Award-Winning Work in Higher Ed HR – 2021 Regional HR Rock Star and HR Excellence Awards
From creating diversity efforts and development initiatives to leading change, human resources teams and HR practitioners across the country are doing great work every day.
CUPA-HR’s regional Higher Education HR Awards program recognizes some of the best and brightest in higher ed HR and honors HR professionals who have given their time and talents to the association. In this post, we’d like to recognize recipients of two regional awards focused on HR professionals and teams who have made an impact at their institutions.
Higher Ed HR Rock Star Award
This award recognizes an individual who is serving in the first five years of a higher education HR career who has already made a significant impact.
Shakeya Foreman, Employee and Labor Relations Specialist, La Salle University (Eastern Region)
In the short time she has been at La Salle University, Shakeya Foreman has become an invaluable member of the community. She is a resource, thought partner and sounding board to both her HR team and the campus at large. In the past year, specifically, she has been a key player on La Salle University’s COVID-19 response team, and she was selected to serve as a co-chair on La Salle’s Joint Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. As part of the COVID-19 response team, and in partnership with Student Affairs, Foreman developed a contact-tracing process — including numerous communications, workflows and processes — and then worked with a programmer to help develop a case management system specifically for the La Salle community. As a co-chair of the Joint Commission on Diversity Equity, and Inclusion, she is leading a campus-wide process to examine policies, procedures, practice and culture which will culminate in a formal recommendation later this year.
Sarah Gasevic, HR Director, Mayville State University (Midwest Region)
Sarah Gasevic has stepped up and provided great leadership for the projects she has undertaken at Mayville State University, which remained open with on-campus classes for much of the pandemic. She organized a Wellness Day in the fall of 2020 that provided extra support for faculty and staff, and found creative ways to boost morale and community by planning special activities such as virtual painting nights and virtual meetings designed to provide additional care during a difficult time. Gasevic also thought outside the box when it came to finding solutions to recruitment and hiring challenges. As a Title IX co-coordinator, she has done a remarkable job with investigations, skillfully addressing the concerns of all parties involved. Gasevic also provided exemplary leadership and a positive attitude as she balanced work and family needs. She has a passion for the people at Mayville State University, and it shows in everything she does.
Joshua Hawkins, Human Resources Consultant, William Peace University (Southern Region)
In only two and a half years, Josh Hawkins has had a significant impact on the reputation of his HR department and has inspired his campus colleagues at William Peace University to stretch and achieve more than what is in their job descriptions. His dedication and tireless efforts in streamlining processes; automating activities; and consulting as a generalist on topics related to recruitment, hiring and onboarding have resulted in many campus accolades. When the pandemic moved employees to a remote environment in March 2020, Hawkins quickly embraced the challenge to transition the interviewing, hiring and onboarding processes to a virtual format. In addition to his HR efforts, Hawkins serves on the Commencement Committee; Communications Task Force; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee; and Bias Education Support Team (BEST). His ability to see the big picture and think about the impact of activities on everyone involved in a process is exceptional, and he consistently inspires those around him to be their best!
Taylor Craven, Employee Relations Consultant and Leave Program Manager, University of Colorado Boulder (Western Region)
Taylor Craven’s willingness to step in wherever needed, thoughtful decision-making and calm demeanor made her well-suited to her current role as employee relations consultant and leave program manager. She was instrumental in developing guidance and resources for a new paid parental leave program at University of Colorado Boulder, as well as changes to FMLA. As an employee relations consultant, she provides supervisor consultation on personnel issues, assists with department-employee separations, and navigates the complex world of performance. With the onset of the pandemic, Craven built guidance and resources for leave and child-care leave under the FFCRA, creating processes, getting her team up to the speed and developing communications and tools. She was also called on more than once to educate 300+ HR liaisons across campus in virtual webinars. When the FFCRA was followed by Colorado’s Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, she did it all again. With compassion, resilience, professionalism and enthusiasm, Craven works to achieve goals that support the institution while balancing the needs of the campus community.
HR Excellence Award
Honoring transformative HR work in higher education and recognizing individuals or teams that have provided HR leadership resulting in significant and ongoing organizational change within their institutions.
Office of Human Resources, Hudson County Community College (Eastern Region)
In response to the pandemic and other events of 2020, Hudson County Community College’s Office of Human Resources provided leadership and collaborated on several transformational programs that improved engagement and diversity by promoting a culture of inclusivity. The expansion of professional development programs, special programs of appreciation, and new programs of recognition allowed the campus community to engage, stay connected, communicate and celebrate one another in new ways. To promote self-care and balance, HR and the College Life Committee launched Steps for Wellness in the summer of 2020. In July 2020, HR and the president’s Advisory Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion created Our Stories Untold, a new monthly speaker series highlighting members of the HCCC community. These collaborations and partnerships with various constituents of the college allowed HR to create new programs to strengthen the support, appreciation and recognition of the college’s employees and to further promote inclusivity and a sense of community and belonging, even when they were not able to see each other in person.
Julie Deane, Kansas City University (Midwest Region)
Julie Deane manages a team of seven HR professionals across two campuses — Kansas City, Missouri, and Joplin, Missouri. She is a visionary, results-oriented, and innovative HR executive management professional focused on shaping and nurturing positive, high-value employee experiences and advancing workplace excellence. When she arrived at KCU in 2018, Deane began implementing significant and ongoing organizational change. Through her strategic vision and leadership, the HR function has been transformed to align more directly with the university mission, be a more service-oriented team, be considered a trusted and capable advisor, and nurture an organizational culture and environment built on transparency and trust. Deane is an exemplary leader who maintains a progressive and innovative outlook toward the future of human resources. She possesses that unique sense of how to leverage industry best practices to deliver on HR’s mission: to shape and nurture positive, high-value employee experiences and advance workplace excellence.
Division of Human Resources, Florida International University (Southern Region)
The Division of HR at Florida International University led a workforce shift during COVID-19 that has allowed the university to exceed productivity levels while also accommodating the health and safety of the university community. The DHR modified and created content on communication platforms to provide just-in-time information as COVID-19 developments unfolded and the university workforce temporarily transitioned to fully remote work. They also created a COVID-19 emergency policy to alleviate fears of job loss and benefits reduction as temporary modifications were being vetted. The policy extended professional development hours for remote employees and created an internal talent share, a COVID-19 sick-leave pool, extended vacation leave, virtual events for new employees, socially distanced recognition and appreciation events, and a weekly Virtual HR Water Cooler. Further, FIU’s Office of Employee Assistance created programming to help employees process, navigate and flourish amid the pandemic, including professionally facilitated support groups. In response to racial unrest that stemmed from the murder of George Floyd, the HR division also implemented initiatives to address issues of inclusion and equity more fully, particularly as they relate to FIU.
Kristina Hutchinson, Skagit Valley College (Western Region)
Kristina Hutchinson used her leadership, analytical skills and lean management background to collaboratively help re-define the structure of the Human Resources Department at Skagit Valley College. Turnover and the resulting loss of institutional knowledge had put the department at risk of increased errors and inconsistencies that could have resulted in a loss of confidence by HR’s internal and external customers. In response, Hutchinson initiated an extensive analysis of the core competencies needed to implement a new HRIS platform, including a thorough review of each HR job function. She developed consistent HR workflows and practices, and created procedures and an extensive catalog of checklists so that HR generalists and consultants could consistently and efficiently replicate outcomes. Through regular team operational meetings, Hutchinson continues to monitor role clarity, provide just-in-time training, adjust work plans and monitor customer feedback. She is a leader who has the dedication and determination to make long-term, sustainable contributions to the success of the HR team and the college community.
Congratulations to all of our region award recipients!
