Janet May Leads With Her Values

Janet May, chief human resources officer at Houston Community College,
is the recipient of CUPA-HR’s 2021 Distinguished Service Award.

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As chief HR officer at Houston Community College, Janet May embodies the values of CUPA-HR through her service to both her institution and CUPA-HR, and by being a part of the larger conversation of higher ed HR.

For years, May was the guiding force for the CUPA-HR Western Region. She served as chair-elect, chair, past chair and secretary on the region’s board of directors. In recognition of her service to the Western Region, she was selected to serve as the Western Region representative on the national board of directors. Constantly looking for ways to develop herself professionally, May has served in several other leadership roles, including on CUPA-HR’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee; learning and professional development committee; membership committee; emerging issues committee; as a board member for the Rio Grande Chapter, the Arizona Chapter and the Lone Star Chapter; as an annual conference ambassador; and on the learning framework ad hoc group.

At Houston Community College, a predominantly Hispanic-serving institution, May is a visible and vocal advocate for the advancement of both student, staff and faculty diversity and inclusion efforts. She also played an instrumental role in the creation of the groundbreaking Creating Inclusive Communities program, a resource for initiating conversations about diversity and inclusion.

“As a recognized thought leader and active contributor to CUPA-HR, Janet is more than deserving of this recognition,” says Dave Blake, vice president and chief operating officer at California Western School of Law. “She has always made volunteer service a cornerstone of her professional values.”

As is evidenced by her service over the years, May is clearly committed to the HR profession and to CUPA-HR — leading with her values and serving as needed.

About the Distinguished Service Award:
CUPA-HR’s Distinguished Service Award recognizes distinguished and continuing service to the association and demonstrated leadership on the national or regional board of directors, advisory committees or task forces. Thanks to support from UKG, the award comes with a $4,000 contribution to the recipient’s institutional endowment or a scholarship fund. Learn more.