Michael (Mike) Schlonsky is an attorney and former C-suite executive who advises business owners, executives, and boards on high-stakes business, operational, and leadership matters. He brings more than three decades of experience working at the highest levels of a publicly traded, Fortune 500 organization, where he served in senior leadership roles spanning human capital, operations, risk management, governance, and legal oversight.
Before joining KJK, Mike spent over 30 years with Big Lots, including over 13 years as Chief Human Resources Officer, reporting directly to the CEO and serving as a key member of the executive leadership team. In that role, he led enterprise-wide human capital strategy for a 35,000-employee organization with more than 1,400 retail locations, multiple distribution centers, and corporate headquarters. He partnered closely with the Board of Directors on executive compensation and governance matters and played a central role in guiding the company through periods of significant disruption.
Earlier in his career, Mike held senior leadership positions that combined responsibility for human resources, store operations, risk management, compensation and benefits, and enterprise litigation oversight. His experience includes P&L responsibility for large, multi-location operations, leading companywide restructurings, overseeing complex internal investigations, and aligning workforce and risk decisions with broader business and financial objectives.
Today, Mike serves as a trusted outside general counsel and strategic advisor to companies ranging from early-stage startups to multibillion-dollar enterprises. He works closely with CEOs, officers, and boards on crisis management, internal investigations, executive and organizational strategy, and the business implications of workforce and governance decisions. Clients value his ability to speak the language of business leaders and deliver practical, commercially grounded guidance shaped by decades of real-world executive experience.
Mike began his legal career in private practice at Schottenstein, Zox & Dunn, now part of Ice Miller, and also served as in-house counsel earlier in his professional path. He is actively involved in the Columbus community and serves on the boards of several local organizations.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has proposed a significant new rule that could reshape how businesses are held liable for workers they do not directly employ — with major implications for staffing agencies, franchises, and companies that use subcontractors. At the...
