Octavia McGruder was born in Macon, GA, home of the International Cherry Blossom Festival. She began her professional career as a Small Business Trainer at BellSouth/AT&T phone company in 2002. Octavia wanted to expand her knowledge in the area of Human Resources. In February of 2011, she accepted a Human Resources position with a local utility company in Macon, GA (Macon Water Authority). While there, Octavia was responsible for Training and Development, Recruitment and Onboarding, Risk Management, and often worked along side with the Director of Human Resources. In 2018, Octavia decided to venture out and gain more exposure to the HR world. She accepted a position with the State of Georgia, Department of Human Services, in the Training and Development Office. After one year of being in that role, she was promoted to the Office of Human Resources as a Human Resources Generalist II for the State of Georgia servicing the Division of Child Support Services. Her primary responsibilities included Consulting, Recruiting, Onboarding, Orientation and Employee Relations. In 2020, Octavia accepted a position in the Federal Government with The Department of Veterans Affairs. She is currently a GS-12 Human Resources Specialist servicing the Rocky Mountain area. She is a recruiter and consultant for hiring managers with Veterans Health Administration. In 2023, her passion for Human Resources drove her to launch her very own Human Resources company, OctaPro Recruiting Solutions, LLC. Octavia consults with businesses for their Recruitment, Staffing, and Training needs.

Octavia's educational background stems from Wesleyan College in Macon, GA where she majored in Business Administration. In July 2020, Octavia obtained her Society of Human Resource Management Certification (SHRM-CP). More recently in June of 2023, she obtained her second certification from the International Association of Professions Career College in Human Resources Consulting.

Octavia has two sons Jordan (25) graduate of the Art Institute in Atlanta, GA majoring in Media Arts and Designs and Nicholas (23) graduate of the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, GA majoring in Sports Management. Octavia enjoys traveling, watching suspense movies, and spending time with chiweenie dog, Master.