Kyla Pavlina returns to CrossFit as CPO

Kyla Pavlina has returned to CrossFit as chief people officer, according to a May 20 report by The Barbell Spin that cited Pavlina’s LinkedIn announcement. The move puts a former senior human-resources executive back inside the company more than six years after her previous stint ended, and it comes weeks after CrossFit said Bruce Edwards would return as chief executive officer starting May 4. The hire was presented as an internal leadership appointment rather than a competition update. No CrossFit Semifinals details were tied to the announcement. ### When did Pavlina last work at CrossFit? The Barbell Spin reported that Pavlina served as CrossFit’s head of human resources from 2013 through 2019. The outlet said she left shortly after Edwards exited the company in December 2019, and is now returning just over six years later. CrossFit’s own announcements page confirms Edwards’ return was disclosed on April 28, with a start date of May 4, 2026. (thebarbellspin.com) The timing makes Pavlina’s appointment one of the first senior personnel changes linked publicly to the company’s latest leadership reset. ### What did Pavlina say about coming back? Pavlina said on LinkedIn, as quoted by The Barbell Spin, “With a very full heart, I’ve made the decision to return to CrossFit as Chief People Officer.” She said the past “6+ years” gave her the chance to help organizations deliver “life-saving tests, tools, and medicine to society.” (thebarbellspin.com) In the same post, Pavlina said that experience “expanded me as a leader” and reinforced her view that “a company’s greatest asset is its people.” She also described CrossFit as a place where “challenge, accountability, growth, purpose, and community collide,” according to the excerpts published by The Barbell Spin. (crossfit.com) ### What has she done since leaving CrossFit? (thebarbellspin.com) Hyperfine said on August 31, 2021, that it had appointed Pavlina as chief people officer. The medical-technology company described her as an industry veteran with healthcare and medtech human-resources experience. Hyperfine said Pavlina had previously served as chief people officer at Mesa Biotech, later part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, and had also held a vice president of human resources role at SeaSpine. (thebarbellspin.com) A later Jackson Lewis interview identified her as chief people officer at Scipher Medicine, adding to the record of senior people-and-culture roles she held away from CrossFit. (hyperfinemri.com) ### Who is she replacing? The Barbell Spin reported that Pavlina replaces Annette Reavis as CrossFit’s chief people officer. Third-party organizational listings reviewed on May 21 still identified Reavis in that role, but CrossFit had not posted a separate announcement about the handoff on its public announcements page in the material reviewed for this article. (marketscreener.com) Because CrossFit has not yet published a standalone public release on its announcements page about Pavlina’s appointment in the material available, the clearest public confirmation so far is Pavlina’s own statement as reported by The Barbell Spin. ### Does this affect the CrossFit season? The May 20 report framed Pavlina’s return as a corporate staffing move, not a Games-season development. (thebarbellspin.com) The Barbell Spin article did not include Semifinals programming, athlete results or event changes. CrossFit’s public-facing competition properties remain active separately. The CrossFit Games site lists the 2026 season and athlete leaderboards, while The Barbell Spin’s recent coverage also continued to focus on Games-related scheduling and event programming outside this personnel story. (thebarbellspin.com) ### What comes next inside CrossFit’s leadership team? May 4, 2026, was the start date CrossFit gave for Edwards’ return as chief executive officer. (thebarbellspin.com) Pavlina’s appointment follows that change and gives the company a new chief people officer at a time when CrossFit is also maintaining its public competition calendar and corporate announcements stream. The next formal marker to watch is CrossFit’s announcements page, where the company has been posting leadership and partnership updates. (games.crossfit.com) As of the material reviewed on May 21, that page included Edwards’ return as CEO but not a separate item on Pavlina. (crossfit.com)