development Dimensions International) and Achieve Global. He is also frequent speaker on a variety of contemporary HR topics such as: preventing sexual harassment; the importance of management training in maintaining key employees; effective interviewing techniques; succession planning, and; performance management.