Heather Simcakoski serves as the Vice President of Employee & Customer Experience at Nelson-Jameson, where she leads the development and execution of a unified strategy to elevate both the employee lifecycle and customer journey. In this dual-focused role, Heather aligns people, processes, and service strategies to drive organizational growth, operational excellence, and stakeholder satisfaction.
With more than 15 years of experience in the distribution industry, Heather has held progressive leadership roles across customer experience and quality, including Director of Customer Experience and Associate Director of Customer Experience & Quality. Her career began in customer experience and inside sales, and has grown into a purpose-driven leadership path shaped by her belief that people, purpose, and impact intersect meaningfully in this industry. She is deeply passionate about creating human-centered experiences and building cultures rooted in care, integrity, and intention, where every case shipped and every customer served supports something bigger: nourishing communities and empowering those who serve them.
Heather’s leadership spans Human Resources, Customer Service, and Quality & Compliance, where she champions strategic initiatives to elevate experience standards, strengthen relationships, and ensure alignment between brand values and business outcomes. She is a trusted thought partner to senior leadership, a champion of employee and customer voices, and a strong advocate for psychological safety and cultural transformation.
A proud U.S. Marine veteran, Heather brings a mindset of service, discipline, and integrity to everything she does. She is SHRM certified and holds certificates in Customer Experience, Women in Leadership, and AI — deep Learning, reflecting her continuous learning mindset and commitment to staying ahead of emerging trends such as artificial intelligence and employee well-being.
Heather currently serves on several advisory boards, including the University of Wisconsin–Stout Women in Leadership Advisory Board, the UW–Stout Customer Experience Advisory Board, and the NAW Human Resources Advisory Council, where she contributes her expertise to support workforce development, innovation, and equity across industries.
