President’s Message – December, 2014
Dear HRLA Board,
What an honor and privilege it has been to serve as the Chapter President for the SHRM Affiliate Human Resource Leadership Association for the past four years!
I follow in the footsteps of some of the strongest leaders in the HR Profession in CT:
- • Craig Williams
- • Margot Larson
- • Vern Bliven
- • Janine Dunn
- • Cathy Bates
What has it been like to lead such an Association?
Thrilling, exciting, rewarding and hard work. But, with this Board, Chair and Team it has been wonderful!
I have made so many close, terrific friends through HRLA.
We socialize together; work together; share HR best practices; go out together; they have become friends for life. Some I see regularly and some I only see a couple of times a year, but this Association has bound us together as a fraternity.
The second point – We have accomplished much!
Again. It has been my privilege to have worked with each and every one of you over the course of this timeframe.
Over the past four years this Chapter has focused on and accomplished:
Promotion and Growth
- • Had the Governor of Ct sign a Proclamation stating that the 2nd week in March is HR Professionals Week in CT
- • Promoted HRLA via Radio Ads and Newspaper Ads
- • Grown in Membership from 65 to, at one point, over 200 members
- • Grown in Number of SHRM Members
- • Doubled our number of meetings from 6 per year to 12 per year
- • Have continued to grow our Budget while maintaining a very healthy bank account
- • We have reached out and contacted non-affiliated SHRM members bi-annually to join our Chapter
Our members have been Promoting HRLA outside of Ct, also:
- • Sent an HRLA member to San Francisco to view how they run their chapter
- • Sent Members to: SHRM National Annual Conference,
- • SHRM Leadership Conference
- • SHRM Tri-State Leadership Conference
Programs on HR Best Practices:
- • Kept our membership up-to-date with ACA and Annual Legislative Events
- • Held workforce readiness workshops
- • Held workshops on employee engagement, LinkedIn and coaching
- • Introduced an HR Book Club to HRLA via a link to SilkRoad
- • Held 8 Networking/Membership Socials over the last 4 years; one each summer and winter
- • One with over 100 attendees!
- • Held 4 Legislative Updates; 4 Diversity Events
Exciting recent activities:
- • We now have a new, updated and user friendly website
- • Established a strong, united and supportive Board of Directors
This Board has worked hard and they have received numerous Awards:
- • Received the SHRM Super Star Membership Award – numerous times!
- • Received the SHRM Gold Award
- • Received the SHRM Platinum Award and
- • Wrote a Grow Your Chapter Guidebook and submitted to SHRM for a Pinnacle Award
This Chapter knows where their top priorities are:
- • Established our HRLA Career Links Group for southeastern CT HR Professionals in transition
- • We are the Sponsoring Chapter for the ECSU Student Chapter
- • Presented two presentations at ECSU and attended their Anniversary Celebration!
I have been extremely fortunate to have been a part of the history of this terrific Chapter.
I’m now turning it over to an awesome Board, and I look forward to the creative, enthusiastic contributions that they will make to grow and expand this terrific group even further!
Thank you,
Janet
Janet O. Welch, SPHR
Chapter President, HRLA
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