Junior Achievement of San Diego County (JA San Diego) has welcomed two new board members, Joel Mathlin and Michelle Reiner. Mathlin and Reiner bring decades of experience from the human resources and operations fields, respectively, and have a passion for the economic empowerment of young people.
Joel Mathlin is the Director & Head of Human Resources at San Diego Research, where he leads HR strategy, workforce planning, and culture initiatives. He brings more than 18 years of experience in the field, including talent acquisition, global compensation, workforce analytics, and large‑scale transformation work. Prior to his current role, Joel served as the Director of HR for global operations at Thermo Fisher Scientific and as the HR lead for the Life Sciences Business Transformation Office, supporting distributed teams worldwide. He is passionate about building inclusive, high‑performing organizations and developing leaders at all levels.
Michelle Reiner is a Vice President of Operations at Balfour Beatty, with a strong track record of leading complex operations and multidisciplinary teams across Southern California. She is recognized for her strategic, people‑centered leadership and her ability to align operational excellence with the needs of public‑sector clients and communities. With more than 33 years in the industry, Michelle has extensive experience partnering with K–12 school districts throughout San Diego County, delivering results in highly regulated, stakeholder‑driven environments. She is deeply committed to mentorship, leadership development, and advancing workforce readiness to support the long‑term success of students and educational institutions.
