Ann Close, PHR/CP
President/OwnerAnn is the Founder and President of Close HR. With more than 25 years of HR and senior-level leadership experience, plus 16 years as a successful small business owner, she is a trusted people-management partner to executives and entrepreneurs.
Her work is especially focused on supporting small businesses and business owners as they grow, scale, and navigate complex people decisions. She most often serves as a subject-matter HR expert and strategic advisor to C-suite leaders, helping them move forward with clarity and confidence.
Often brought in when business owners need practical, compliant people solutions without the overhead of a full internal HR department, her approach blends strategy, practicality, and plainspoken guidance that business owners can actually use.
To support that work, Ann uses clear frameworks that resonate with business leaders. Known by many as the “HR Football Lady,” she brings her love of sports into her work, using the concept of an HR Game Plan to make people strategy practical, memorable, and effective.
In addition to her advisory work, Ann is a Certified Professional HR Consultant and a member of both the national Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Raleigh Metro SHRM chapter (RMSHRM). She has been a Strategic Alliance Partner with the Raleigh/Durham chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) for more than seven years and is a frequent speaker on HR and small business topics for community and client-based events.
She is actively involved in several Chambers of Commerce throughout the Triangle and volunteers with a number of community organizations. Ann is deeply committed to faith, family, and serving others well, and she is a strong advocate for entrepreneurship and small businesses.
At the heart of her work is a commitment to protecting the client’s entity and helping business owners build healthy teams that support both performance and people.